How to Save Time During Back to School with ChatGPT

The back-to-school season is exciting, but it’s also one of the busiest times of the year for teachers.

Between setting up your classroom, planning lessons, meeting families, and getting to know your students, it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

That’s where ChatGPT comes in. This AI-powered tool can help you save hours of prep time by generating drafts, brainstorming ideas, and creating templates you can adapt for your needs.

Below are five practical ways teachers can use ChatGPT to save time during back-to-school.

1. Use ChatGPT to Write a Meet the Teacher Letter

Your Meet the Teacher letter is often the first impression families get of you, and crafting one from scratch can be surprisingly time-consuming.

Instead of staring at a blank page, you can give ChatGPT a few details (i.e. your name, grade/subject taught, teaching experience, and what you’re most excited about for the year). And ChatGPT will draft a letter in minutes (or seconds, really).

You can then tweak the tone (either by prompting ChatGPT to make changes, or making edits yourself), add any personal touches, and include important information like communication methods or classroom expectations.

By using ChatGPT to write your Meet the Teacher letter, you will still have a thoughtful, polished introduction, but without spending an hour writing it.

2. Use ChatGPT to Brainstorm or Batch Work

Whether you’re brainstorming Back to School Night activities or coming up with a semester’s worth of weekly journal prompts, ChatGPT can help you generate a long list of ideas in seconds.

For example:

• Need 30 writing prompts for your 10th grade English class?
• Looking for STEM challenge ideas for your 5th graders?
• Want a list of unique classroom jobs for your entire class?

Simply tell ChatGPT your 1) grade level, 2) subject, and 3) desired format, and it can give you a batch of ideas to choose from. This “batch work” approach saves you from starting fresh every week. Instead, you’ll have everything ready to go in advance.

3. Use ChatGPT to Create a Monthly or Weekly Newsletter Template

Class newsletters are an amazing communication tool, but creating them can be a repetitive, time-consuming task. Instead, you can ask ChatGPT to create a customizable template with sections like:

• What We’re Learning
• Upcoming Events & Reminders
• Student Spotlight
• Helpful Resources

Once the template is ready, all you have to do is fill in the details each week or month. You’ll save time formatting and focus more on connecting with families.

4. Use ChatGPT to Create a Student Questionnaire or “About Your Child” Form

Getting to know your students quickly can make a huge difference in building classroom relationships. ChatGPT can help you design a Google Form-friendly questionnaire to gather important details from families.

You can include questions about:

• Preferred name
• Student strengths and areas for growth
• Interests and hobbies
• Parent communication preferences
• Any concerns or accommodations

This ensures you start the year with the information you need, without spending hours drafting the form yourself.

Use ChatGPT to Create a Last-Minute Sub Plan

Sometimes emergencies happen, and you need a substitute lesson plan… fast. Instead of scrambling, you can prompt ChatGPT with your 1) grade level, 2) subject, and 3) relevant resources, and it will create a standards-aligned, easy-to-follow plan for a sub to implement.

Is it as strong as a lesson plan you’d come up with? It depends.

But, is it quick and easy to use when you’re under the weather, barely able to think? Absolutely. Is it more effective than your sick brain? Maybe.

For example: “Create a 50-minute 8th grade science lesson on ecosystems that does not require internet access and can be led by a substitute teacher.”

Within seconds, you’ll have a plan complete with an objective, materials list, and step-by-step instructions. You can even store a few AI-generated sub plans in a folder so you’re prepared in the event of a last minute absence.

Use ChatGPT to Help You Save Time during Back to School

Back-to-school season will always be a whirlwind, but with the right tools, and maybe even the right AI, you can lighten your workload and focus on what matters most: building connections with your students and creating a joyful classroom environment.

By using ChatGPT to handle repetitive tasks like drafting letters, creating templates, and brainstorming ideas, you’ll free up your time and energy for the parts of teaching you love most.

How else do you like to use ChatGPT to help you save time? Share your ideas in the comments below!