You know what’s more exhausting than a week filled with IEP meetings, password resets, forgotten login credentials, and trying to convince students that “submitting a blank Google Doc” does not count as turning in their assignment? Trying to get a generative AI tool to understand your prompt the first time.
This week, I spent more time crafting the perfect prompt than I did drinking coffee, and that’s saying something.
Prompting AI is a weirdly specific art form. It’s a combination of clarity, patience, trial and error, and just the right amount of pleading. You start thinking you’re the teacher, but five prompts in, you’re begging a chatbot like, “Please, just give me a 30-minute, standards-aligned lesson plan that doesn’t require a field trip or a master’s degree in robotics.”
It reminds me of ordering at a new, fancy coffee shop. You walk in confidently. “I’ll take a latte,” you say. Simple. But then the barista hits you with a barrage of questions: “Oat milk or dairy? Iced or hot? Size? Sweetened? Do you want it topped with cinnamon, chocolate, or your own existential dread?” By the time your drink is ready, you’re not even sure what you ordered anymore.
AI prompting is the same vibe.
You start with something basic like:
“Create a lesson plan on the Industrial Revolution for 10th grade.”
And the AI gives you:
“An eight-page essay with footnotes, and two reflection questions.”
So you try again. You get more specific:
“Make it engaging, student-centered, 45 minutes long, with group discussion, aligned to standards.”
Now the AI gives you a plan involving a class debate and a five-part slide deck. You’re somewhere between impressed and overwhelmed.
Here’s the thing: when it works, it really works.
This week, I finally cracked the code on a few great prompts. One of my favorites?
“Create a 20-minute mini-lesson for 8th grade students comparing Patriots and Loyalists during the American Revolution. Include a short, engaging scenario that helps students understand each side’s perspective. End with a reflection question. Keep the language student-friendly, and avoid overly complex vocabulary.”
Boom. Nailed it. It provided a list of what the Patriots and Loyalists stood for that I easily converted into a script.
Another win came when I asked:
“Give me three variations of a vocabulary activity for English language learners that reinforce the word ‘collaborate’ using real-life examples.”
What I got back was an idea to create a story one word at a time on a Google Doc. The ideas was very neat and it showed how we don’t need to be in the same place at the same time to collaborate.
Sure, there were some duds, too. One time I asked for a lesson on figurative language and got back a story about a very dramatic squirrel who loved using metaphors. It was weirdly charming, but also completely unusable for 8th grade. Still, it made me laugh.
The more I experiment with AI, the more I realize that prompting is not about getting the exact right answer. It’s about discovering possibilities. Sometimes what you get is unexpected, a little offbeat, or even better than what you would have created on your own.
And the best part? It gets easier. Once you’ve prompted a few times, you start to develop your own “AI teacher voice.” You learn how to be clear, concise, and purposeful. You start to anticipate what it needs. You develop the magical formula that works for you.
Here’s a tip: always include your constraints. If you only have 30 minutes, say it. If your students are virtual, mention that. If you want the tone to be serious or silly or somewhere in between, be honest about it.
Another tip? Ask AI to think like you. Try:
“Act like a high school teacher designing this lesson for students with short attention spans and varying reading levels.”
Or:
“Give me options that require no prep, can be done digitally, and work for a substitute.”
You’ll be surprised at how helpful that framing can be.
So what have I learned this week? That prompting is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being curious. It’s about trying new ideas, adapting, and sometimes even laughing at the wildly inaccurate answers you get.
It’s also about remembering that AI is a tool, not a teacher. The magic doesn’t come from the bot. It comes from you—the educator who knows your students, your classroom, and your goals.
So here’s to all of us learning how to ask better questions.
Here’s to finding joy in the awkward early drafts.
Here’s to the teachers who prompt with purpose, pivot with grace, and find creative gold in the most unexpected AI outputs.
And here’s to coffee. Lots of coffee. Because no matter how advanced AI gets, it still can’t replace a well-caffeinated teacher.
Oh and by the way, I have included a link to a Generative AI training for Educators from Google. The link is attached to the picture above.
Happy Friday, friends.
Paula Johnson Tech 
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