# AI in schools, from a former teacher Source: https://aaronmakelky.com/ai-in-schools Last updated: 2026-03-27 Aaron Makelky, a former classroom teacher with 17 years in classrooms, writes about helping students learn with AI without letting it replace their thinking: school AI policy, classroom habits, agentic AI, and teacher tools. AI in schools I spent 17 years in classrooms, and AI showed up in mine in November 2022 when a student shoved a phone in my face. These are my notes for teachers and school leaders on helping students learn with AI without letting it replace their thinking. ![Aaron teaching in a classroom, holding an open laptop and pointing toward the board.](/images/topic-hubs/schools-teaching.webp)![Over-the-shoulder view of a child using a laptop with a game and AI chat on screen.](/images/topic-hubs/schools-son-game.webp)![A young child at a desk with a microphone and an animated character on the monitor.](/images/topic-hubs/schools-daughter-voice.webp) Teaching high school world history, my son building a game in Gemini Canvas mode, and my 2 year old daughter creating animations with her voice. Ignoring AI isn't an option, and neither is banning it. Students have it on their phones whether the school network blocks it or not. The hard part is deciding which friction still helps students learn and which friction just gets in the way. ## Start here Start with the student who told me he could finally read, then the mistakes I made first, then how to write a policy that holds up past week two. Accessibility · March 27, 2026 · 10 min read ### [He told me he felt like he could finally read](/blog/ai-in-education-friction-question-not-tool-question) A student told me the tool let him read. The hard part was deciding which friction was still the work. From a Skilling Future Podcast conversation about AI inside a school. [Read](/blog/ai-in-education-friction-question-not-tool-question) Mistakes · February 2, 2025 · 15 min read ### [I made these AI mistakes as a teacher first](/blog/5-mistakes-teachers-make-with-ai) I made plenty of AI mistakes as a classroom teacher. These are the ones I would clean up first, especially for schools trying to move past panic and tool demos. [Read](/blog/5-mistakes-teachers-make-with-ai) Policy · February 17, 2025 · 8 min read ### [AI policy for schools without pretending it is simple](/blog/ai_policy_for_schools) A school AI policy has to answer normal classroom questions about what students can use and disclose, and where teacher judgment still sits. [Read](/blog/ai_policy_for_schools) ## All my notes on AI in schools Newest first. Accessibility · March 27, 2026 · 10 min read ### [He told me he felt like he could finally read](/blog/ai-in-education-friction-question-not-tool-question) A student told me the tool let him read. The hard part was deciding which friction was still the work. From a Skilling Future Podcast conversation about AI inside a school. [Read](/blog/ai-in-education-friction-question-not-tool-question) Agentic AI · February 20, 2026 · 12 min read ### [revision history may not catch the agent](/blog/agentic-ai-classrooms-what-teachers-need-to-know) Agentic browsers can move through web assignments in ways revision history may not catch. That changes what a teacher can verify after the work is done. [Read](/blog/agentic-ai-classrooms-what-teachers-need-to-know) Tools · March 3, 2025 · 12 min read ### [most teacher AI apps are wrappers](/blog/3_ai_apps_teachers) Most teacher AI apps are wrappers around the same models. I would start with the frontier tools, then add classroom-specific apps only when they save real time. [Read](/blog/3_ai_apps_teachers) Skills · February 22, 2025 · 10 min read ### [context, a revision, then check the work](/blog/ai_skills_everyone_2025) Before the app choice matters, students and teachers need a few repeatable habits: give the model context, push for a revision, then check the work before trusting it. [Read](/blog/ai_skills_everyone_2025) Policy · February 17, 2025 · 8 min read ### [AI policy for schools without pretending it is simple](/blog/ai_policy_for_schools) A school AI policy has to answer normal classroom questions about what students can use and disclose, and where teacher judgment still sits. [Read](/blog/ai_policy_for_schools) Mistakes · February 2, 2025 · 15 min read ### [I made these AI mistakes as a teacher first](/blog/5-mistakes-teachers-make-with-ai) I made plenty of AI mistakes as a classroom teacher. These are the ones I would clean up first, especially for schools trying to move past panic and tool demos. [Read](/blog/5-mistakes-teachers-make-with-ai) ## Letters and resources for schools My letters to teachers and principals, and the scale Wyoming gives schools for student AI use. ### [Dear Teacher: let's prepare our kids for their future, not our past](/dear-teacher) My letter to my kids' teachers, with a free assignment-planning toolkit and classroom examples. ![Dear Teacher letter cover: Aaron teaching in a classroom.](/images/topic-hubs/dear-teacher-card.webp) [Read](/dear-teacher) ### [Dear Principal: let's prepare our kids for their future, not our past](/dear-principal) The same case for school leaders: guidance, assessment, access, and support for teachers. ![Dear Principal letter cover: Aaron teaching in a classroom.](/images/topic-hubs/dear-principal-card.webp) [Read](/dear-principal) ### [AI integration scales](/ai-integration-scales) The Wyoming Department of Education's Student AI Usage Continuum, from AI Free to AI Empowered. ![The four levels of the Student AI Usage Continuum: AI Free, AI Assisted, AI Enhanced, and AI Empowered.](/images/topic-hubs/wde-continuum.webp) [Read](/ai-integration-scales) ## Common questions ### Should schools ban AI? No. Students have AI on their phones and personal devices, and a school filter can't reach those. A ban mostly catches the students who were never shown how to use it well, while the ones who know the workarounds get around the blocks. ### What AI skills should teachers and students learn first? Three habits: give the model context, push for a revision, then check the work before trusting it. The app list changes every week. Those habits don't. ### Where should a school AI policy start? In layers: state guidance, then district, school, and the classroom syllabus. Start with the questions teachers face every day: what students can use, what they disclose, and where the teacher still makes the call. ### What is agentic AI, and why does it change the classroom? Agentic AI is the same AI with tools: a browser, access to a Google Doc, a schedule. It can work through a web assignment on its own, in ways revision history may not catch. ## More topics ### [AI video editing](/ai-video-editing) How I edit my videos with Claude, Codex, HyperFrames, and Tesseract: real prompts, caption rules, hardware notes, and what went wrong. [Open](/ai-video-editing) ### [AI Rabbit Holes](/ai-rabbit-holes) Every AI Rabbit Holes episode I've joined Ryan Doser on, written up in my own words: daily driver models, open source AI, video editing, and Grok Bot. [Open](/ai-rabbit-holes) ### [Grok Bot](/grok-bot) Everything I have written about Grok Bot: my review, setup, usage limits, email, and routines. [Open](/grok-bot) @theaaron ## Follow me on X I'm @theaaron on X, where I share what I'm testing with AI as I go. [Follow @theaaron on X](https://x.com/theaaron) [All field notes](/blog) ## Related pages - [He told me he felt like he could finally read](/blog/ai-in-education-friction-question-not-tool-question) - [revision history may not catch the agent](/blog/agentic-ai-classrooms-what-teachers-need-to-know) - [most teacher AI apps are wrappers](/blog/3_ai_apps_teachers) - [context, a revision, then check the work](/blog/ai_skills_everyone_2025) - [AI policy for schools without pretending it is simple](/blog/ai_policy_for_schools) - [I made these AI mistakes as a teacher first](/blog/5-mistakes-teachers-make-with-ai) - [Dear Teacher: let's prepare our kids for their future, not our past](/dear-teacher) - [Dear Principal: let's prepare our kids for their future, not our past](/dear-principal) - [AI integration scales](/ai-integration-scales) - [AI video editing](/ai-video-editing) - [AI Rabbit Holes](/ai-rabbit-holes) - [Grok Bot](/grok-bot) - [All field notes](/blog) ## Sources and references - [Wyoming Department of Education AI guidance (PDF)](https://edu.wyoming.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Guidance-for-AI-Policy-Development.pdf) - [Aaron Makelky on X](https://x.com/theaaron) ## Common questions ### Should schools ban AI? No. Students have AI on their phones and personal devices, and a school filter can't reach those. A ban mostly catches the students who were never shown how to use it well, while the ones who know the workarounds get around the blocks. ### What AI skills should teachers and students learn first? Three habits: give the model context, push for a revision, then check the work before trusting it. The app list changes every week. Those habits don't. ### Where should a school AI policy start? In layers: state guidance, then district, school, and the classroom syllabus. Start with the questions teachers face every day: what students can use, what they disclose, and where the teacher still makes the call. ### What is agentic AI, and why does it change the classroom? Agentic AI is the same AI with tools: a browser, access to a Google Doc, a schedule. It can work through a web assignment on its own, in ways revision history may not catch.