I’ve never been happier than when I’m in school. Before this, I spent 22 years with a premier car brand as a master technician and a service manager. In 2007, I told my wife I didn’t want to be the boss anymore and headed back to the classroom. Eighteen years later, I’m in my fifth year teaching computer science and technology at a K-12 center in Florida, and the energy of my students keeps me moving.
At my school, 100% of my students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). My kids are either on the spectrum, or they’re navigating challenges like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. They are wonderful, creative kids, and my goal is to create a pathway for them so they aren’t overlooked.
Even with 18 years in the classroom, I still deal with imposter syndrome, so I’ve become a bit of a super nerd for training. I’ve logged over 500 hours of professional development in the last five years alone. That drive led me to become a Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Responsible AI Fellow. We’re focused on the ethical use of AI—educating teachers on ways they can incorporate it in their classroom and showing students how to cite references, check for bias, and remain human in the loop. I’ve even been appointed as my school’s AI liaison to help our district implement these tools safely.
As part of my training, I dove into the Google AI Essentials course. Before the course, I was using AI, but I was doing it all wrong, constantly rewriting the same question ten times, hoping for a better answer. The course opened my eyes to the power of prompt engineering and an ongoing conversation. It expanded my understanding of AI from a simple email generator to a massive repository of knowledge.
One of the biggest aha moments was realizing AI could be applied to things I never expected, like video games. I’m the esports coach here, and we are two-time world champions in a popular game. I started using Gemini to help build player profiles for performance tracking.
But the most significant impact has been in the technical juggling of IEPs. I used to sit with two screens open, a stack of hard-copy data on my desk, and old forms scattered everywhere.
Now, I use Gemini to help me develop personalized learning plans. I strictly anonymize everything, and I’ll plug in the Florida standards and the student’s specific growth areas. Gemini pulls from multiple sources to suggest goals and ways to track progress.
The resulting goals are better because the AI can pull from such a vast knowledge base, and I’m still the one doing the final personalized tweaking.
Using AI saves me at least 45 minutes to an hour every single day. That’s an hour I get back to prepare for my robotics and drone clubs and underwater robotics, or just an hour to be more present in the room. Instead of being stuck behind my desk doing paperwork while the kids work, I can give them that individual attention they need.
That personalization even extends to the classroom experience with substitute teachers. On the rare occasion I have to miss class, I’ll set up my sub by sharing the lesson plan with Gemini and have it help me build out a worksheet or quiz, scaffolded for the students’ different reading levels.
I really see it advancing kids’ ability to learn. I’m already seeing my students become better readers and speakers because they’re digging in and researching.
I see AI as an inclusion magnifier. If we teach kids to use AI responsibly, it’s going to break down barriers and close the equity gap, ensuring every student has a voice and choice in the world.