Let’s be honest—as teachers, we’re lucky if we get 45 minutes to catch our breath after one class, prep for the next, grade whatever’s in front of us, and reset.
The micro story (60 seconds)
Back in 2009, I was a high school orchestra teacher trying to do it all.
What I needed was not “another app.”
I needed one simple system that saved time and made Monday feel manageable. This is when I began teaching myself about spreadsheets, learning how to build my own custom data dashboards, and eventually I found Notion to help me keep track of my day to day organizing.
So here’s what I actually do:
Instead of starting from scratch every time, I use one Gemini prompt that gives me 80% of the structure in under 3 minutes.
Then I tweak it. Done.
By taking these quick and simple steps, I have been able to cut down the busy work each week and I have been able to find a few extra minutes each day to mentally prepare for the next class or meeting.
Here is my secret formula. If this works for you, please let me know!
The 3-minute move (copy/paste this prompt)
Open Gemini and paste this, then add in your details:
I’m teaching [TOPIC] to [GRADE LEVEL].
Create a 45-minute lesson plan with:
2) Direct instruction (15 min)
3) Guided practice (15 min)
4) Independent practice (10 min)
Include 2 differentiation strategies and a 2-question exit ticket.
Then do one more step:
- Reply: “Give me 3 faster hooks that take under 2 minutes to set up.”
