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The Classroom Newsletter
🌈 Full Color Learning Environment: Collaboration, Accountability, Reflective Practice, AND A TON MORE!
Mitch Fairchild
August 08, 2025
In This Issue:
• Lesson Planning: Cooperative Learning Structures
• Classroom Management: Student Accountability & Restorative Justice
• Parent Communication: Student Medication Needs
• Burnout Busters: Implement Reflective Practice
• Health & Wellness: Practice Deep Breathing Exercises
• Bonus Prompts: Special Education & Differentiation Strategies
• Homeroom Swag: Colorful Rainbow Bulletin Board Letters & Numbers
• Mitch Shorts: A Few Takeaways From Back To School PD
• Poll Position: Which European City?
Happy Friday Y’all,
This week’s quote by John Dewey sets the tone for the start of a powerful new school year:
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
This school year, as you greet students, collaborate with colleagues, and build relationships with families, remember this: what you're doing each day isn't just prepping kids for the future, you're actively shaping their present. The conversations, the challenges, the victories, the lessons… they all matter deeply because they’re life happening in real time.
This week’s prompts are designed to help you step into that mindset more fully. From building community through restorative practices to encouraging student engagement through cooperative learning structures, each tool helps make your classroom not just a place for academics, but a space for real, transformative learning.
So, whether you're easing back into routines or already knee-deep in new rosters and seating charts, take a moment to appreciate the gift and gravity of your work. You're not preparing them for life… you're giving them life right now.
Now, let’s look at how we can leverage ChatGPT (or your favorite generative AI platform) to help turn your classroom into an optimal learning environment…
Scenario:
Ms. Johnson teaches 5th-grade social studies and wants students to dig deeper during a unit on historical events. She turns to ChatGPT to help her structure a lesson that uses “think-pair-share” and other group strategies to build critical thinking and collaboration.
ChatGPT Prompt:
I am a [class subject] teacher and I teach [grade level] students. Design a lesson plan for [subject/topic] that uses cooperative learning structures like 'think-pair-share' to deepen student understanding.
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Boosts engagement: Interactive structures keep students active and involved.
• Strengthens collaboration: Students learn to listen, share, & build ideas together.
• Supports deeper understanding: Peer discussions lead to thoughtful reflection.
Scenario:
Coach Ramirez has a few students who’ve disrupted the learning environment. Instead of resorting to suspension or detention, he uses ChatGPT to build a restorative justice strategy that helps students take ownership of their actions while rebuilding community trust.
ChatGPT Prompt:
I am a [class subject] teacher and I teach [grade level] students. Help me design a restorative justice approach to discipline that focuses on fostering empathy, holding students accountable, and building a positive classroom community for [grade level] students.
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Teaches responsibility: Actions have consequences & opportunities for growth.
• Fosters empathy: Reflective conversations promote understanding & compassion.
• Reinforces classroom culture: Builds a more respectful, accountable environment.
Scenario:
Mrs. Lee has noticed that one of her students seems drowsy after lunch and is having trouble focusing. Mrs. Lee knows the child takes her medications each day at lunch. She wants to connect with the family in a way that’s informative, respectful and proactive, so she asks ChatGPT to help draft a communication letter.
ChatGPT Prompt:
Draft a letter to [student's name]’s parents, [parent or guardian name(s)], regarding [his/her] medication needs at school. Discuss [list observed effects or concerns related to medication], and suggest ways to collaborate with the school nurse or a healthcare provider to ensure proper management.
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Promotes student safety: Ensures students are receiving appropriate support .
• Strengthens home-school partnerships: Families feel informed and involved.
• Encourages proactive solutions: Collaboration leads to better student outcomes.
Scenario:
Mr. Green feels like he’s doing all the right things, but something still feels off in his classroom. He decides to start reflecting weekly and uses ChatGPT to create a structure that helps him think through lessons, student behavior, and personal goals.
ChatGPT Prompt:
Provide strategies for implementing reflective practices to improve my teaching. This reflection should help me address [list specific challenges, e.g., student engagement, lesson effectiveness].
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Sharpens your skills: Regular reflection leads to continuous professional growth.
• Improves classroom outcomes: Helps identify what’s working—and what’s not.
• Re-centers your purpose: You stay grounded in why (and how) you teach.
Scenario:
Ms. Davis wants to manage her stress during transitions between classes. She asks ChatGPT for daily breathing routines she can use between bells to reset her mind and body.
ChatGPT Prompt:
I want to incorporate deep breathing exercises into my daily routine. Suggest techniques and a schedule that fit into my [explain daily routine, stress management plan, etc.].
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Reduces stress: Deep breathing calms the nervous system and clears the mind.
• Improves focus: Helps you stay present and intentional throughout your day.
• Sets a healthy example: Students benefit from teacher mindfulness.
Special Education Prompt: Reflect and Adjust Teaching Strategies
Scenario:
Mrs. Holloway teaches 7th-grade math and has several students with IEPs. She wants to evaluate her teaching strategies and make adjustments to better meet their needs, so she turns to ChatGPT.
ChatGPT Prompt:
I am a [class subject] teacher and I teach [grade level] students. Create a reflection and adjustment plan for my teaching strategies in [subject/topic] to better support Special Education students.
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Promotes inclusivity: Adapts instruction to meet diverse needs.
• Enhances student growth: Targeted strategies help students reach full potential.
• Builds teacher confidence: Equips you with ways to support all learners.
Differentiation Prompt: Differentiating for Mixed-Grade Classrooms
Scenario:
Ms. Chambers teaches a combined 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade class. She needs strategies to teach the same topic at different levels of complexity and clarity. She uses ChatGPT to make a plan.
ChatGPT Prompt:
I am a [class subject] teacher and I teach [grade level] students. Provide strategies for differentiating instruction in a mixed-grade classroom, ensuring that students of different grade levels and abilities can learn effectively during lessons on [topic].
The Benefits of This Prompt:
• Supports diverse learners: Tailored instruction meets students where they are.
• Improves classroom flow: Reduces confusion and off-task behavior.
• Encourages equity: Every student receives meaningful learning opportunities.
This week’s bulletin board set is the Colorful Rainbow Bulletin Board Letters and Numbers Set! Each letter, number, and special character features a vivid rainbow background with a bold, classroom-ready font—perfect for starting the school year with color and excitement!
Great for:
🌈 “Welcome Back!” displays
🎂 Birthday boards
📅 Calendar headers
🏆 “Shining Stars” student recognition
🎨 Art-inspired classroom themes
Add color, energy, and positivity to your walls and walkways—because your classroom should be as vibrant as the learners in it!
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Which European city would you most like to visit? |
Bottom Line Y’all…
John Dewey wasn’t just giving us a quote… he was handing us a charge: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Everything we do as teachers is real life for our students. Each day, each lesson, each conversation, it’s all shaping the world as they experience it.
That’s why the work you're doing matters so much. By using tools like ChatGPT to make your practice more intentional, more inclusive, and more personal—you’re not just teaching. You’re transforming.
So give yourself credit for all the big and small moments this week. And as we head into a new one, remember that your classroom is a place where real life is happening… and YOU are the difference-maker.
Teach Forward! Improve Daily! Inspire Always!
Warm regards,
Mitch Fairchild
Founder, The Classroom Newsletter
What Did You Think Of This Week's Issue?Be honest! Your feedback is crucial to us making this newsletter the best teacher resource on the planet! |