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Teacher's Lounge
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 4
From Diagnostic Data to Daily Routines and AI Guardrails Back-to-school is officially real: two weeks in, and those first nine days have felt like a marathon. Nothing says "welcome back" like hours of diagnostic testing: grueling reading and math screens, 32 new personalities, routines to build from scratch - and worse, that endless feeling of “How do I reach every student?” As Joe puts it: "Nothing says welcome back to school like hours upon end of test questions that purposely get to the bo
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 3
First Week Recap & New 4 New Features (3 Are Free!) Four days into the new school year, it already feels like a marathon. Thirty-two new faces. New personalities. Endless procedures to model. "It's just a lot of talking, and I’m ready for real routines again!” But through the chaos, we get to build a brand new classroom community - and this year, we’re doing it with Instructron working alongside us. What’s New This Week and Already Making a Difference Timer: No More Juggling Tabs Teacher
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 2
Back-to-School & The Writing Center Deep Dive Summer’s Over—Back to the Classroom! * After nine glorious weeks of summer break, we (Joe & Quyen) are back in the classroom and gearing up for the new school year. * Teaching means starting fresh every year: new students, new personalities, and new chances to do things better. The Challenge: Writing Feedback Overload * Last year, we tried "mystery writing" and were excited to see students writing more than ever. * But with 32 students, gra
Instructron Unstructured: Episode 1
We’re excited to share the very first episode of our new “Instructron Unstructured” video series! True to its name, this behind-the-scenes conversation is relaxed and off-the-cuff as we celebrate the launch of our platform, Instructron. We'll post every full video, along with a summary such as this one. Meet the Team & Big Launch Day! Who are we? * Two full-time teachers (Joe and Quyen) who never set out to build a tech startup, plus a super-patient brother Khoa - the tech wizard who act
Test Prep Burnout Is Real
Before we ever launched Instructron, we asked a simple question: What frustrates you most about test prep? The response was overwhelming! We heard from hundreds of teachers. They weren’t holding back. The messages poured in from classrooms across the country, and we started to see the same things again and again. Not just minor annoyances, but real obstacles that were burning teachers out and leaving students discouraged. One teacher put it bluntly: "It's boring, there's no feedback, and I can
The Pedagogy Behind a Strong PLC (And How Instructron Makes It Actually Work)
We’ve all sat through a meeting with our PLC that was anything but professional or collaborative. Maybe it turned into a data dump. Maybe it became a venting session. Maybe it was just... pointless. But when done right, a Professional Learning Community (PLC) can be the most powerful tool for improving teaching and learning. The problem? Strong PLCs require time, focus, clarity. And the truth is, most of us don’t have much of those to spare. That’s where Instructron comes in. What Makes a PL
AI in the Classroom Made Us Nervous Too
If your first reaction to hearing “AI in education” is hesitation or even a hard no… we get it. We were skeptical too. Before Instructron existed, we were just two classroom teachers, Quyen and Joe, watching ChatGPT explode into education. Students were using it. Admins were asking about it. And honestly, it made us nervous. Could this actually help us? Would it take away our voice? Would our students rely on it too much? We didn’t want to reject AI altogether, but we also didn’t trust the tool
Real Talk: What AI Can’t Do in the Classroom (And Why That’s Okay)
Let’s get one thing straight: we love AI. Obviously. We built Instructron because we believe it can make teachers’ lives easier and students’ learning stronger. But even we know it has limits. And that’s actually the whole point. AI isn’t a teacher. It doesn’t read the room. It doesn’t pick up on the weird vibe after lunch. It doesn’t notice when a usually chatty student suddenly goes quiet. And it definitely doesn’t understand the full picture behind a kid’s behavior, effort, or growth. What
Why Instructron Isn't Just Another MagicSchool Clone
As of June 2025, there are more AI tools for educators than ever before, and that’s a good thing. MagicSchool continues to be one of the most well-known platforms, offering a broad library of AI tools for teachers, and more recently, expanding into student-facing supports as well. But here’s where Instructron stands apart: While others are just now building tools for students, Instructron was built for students from day one. We didn’t add student features later. We designed around them first.
The Secret to Faster, More Personalized Report Card Comments
Writing report card comments can feel like a never-ending task. You want each comment to reflect your students’ growth and personality, but with a full class list and a fast-approaching deadline, it’s tough to keep the comments meaningful and unique. That’s where Instructron steps in. Our report card generator helps teachers write thoughtful, personal, and professional comments in way less time. Real Comments That Sound Like You Instructron’s report card tool isn’t just about filling in a tem
“It Saves Them from Just Guessing”: How One Michigan Teacher Is Using Instructron to Boost Student Confidence
In the ever-growing sea of edtech tools, it’s rare to find one that feels like it was actually built with real classrooms in mind. But when Beth Y., a 5th grade teacher in Wyandotte, Michigan, started using Instructron with a small group of her students, something clicked right away, for both her and the kids. Beth didn’t need a training session or hours of PD to get started. Instructron’s onboarding takes minutes, and students can jump in immediately. That’s intentional. We believe tools shoul
AI Tools in Education: What’s Worth Your Time in 2025?
If you're a teacher, you’ve probably seen the explosion of AI tools being marketed to schools. Tools for grading, lesson planning, test prep, and more. And while some are genuinely helpful, others feel like they were built by people who’ve never stepped foot in a classroom. So which ones are actually worth looking at this year? We reviewed the most-used AI platforms in schools right now and broke them down by what they do for you (and your students). Whether you’re trying to save time, improve
Understanding Instructron's Privacy & Data Approach
Teachers often have questions about how educational technology handles student data, especially when AI is involved. Here's a quick overview of Instructron's approach to privacy and data security. Minimal Student Data Collection Instructron only collects a single Name/Nickname field for each student - no other personal information is needed. Teachers decide what goes in this field and can use first names, nicknames, or even anonymous codes if preferred. How Our AI Coaching Protects Privacy