Our CEO & Founder, Tina, reports on how we are moving forward with AI to help teachers spend more time teaching, not typing.
At Lana Learn, we ask a lot of our teachers. They show up for students every day—teaching, coaching, encouraging. And on top of that, we ask them to write performance updates that track each student’s growth and program performance. These updates matter. They help students see how far they’ve come. They keep partners engaged. And they give all stakeholders clear insight into what’s working and where we need to focus. But let’s be honest: they take time.
So, we started testing a tool. An AI assistant that could draft the first version of these updates—pulling from session notes, test scores, and teacher reflections—so educators could focus on reviewing and personalizing, not starting from scratch. The goal? To save teachers time on administrative tasks while maintaining the value and authenticity of performance updates.
Bug-Testing
We built it. We tested it. And here’s what happened: One of our staff asked the AI to use a previous update as a reference, so the tone and content would be consistent. But instead of helping, the tool responded with “An error has occurred. Error code.” Due to a plugin error, the tool was unable to retrieve the proper information. However, the same tool worked just fine for another team member.
Therefore, we paused. We reflected, reviewed, and went back to refine. Because if we’re going to use AI to support teachers, it has to do three things really well:
- Get the facts right. No vague or inaccurate updates—especially when student progress is at stake.
- Sound like our team. These updates represent real effort. The tone needs to reflect that.
- Save time without cutting corners. AI should do the heavy lifting, but the teacher’s voice stays at the center.
Moving Forward
We’re now tweaking the tool with those principles in mind. That includes smarter logic for reading prior updates and new checks to prevent incomplete or misleading output. This isn’t about replacing teachers. It’s about giving them a reliable assistant—something that gets them 80% of the way there, so they can spend less time typing and more time teaching.
It’s an exciting moment in education technology. We believe AI, used wisely, can help us do the right things faster—and do them better. When we get this right, it will mean stronger communication, better tracking, and more time for what really matters: teaching, not typing. We’ll keep you updated—because clearer progress reports mean better teaching, stronger outcomes, and shared success.