SPOKANE, Wash. — If you’re a parent wondering if your child is using artificial intelligence for homework, the answer is probably yes. And according to local teachers, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
AI has gradually become part of daily life in Washington classrooms, changing the way teachers create lesson plans and the way students complete homework. The same technology that is transforming industries from healthcare to agriculture is now reshaping the way our children learn.
Courtney Bock leads AI workshops for teachers in the Mead School District.
“It’s pretty safe to assume that if you’re sending homework and assignments, students are going to use AI,” Bock said.
Instead of trying to ban something that already exists everywhere, Bock focuses his conversations with teachers on strategies for using AI responsibly.
“We can educate people, we can educate parents, we can educate students, we can educate teachers. AI can be a really, really powerful tool for everyone,” she said.
What about AI and cheating?
At Mt. Spokane High School, Jessica Klingback has been teaching for 17 years. She’s seen all the cheating trends come and go, which is why she takes a hands-on approach to AI.
“They will always find a way to cheat, it depends in what way,” Klingback said.
But rather than fighting against this technology, she is turning her attention to what AI can do for her colleagues and students.
“I play with it in real time with the kids in class, wondering, what else can this thing do?” Klingback said.
It uses AI to create different versions of the same quiz, saving hours of work. But where AI really shines is in helping it accommodate students with Individualized education programs (PEI). Something that Klingback said was extremely time-consuming.
“I took the text, I put it in, I’m using Claude AI to do that and I said I need you to keep the same text structure, so the same headings, the same subheadings, if it’s a bold word it needs to be there, so the key content, rewrite it at that reading level,” Bock explained.
Without AI, this type of personalized help would be almost impossible for a single teacher.
“I cannot make this level of modification or adaptation on my own, without the support and access to AI,” Bock said.
Students find their own ways to use technology. Some photos of math problems to get step-by-step solutions. Others use AI to aid research.
“I’m asking him to find me one piece of evidence from a credible article that gives me exactly that information,” said Dillan Sesslar, a high school senior from Mt. Spokane.
Even children who initially resisted AI now admit that it is everywhere. One Mt. Spokane student pointed out that it’s no longer even possible to Google something without seeing the AI results.
“It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t used some form of AI, even if you Google something, Google AI Gemini is now automatically logged in,” said Zoe Alvarez, a sophomore at Mt. Spokane High School.
Change is also happening at the college level. Gonzaga University recently launched its Institute of Computer Science and Applied Technologywho created an AI learning assistant called ZagAI with the help of students Tony Nguyen and Izzy Tilles.
“When I went to a careers conference about two weeks ago, they were asking a lot more questions about how do you use AI when you code? Do you have any hands-on experience developing an AI application?” said Tilles.
In March 2026, Gonzaga plans to offer a three-day bootcamp to K-12 teachers across Washington state, focusing on how responsible use of AI changes learning. The moment feels urgent to educators who remember how social media caught parents and schools off guard.
“If we have learned anything from social media, we have learned that adults need to be aware, educated and responsible for new technologies,” said Dr. Annie Fritzen Case, Professor of Teacher Education at Gonzaga University.
Researchers and leaders in the field are warning parents not to view AI as a person or as a substitute for thinking.
“I see a lot of people saying, oh, he’s an assistant, he’s an intern, he’s a being, an intelligent being, so I can ask anything,” said Dr Shanchieh Jay Yang, Director of the Gonzaga Institute of Computer Science and Applied Technology.
“But that’s not the case,” Dr. Yang warned.
“We want to enhance learning, not undermine learning.”
THE AI Scholarship for Teaching is financed by a grant from the Gates Foundation. During the first call for applications, the three-day bootcamp was intended for 20 to 30 educators.
The institute has received considerable interest in the program, with more than 80 applicants. It’s since extended the programextends to participants across the state, from public, private, charter and tribal schools.
Back in the library at Creekside Elementary School in Mead, Courtney Bock was recently informed of her Gonzaga Scholarship acceptance.
“I like what they want to do, gradually advance AI in education, that’s where I think it needs to go,” Bock said.
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