Every English teacher now has to think about student use of AI. Type a prompt about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas into a chatbot and you can get a passable essay in under a minute. That has changed the way many teachers think about take-home writing.

Banning AI outright is tempting and often ineffective. Detection tools are unreliable, and accusing a student of cheating on weak evidence damages trust. A more sustainable approach combines clear rules with assignments that are harder to outsource.

The first step is deciding what you actually want. Some teachers prohibit AI in essays entirely, while others allow it for brainstorming or feedback but not for drafting. Whatever you choose, students need to hear it clearly.

Grading also has to adapt. When you can no longer assume every essay is the student's own thinking, you need ways to see the process behind the product.

Write the Policy in Plain Language

A vague policy invites confusion. Spell out what is allowed and what is not, with examples specific to your assignment. Students should know whether using AI to suggest a thesis is acceptable and whether pasting in a paragraph is not.

• State exactly which uses of AI are permitted and which are not
• Require students to disclose any AI help they used
• Explain the reasoning so the rule feels fair, not arbitrary
• Describe what happens if the policy is broken
• Share the policy before the assignment starts, not after a problem appears

Design Assignments That Show the Process

Assignments that build in visible steps make it harder to hand off the work. Collecting an outline, a first draft, and a short reflection gives you a record of how the essay developed. In-class writing, even a paragraph, gives you a sample of the student's own voice for comparison.

Ask for specificity that generic tools handle poorly. Require references to class discussions, particular passages you studied together, or a personal response to a moment in the book. Essays that engage with what happened in your room are harder to fake.

Grade With the Process in Mind

Consider giving some credit for the process, such as the outline and draft. That rewards students who do the work and reduces the incentive to skip it. It also gives you concrete evidence if you need to talk to a student about a final essay that does not match their earlier work.

If you suspect a problem, talk to the student before making any accusation. Ask them to explain their argument, or to write a paragraph in class. A conversation tells you much more than a detection score.

Using AI Well on the Teacher Side

There is a fair question about whether teachers should use AI while restricting students. The difference is purpose. Students are practicing a skill, and using AI to do the work defeats the point, while teachers using AI to draft feedback are handling a workload problem and keeping the decisions themselves.

Being open about that distinction helps. Tell students that any AI-assisted feedback is reviewed by you and that your judgment decides the grade. Transparency builds the trust that makes a sensible policy work.