Interview by Aviv Weiss, Khan Academy Districts Team
For Holly Thomas, a sixth grade English Language Arts teacher at Tipp City Schools, writing instruction has always been deeply personal—and often, painstaking. But this year, with the help of Khan Academy Writing Coach powered by Khanmigo, she saw something she’d never seen before: 117 students, each submitting a completed argumentative essay. Tipp City Schools is a founding site in the Ohio AI Education Network—a statewide initiative bringing cutting-edge AI tools to K–12 and higher ed. Khan Academy is proud to be a key partner in this effort.
Aviv Weiss: Holly, thanks for chatting with me. Let’s start with a little background—what do you teach, and how long have you been at Tipp?
Holly Thomas: I teach sixth grade English Language Arts. This is my tenth year at Tipp City, and I had three years of teaching experience before that in other districts.
Aviv: This year you used Khan Academy Writing Coach powered by Khanmigo in a pretty big way. Can you walk me through how you introduced it?
Holly: Sure. We were working on argumentative essays, and I decided to try the Writing Coach with all 117 of my students. I uploaded a state test-style prompt directly into the platform and let students use the tool to guide them through their drafts. Khanmigo walks them through each step- claim, evidence, reasoning- and gives feedback in real time.
Aviv: What kind of impact did you see?
Holly: It was honestly amazing. Every student completed their essay. That’s never happened before. Usually, I have a handful of students who struggle to finish or get stuck midway. But Khanmigo gave them structure and support, and it helped them stay with the process from beginning to end.
Aviv: That’s a major win. What did it change about the way students approach writing?
Holly: It slowed them down in a good way. They weren’t rushing to just get something on paper. The coach helped them organize their thoughts and gave them the confidence to keep going, even when it got hard. I also loved that they could work on their drafts at home and still get feedback without waiting for me.
Aviv: How did students respond to that level of independence?
Holly: They liked it. Some of them even preferred getting suggestions from Khanmigo first before coming to me. It created a safe space for revision and exploration. I saw a lot more willingness to take risks and try different ideas.
Aviv: How about for you, what did it change about your role in the classroom?
Holly: It gave me time back. Normally, I’d spend hours grading and giving line-by-line feedback. With the Writing Coach taking on that first round of support, I was able to work with small groups, focus on conferencing, and just spend more time teaching rather than triaging.
Aviv: How easy was it to get started with the tool?
Holly: Honestly, I just dove in. I figured it out by clicking around, and it was really intuitive. But I also knew if I needed help, the Khan Academy Districts team was there. That made it easier to take that first step.
Aviv: What would you tell a fellow ELA teacher who’s on the fence about trying Writing Coach?
Holly: Just try it. Let your students explore it and see what happens. The Writing Coach isn’t just a timesaver, it’s a mindset changer. It helps students take ownership of their writing, and it reminds us, as teachers, that we don’t have to do it all alone.
Final Thoughts
Tipp City Schools is partnered with Khan Academy Districts to drive greater impact at scale.
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