You didn't become a teacher for the paperwork.

Or the endless tabs. Or the Sunday night planning sessions that bleed into Monday morning.

You became a teacher because something in you recognized that this work matters.

That moment when a concept clicks. When a struggling student finally believes they can do it.

That's the calling.

The rest? That's a system that forgot what it's supposed to protect.

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"Teachers just need to work smarter, not harder."

The truth: You're already working smart. The system isn't.

1. You juggle curriculum expectations, diverse learners, and administrative demands simultaneously.
2. You've already optimized your planning. The tools haven't kept up.
3. "Work smarter" assumes the problem is you. It's not.

The problem is fragmentation. Disconnected systems. Complexity layered on complexity.

You don't need another productivity hack. You need tools that actually work together.

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"Burnout is just part of the job."

The truth: Burnout is a design failure, not a character flaw.

1. 45% of Canadian educators are considering leaving the profession.
2. The CTF found 80% struggle to cope with working conditions.
3. Teachers don't leave because of students. They leave because of systems.

A profession built on passion shouldn't require martyrdom to survive.

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"If you really loved teaching, you wouldn't complain."

The truth: Loving your work and demanding better aren't opposites. They're partners.

1. Doctors advocate for better hospitals. That doesn't mean they don't care about patients.
2. Nurses push for safer staffing ratios. That's not complaining—it's professional responsibility.
3. Teachers deserve the same respect.

Demanding sustainable conditions is how you protect the calling.

Not how you betray it.

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What If the System Actually Supported the Calling?

1. Planning that takes minutes, not hours.
2. Tools that talk to each other instead of creating more work.
3. Time to focus on students instead of spreadsheets.
4. Evenings that belong to you again.

That's what we're building at Lamppost.

Not another tool to learn. A system that gives you back your calling.

Because teaching should spark purpose, not drain it.

Onward and upward,

—JBJL

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