The Myth of the Teacher Superhero

You've heard the stories.

The teacher who stays until 9pm. Spends their own money on supplies. Works through illness.

We celebrate this.

We shouldn't.

The superhero myth is burning teachers alive.

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"Great teachers go above and beyond."

The truth: Great teachers last.

1. A teacher who burns out in year 5 helps fewer students than one who thrives for 25.
2. "Above and beyond" shouldn't mean "beyond healthy."
3. Sustainable practice is better practice.

The goal isn't maximum effort. It's maximum impact over time.

That requires boundaries.

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"Students need us to sacrifice."

The truth: Students need you present and well.

1. Exhausted teachers are less patient, less creative, less effective.
2. Students notice when you're running on empty.
3. Modeling healthy boundaries teaches more than any lesson plan.

Taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's strategic.

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"The workload is just part of the job."

The truth: The current workload isn't inevitable. It's a design failure.

1. Fragmented systems multiply effort.
2. Lack of shared resources means constant reinvention.
3. Admin burden has grown faster than teaching time.

The job is teaching. The overload is a system problem.

Systems can change.

"Asking for help is weakness."

The truth: Asking for help is professional.

1. No one expects doctors to make their own surgical tools.
2. No one expects lawyers to type their own briefs.
3. Teachers deserve systems that support, not strain.

Demanding better tools isn't complaining. It's advocating for your students.

What Sustainable Actually Looks Like

1. Leaving at a reasonable hour—regularly, not rarely.
2. Planning that takes minutes, not hours.
3. Weekends that belong to you.
4. A career you can sustain for decades, not just survive.

That's what we're building at Lamppost.

Not superhero tools. Sustainable ones.

Because the best gift you can give your students is a teacher who still wants to be there.

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Onward and upward,

—JBJL