When Did Teaching Require Three Logins Before 8 a.m.?

Vent (and tips) on navigating platforms, portals, and digital tools without losing your mind.

Remember when you could roll into your classroom, sip some coffee, and maybe jot a few things on the whiteboard before the bell rang?

Now it’s:

• Log into the LMS

• Pull up the attendance portal

• Check three parent messages on ClassTag/Dojo/Seesaw/Insert-Whatever

• Load your digital lesson

• Sync your document camera

• Oh, and your Chromebook is demanding a firmware update
  — all before the kids even show up.

When did teaching become a part-time IT job?

I've been teaching for 25 years. I’m not anti-technology. I love a slick interactive tool as much as the next nerdy educator. But let’s be honest: the tech stack is STACKED. And half the time it’s not enhancing instruction — it’s just enhancing our headaches.

The Login Pile-Up Is Real

Raise your hand if you’ve ever...

• Forgotten your password and been locked out during a lesson

• Had to reboot because the screen-sharing app froze — again

• Had 6 tabs open before you could take attendance

• Accidentally taught from the wrong day’s slides because they were hidden in Drive Purgatory

We are navigating digital tools like modern-day explorers — except instead of maps, we’ve got hyperlinks, shared folders, and some vague instructions someone emailed you two school years ago.

Why It Feels Like Too Much

1. Too Many Tools, Not Enough Time
   Every new initiative brings a new login. No one ever retires the old ones — they just pile on.

2. No Standardization
   One grade level uses X, another uses Y. What’s your team using? Depends who you ask.

3. Professional Development = “Figure It Out on Your Own”
   Most PDs barely scratch the surface. The rest is YouTube tutorials, colleague texts, and tears.

4. It Doesn’t Always Save Time
   Remember how digital gradebooks were supposed to make life easier? Then they added five drop-downs and a comment bank that autocorrects to the wrong comment.

Okay, So How Do You Survive It?

Here are a few real-world strategies from someone who’s still (barely) sane:

1. Make a "Morning Launchpad" Tab Group

Most browsers let you save a group of tabs to open together. I click one button and it loads:

• My LMS

• Attendance

• Lesson slides

• Behavior tracker

• Messaging platform
  This shaves 10 minutes off my morning flailing.

2. Password Managers Are Your New Best Friend

If you're still using sticky notes taped to your laptop (no judgment), consider switching to a free password manager. It auto-fills and keeps you logged in — until the tech department forces another mandatory password change.

3. Push for Streamlining (Loudly)

If your district’s tech landscape feels like a chaotic buffet, speak up. Suggest consolidating platforms. Ask why we need three places to message parents. Ask again. Admins can't fix what they don't know is broken — or driving us to drink.

4. Master One Tool at a Time

Instead of dabbling in five new apps halfway, go deep on one. Learn it, use it, make it work for you. One good tool is better than ten clunky ones you don’t trust.

5. Use Paper When It’s Faster

This isn’t tech treason. If a paper checklist or printed seating chart makes your day smoother — use it. You don’t owe the tech gods your soul.

Teaching has always required multitasking. But now it also requires tech troubleshooting, browser tab management, and clairvoyance. I’m not anti-progress. But I am anti-chaos.

We didn’t sign up to be login warriors. We signed up to teach kids. If the tools help, great. If they don’t? Don’t be afraid to push back, pare down, and protect your peace.