In 1998, I began my career as a second-year teacher in Southern Oregon, spending the next 25 years helping students grow while navigating the rise of education technology. During that time, I worked with systems like eSIS—later rebranded as Synergy—which promised to streamline education but often left teachers feeling more burdened than supported. Those years shaped my belief that technology should serve educators, not the other way around.

When eSIS rebranded as Synergy, teachers hoped for meaningful improvements. While the interface changed and a few features were added, the underlying structure—and many of the same frustrations—remained. For educators in the trenches, it still felt like the system was working against us instead of with us.