Data collection is one of those tasks that quietly piles up until it becomes overwhelming. There’s no signal or red flag warning. It wears teachers down silently, leaving gaps in communication and is a factor that slowly pushes them toward burnout.

In special education, this is part of a larger, more troubling pattern — what some describe as a million paper cuts. No single task breaks a teacher. It’s the accumulation of responsibilities that feel minor in isolation but unmanageable in total: tracking goals, managing behavior, managing staff, writing reports, preparing lesson plans — all while teaching, caring, and responding in real time to high-needs students.

When systems don’t support this complexity, teachers are forced to choose between staying afloat or staying compliant. Most choose survival. Essential duties slip by. And who could blame them?

These slow-burning stressors lead to burnout, anxiety around their role, and ultimately, early exits from the profession. The consequences ripple outward to students, families, and schools, compounding year after year.

This is the gap Mela Mela is working to address. Not to “fix” teaching, but to ease the weight where it’s heaviest. To support educators with product decisions grounded in empathy and efficiency.