The Problem That Sparked It

I’ve always believed that technology in education should amplify learning, not shortcut it. But with AI tools like ChatGPT becoming mainstream in classrooms, I started hearing more and more from teachers struggling to tell whether student work was truly original—or just generated.

That’s when I realized: this isn’t just a detection problem. It’s a trust problem. Teachers want honesty from students. Students want clarity and consistency from teachers. But LMS tools weren’t giving either side the tools to manage that relationship well.

The Vision

Journal Helper started as a weekend experiment, but it quickly evolved. The goal:

• Give teachers the ability to create custom writing prompts

• Allow students to respond simply and directly

• Check responses for likely AI-generated content

• Let teachers grade with context and transparency

• Track trends, averages, and late work with visual clarity

It’s now a complete journaling and grading tool built on Supabase, with features like AI detection logs, teacher dashboards, and adjustable deadlines.

What I Learned

• AI is a tool, not a threat. The point isn’t to “catch” students—it’s to give teachers the right context to support learning.

• Deadlines are emotional. Students delay, not just because they’re lazy—but because writing is vulnerable. Giving flexible structure helps.

• Simplicity wins. Teachers didn’t need flashy bells and whistles—they needed a clean interface, a flexible grading panel, and a sense of control.

The Bigger Picture

For me, Journal Helper represents what I want tech to do in education: protect the relationship between student and teacher, rather than insert itself into it.

If you’re a teacher who’s been burned by copy-paste essays or vague LMS workflows, I’d love to show you how this tool might help. Reach out anytime using the contact page.