Belay Story

© 2026 Calvin Y.S. Tee. All rights reserved. Project Belay, including its name, concept, designs, storyline and content, is the intellectual property of Calvin Y.S. Tee. Not to be reproduced, distributed or used to build derivative works without written permission.

Project Belay

Belay.

The climber climbs. The partner holds the rope.
Belay supports. The teacher decides.

A story of one week in Mdm Tan’s Secondary 3 Mathematics classes, told through the agentic assistant that works between the moments she looks.

→ or tap to begin · invented data, no real people

slip. caught.
The problem

One teacher can’t read every signal in a week of schoolwork.

108
students across four sections
105
submissions on one assignment, 35 of them photos
1,260
answers to read, 41 of them left blank

A photo sent after midnight. 41 blanks across 17 students. The same wrong step six times in one class. The signals are in the pile, mixed in with everything that’s fine.

A missed assignment is an event.
A recurring pattern is a signal.

The cast

One week, four kinds of need.

MT
Teacher

Mdm Tan

Secondary 3 Mathematics. Four classes, 108 students. Wants to spend her time on the students who need her.

Decides
JY
Student · 3E1

Tan Jia Yi

Capable and quick. Rushes through, and leaves the last question blank without noticing.

Incomplete work
DR
Student · 3E5

Danish bin Rahman

Submits late. Handwriting is getting hard to read. Quietly falling behind, and nobody has noticed yet.

Slipping
WLZOHAKNSKNB
Class 3E3

A cluster of six

Six students who all missed negative indices on the same assignment, in the same way.

Shared gap

Every name, school and number in this story is invented.

Stage 1 · SetMon Oct 12

Mdm Tan sets the work. Belay helps decide what to watch for.

Assignment
Laws of Indices Practice · Chapter 4
Due
Thu Oct 15, 11:59 pm · 12 questions
3E1 · 3E2 · 3E3 · 3E5Typed or photo of paperShow work on Q8–Q12Late until Fri 8 am
Publish to 108 students
Belay · what I’ll check
1
Q6, Q7, Q10 and Q11 use negative indices. I’ll look for the same mistake across students.3E3 made 9 sign errors on the Chapter 3 quiz.
2
Q8 to Q12 need steps. I’ll check that work is shown, not only the answer.
3
Before anyone submits, I’ll point out blank questions.
4
Wednesday at 7 pm I’ll remind anyone who hasn’t started.
Stage 2 · SubmitWed Oct 14 – Fri Oct 16

Students get a coach, not a grader.

Wed 4:12 pm · Laws of Indices Practice
Ready to submit?
Q1Q2Q3Q4 Q5Q6Q7Q8 Q9Q10Q11Q12
Belay
Q11 and Q12 are still blank. You have until Thursday night. Finish them first?
Finish themSubmit anyway
Submitted Wed 4:21 pm
11 of 12 answered.

Jia Yi was about to submit with two questions blank. She fixed one.

7:00
Wednesday
Belay Wed 7:00 pm
Laws of Indices Practice is due tomorrow at 11:59 pm. Last time it took you about 40 minutes. Start tonight?
Belay Fri 12:47 am
Got your two photos. Q8 and Q11 are hard to read. Can you tell me what you wrote?
ConfirmLater
Belay Fri 3:30 pm
Feedback is ready. Want 4 quick practice questions on the ones you missed?

Danish got a nudge, and still sent the page 48 minutes late.

1Nudges before the deadline. 19 of the 23 students nudged on Wednesday then submitted on time.
2Points out a blank question before submit.
3Accepts typed answers or a photo of paper, and asks for a retake or a confirmation when it can’t read something.
4Explains feedback in plain words and offers a short practice set.
Stage 2 · SubmitFri Oct 16 · 12:47 am

Danish’s photo becomes a transcript Belay can read.

IMG_2291.jpg · page 2 of 2
Danish · P5 · Exp Rules
7.10-2 = 1/100
8.x5· x3 = x8?3
9.(23)2 = 26
10.2-3 = 1/8
11.b8· b-2 = b6?5
12.(3x2)2 = 6x4
Belay’s reading48 min after due
Q710^-2 = 1/100Correct
Q8x^5·x^3 = x^8 or x^3?UnclearAsked Danish to confirm. Not marked wrong.
Q9(2^3)^2 = 2^6Correct
Q102^-3 = 1/8Correct
Q11b^8·b^-2 = b^6 or b^5?UnclearAsked Danish to confirm.
Q12(3x^2)^2 = 6x^4IncorrectSquared 3 as 6
Legibility
62 / 100
Stage 3 · AnalyzeFri Oct 16 · overnight

Belay reads more than the answers.

Belay’s read on Danish

Later, harder to read, less accurate. Five assignments running.

Every question is attempted, so this isn’t carelessness. Something outside class may be getting in the way.

Suggested: a private check-in, not a reteach.

Stage 4 · DraftFri Oct 16

Grades are drafted. Mdm Tan confirms them.

Grading is the smallest thing Belay does. It drafts a score and a line of feedback for each of the 105 submissions, and holds anything uncertain for Mdm Tan to decide.

98
confident drafts to confirm
7
held for her eye, like Danish’s Q8 and Q11
15 min
of grading, instead of about 2 hours
Danish · Laws of Indices Practice · draft7–9 / 12
Solid on power rules. On Q12, square the 3 as well: (3x²)² is 9x⁴. Q8 and Q11 wait on Danish to confirm what was written.
ConfirmEditSee Q8 and Q11
Between the moments she looks

While Mdm Tan taught and slept, Belay kept working.

Wed 4:12 pmCOACHFlagged 2 blanks for Jia Yi before submit. She filled one.
Wed 7:00 pmNUDGEReminded 23 students who hadn’t started. 19 then submitted on time.
Thu 11:59 pmCLOSELaws of Indices Practice due. 104 of 108 in on time.
Fri 12:47 amREADRead Danish’s two photos. Asked Danish to confirm Q8 and Q11.
OvernightANALYZERead 35 photo submissions, 71 pages, and asked for 4 retakes. Found 41 blanks across 17 students.
OvernightNOTICESix in 3E3 wrote 2−3 = −8 and 10−2 = −100. Same error, same four items.
OvernightDRAFTDrafted 105 grades. 98 confident, 7 held for Mdm Tan.
OvernightPREPAREBuilt a 10-minute reteach and a 4-question practice set for the six.
Fri 8:00 amNUDGELate window closed. Nudged the 3 still missing.
Fri 8:00 amBRIEFMorning brief ready. 3 things need her today. 97 students are quiet.
Stage 5 · ExceptionsFri Oct 16

108 students. 97 students are quiet.

3E3 group6 students
Same sign error on Q6, Q7, Q10, Q11. A relief teacher took the Oct 8 lesson.
Next: 10-minute small-group reteach
Danish3E5
Late on 4 of the last 5. Legibility 81 to 62, accuracy 88% to 70%.
Next: a private check-in
Jia Yi3E1 · low priority
Last question blank on 3 of her last 4. 9 minutes on task, class median 26.
Next: Belay keeps coaching, plus a show-work reminder
Not submitted3 students
Belay has nudged all three and is handling it.
Quiet · 97Needs her · 8 studentsBelay handling · 3
Stage 5 · ExceptionsFri Oct 16

Six students, one misunderstanding.

Wei Jie L.2-3=-8
Zhi Hao O.10^-2 = -100
Hafiz A.-8
Kavya N.10-2 = -100
Shu Min K.2^-3 = -8
Nur Aisyah B.= -(10·10)
What Belay found
2−3 = −8 1/8

All six read the negative index as a negative sign, on Q6, Q7, Q10 and Q11. A relief teacher took the Oct 8 lesson, and 3E3 made 9 sign errors on the Chapter 3 quiz.

Mdm Tan picks the next step
Reteach Tue Oct 20, then practice set Practice set only Not now

Chosen by Mdm Tan · Belay will track it

Stage 6 · Follow upOct 16 → Oct 23

Belay keeps the rope tight until the outcome comes in.

3E3 group
Fri Oct 16Chosen: reteach Tuesday, then a 4-question practice set
Tue Oct 20Logged: 10-minute small-group reteach, 6 of 6 there
Tue Oct 20Sent: the 4-question practice set
Thu Oct 22Checked: negative index items on Laws of Indices II
OutcomeWorked for 5 of 6. Nur Aisyah B. gets a 1:1 on Monday.
Danish
Fri Oct 16Chosen: a private check-in
Mon Oct 19 · lunchLogged: cracked phone camera, cares for a sibling after a parent’s shift
Mon Oct 19Agreed: typed answers allowed
Thu Oct 22 · 8:40 pmChecked: Laws of Indices II in on time, typed
OutcomeOn time, 9 of 12 (75%). Up from 70%.
Stage 6 · Follow upAfter Laws of Indices II

Did it work? Belay checks, and remembers.

Before (Laws of Indices Practice)After (Laws of Indices II)

Negative index items correct, out of 4 per assignment. Invented data.

Recorded to the playbook
NeedNegative index read as a sign
Step10-min reteach + 4-question set
Result5 of 6 · 0% → 83% correct
Follow-upNur Aisyah B.: 1:1 Monday
Jia Yi100% answered, 22 min on task

Next time this error shows up in any class, Belay suggests this step first, with this result attached.

What “agentic” means here

Belay acts between the moments the teacher looks. She makes every call.

Belay

Watchesevery submission as it arrives
Analyzestiming, completeness, legibility, work shown
Draftsscores, feedback, reteach plans
Follows upand checks the outcome
Rememberswhat worked, for whom

Mdm Tan

Setsthe work and what matters
Chooseswho gets which next step
Confirmsevery grade before it’s seen
Talksto Danish. Belay can’t do that part.
What this proof of concept shows

One loop, closed end to end.

✓

Paper and screens, one stream

Typed answers and photographed pages land in the same place and get read the same way.

✓

Signals beyond the answers

Timing, completeness, legibility and work shown, tracked as trends rather than single scores.

✓

108 students, 3 things to look at

The class view shows only what needs her attention, why, and a suggested next step.

✓

Every step has an outcome

Follow-through is recorded, checked against later work, and kept for next time.

Next: test with teachersWalk a few teachers through the class view on sample data and see whether Belay’s flags match their own judgment.
Next: real handwritingTry the transcript step on real scanned pages, with consent, to see how legibility scoring holds up.
Next: trust and privacySettle what is stored, who sees it and how families are told, before any real student data.
Turn your phone sideways for a larger view.
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