Here We Go...
It's been months since I've last posted. And there's a good reason for that. Life simply has been ridiculously busy. You know the kind of busy where your family and friends start to wonder if you've finally decided to become a hermit in the hills and just stop asking you to do things with them because your answer is perpetually, "no"? Yeah, that kind of busy.
But things are changing. School's been out for almost two months now and a lot has happened since then. First, I finished my work with the MTP. WOO HOO!!! Well, almost finished. While my year of CCSS aligned lessons is completed and posted, the project doesn't officially end until September 30th. We're continuing to meet as a team every two weeks - in fact, we have a meeting planned for tonight. Not sure if that will continue until the very end; guess I'll find out more in a few hours.
My husband and I spent almost two weeks traveling at the beginning of this month so that I could attend two conferences. One in Denver and one in Vegas (more on those later). We finally are home and beginning to catch up from being gone so long. So thankful for a supportive husband... none of this would be possible without him!
The big news is that I've decided to take the plunge and write curriculum full time. (Yikes!) Fernando and I spent months discussing the logistics of that sort of decision working and finally decided to go for it. It's something I've wanted to do for awhile now. In fact, it's the reason I signed up to work on the Master Teacher Project in the first place. I'd been on the fence about making the move from the classroom for years and when I learned of the project, I figured it was the perfect opportunity for me to test it out. If, after a year, I still enjoyed writing curriculum then I would take the leap. However, if after that year I never wanted to write another lesson plan so long as I lived, well, then I probably shouldn't pursue that as a career move. And I'll be honest - writing an entire curriculum while teaching full time was one of the most difficult things I've ever done (and let me say that the list of "difficult life events" is a long one...). But, I'm glad I did it and am thankful for the opportunity!
So what all that means is I've resigned from my teaching position and will remain at home this year making materials for others to use. I've been doing this as long as I've been teaching - from working in a school where there were no textbooks and I was forced to make my own materials to never being satisfied with the materials once they were provided - I've always made my own and shared them with others. Now, I'm going to try to make a living at it. I tried my hand at selling my materials before. I opened a Teachers Pay Teachers shop about a year and a half ago and have about 20 items listed (some pretty decent, others not so much). Once MTP started last fall, I stopped listing and my store has ceased to grow. Now it's time to get it going again.
Here's where I could use your help...
I need a bigger audience (aka followers) and more products in my store. And yes, I do have a plan for more products, but I'd also like to know what teachers really want to see on TPT. Here's a little offer that hopefully will accomplish both!
Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers, Facebook, Pinterest and my blog. This is easy to do (if you need help, scroll to the bottom of this post).
In exchange, I will create a new product for you that will go in my TPT store. You tell me what you need for your classroom this year and I'll make it for you free of charge (see disclaimer below).* Once completed and posted in my store, I ask that you comment on the product, post an image to your own Pinterest or Facebook pages, etc. Any kind of feedback is appreciated!
Want something already made from my store instead? No problem! Follow me on the four sites and then tell me which product worth $5 or less you'd like to have. Feedback on existing products appreciated as well!
Not a teacher? I'd still love to have you as a follower... I honestly need all the help I can get! (that sounds a little desperate and perhaps it is). Want something in return, but can't use teaching materials? How about essential oils? Since most of my teaching materials sell for $5, I'll give you $5 off any doTERRA oil or product I have in stock. Just follow me on the four sites (you can create a TPT account for free :), email me, and we'll work it out.
Thanks, in advance, for your support! I'm so excited to start this new chapter of my life and look forward to seeing what God has in store next!
*Here's the fine print on the free products/doTERRA credit.
First, this is a limited time offer (not to sound like a used car salesman, but I can't keep this going forever if I want to make a living at it!). Frankly I don't have a set end date in mind... I'll keep it going until I become overwhelmed with requests. (See how I did that... positive thinking!!).
Second, the free product should be of similar type and size as what I have posted in my store. For example, I'm happy to make a literature guide to support your favorite children's book - similar to my products for Officer Buckle and Gloria or Miss Nelson is Missing! Those are about 30 pages each and would definitely be a fair trade for your following of my four accounts and a little feedback here and there. But what I can't do is a nine-week comprehensive unit on non-fiction. Make sense?
Third, I typically make products that are related to language arts or classroom management. But that doesn't mean your product has to fall in this area. If you're looking for materials in a different content area, email me and we'll see what we can do!
Last, in order to receive the free product or doTERRA credit, simply follow the four sites and then complete the request form. I'll contact you to make arrangements!
How to follow me:
1. On Teachers Pay Teachers: Visit my TPT store. Then, simply click on the "Follow Me" link to the right of my face and underneath my store name, everything just so. You'll need to create an account to follow me if you do not already have one. Again, this is free to do and can be made by anyone... not just classroom teachers!
2. On Facebook: Visit my Facebook page and click "Like." Simple.
3. On Pinterest: Visit my Pinterest page and click "Follow All."
4. On my Blog: Visit my link through Bloglovin'. Then click on "Follow" next to my name.
Super simple, right? Need more help? Just ask!
