Teacher-Author

On Friday morning, I woke-up, took a shower, got dressed, and my phone buzzed.  I don't know what I thought it was, because no one messages me that early in the morning... but what I saw on the screen definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

I made a sale!!!

Around New Year's, I set-up my Teachers-Pay-Teachers (Tpt) shop.  ( A website where teachers can upload and sell resources for other teachers, homeschooling parents, etc... to download and use.)  I've been aiming for a niche of "studying-through-game-play", and creating review games that are fun, functional, and flexible.  

One of the games is called Vocab. Victory! and to play, teachers need a stack of cards with vocabulary words.  I offer a customizable (is that a word?) download where teachers can make their own cards. (My most popular download because it's currently FREE...)

However, I'm also working on creating some pre-generated card packs with some of the vocabulary words we use in my Science classes.

And the pack for the Energy Force & Motion unit sold!

This is definitely a product I had been underestimating.  Vocabulary cards are something so flexible, (especially when you're playing review games!) but also so time-consuming, I think I'm going to make more of an effort to carry a larger variety of these cards in my shop.

It's a small sale, and so far still the only one I've gotten, but it's still such an exciting and validating feeling to think that there is someone, somewhere, who saw enough value in my work as a teacher-author to pay me for it.

The term "teacher-author" is one I'd never heard of before joining the Tpt community- but it's a title I'm proud to carry.  I'm so anxious to see where this journey will take me, and even though I've only sold one small product, it's the first small step down a new path!

What are some vocabulary cards you or your child/students would find useful?

Rinse and Repeat

In the morning my alarm is going to go off at an inhumane hour as I drag my bones out of bed and back to reality.

My Facebook feed is full of my fellow educators commiserating with one another the special brand of "Monday-blues"  reserved for teachers after a holiday break. The first Monday back at school after Winter Break is always a little difficult, but somehow the vivid feeling always seems to fade until you're facing it again.

Humor... the forgotten stage of grief. 

To the outside eye, it may appear that teachers, as we complain about returning to work after our annual two-week break, are spoiled. (And admittedly, maybe, in some ways we are.) But there's another side to the complaining our social media circles may not be privy to.

Teachers live in a unique state of flux, a strange dimension between "Change" and "Repetition". It's exciting, invigorating, even inspiring... and also incredibly draining.

Each day we go through the same routine, interact with the same students, and deal with the same issues. We go through the entire year, confident and dedicated, and when the summer nights end- rinse and repeat with a new group of students.

But the demands are shifting, student needs are changing, and we cannot afford to get comfortable.

We're like ninjas.  We look like we have it completely together, and for the most part we do! But we're also waiting, constantly poised- ready for anything that may be thrown at us.  Even when the school-day ends, the badge of "teacher" is one that is never completely put down.  (Like accidentally telling someone else's kids in the grocery store to use their inside voice... oops.)

Holiday breaks serve an essential part of being able to maintain this vigilance.  It allows us a chance to let-down our guard, stop the constant buzz, heal, and recuperate.   It's a stark contrast from our usual state, and it's difficult to allow ourselves to fully "relax" after being at such a high state of attention for so long.

Usually during summer vacation it takes me two weeks to get used to the idea of being able to go to the grocery store in the middle of the day, and that it's OK to stay home on Saturday because it's no longer my only day to get everything done.  Add the holiday madness of Winter Break, family get-togethers, visits out of town, and hosting friends... those two weeks are usually transformed into just a few days, and we are left scratching our heads when the calendar betrays us.

Before we've had a chance to properly inhale, it's back to school time and we're out of breath again.

The good news is- even though we joke about wishing we could trade places with a cat being dragged the vet, we're happy to be back at work.

We are NOT happy to get up early, to deal with angry e-mails, or to give-up our wardrobe consisting mainly of pajamas and exercise clothing... but we ARE happy to see our students, our coworkers, to be productive, creating, sharing, teaching, inspiring.

It feels good to be in the classroom again.
That's where teachers belong- and that's what we are.

Note to self. ;)

We just need to remember that's not all we are, and that it's OK to let ourselves rest sometimes along the way... even if Winter Break is over.

My "Winter Break" is Broken

Ahhhh- "Winter Break"!  Two weeks of utter bliss as I allow myself to dissolve into peppermint-chocolate bliss.  To enjoy my family... to relax... and to ... stay up until the wee hours of the morning working on products for Teachers Pay Teachers with only the sound of Netflix to comfort me?

...deep breath.

As teachers we know the truth.  "Breaks" are a great idea, but not something that exists in the realms of reality for most of us.  Even while we're not in school, there's lesson planning, grading, collaborating, and oh the glory of those educational Pinterest pins!

Thankfully, I was able to get some great time in with the fam.- but when both my littles caught a cold, I followed them fairly quickly and the vegetative combination of Netflix and refreshing Facebook just wasn't cutting it. I needed somewhere to funnel my anxious energy while remaining bundled up in bed.

My biological students enjoying their own sick-time-sanctioned-Netflix-binge- Wild Kratts to be precise. 

Side note: I'm 99% positive they breed future teachers to be incredibly anxious and absurdly dedicated to our craft... because what other profession gets paid this little to work this hard and a large majority of the employees still love... nay obsess over it?

I'm getting off-topic.

So... I started fine-tuning my January lesson plans for the millionth (and not the last) time... but I felt distracted.

You see- there's a little voice that's been playing in the back of my head for awhile now.  (...a completely normal little voice- don't call anyone mom!)  It was the voice of my colleagues, my friends, my family members, and myself, saying "Hey, remember that 'Teachers Pay Teachers' website you looked at awhile ago?  Why don't you go check that out and see if there isn't a way you can upload some of your stuff and see if anyone might buy it?"

Now, I'd been postponing this moment for awhile- evading the thought of putting myself "out there" with the "teacher" label.  It just seemed really intimidating.  It was one thing to write a blog from the perspective of just a person, or a wife, or a mom... but to present my work as an educator, a field that is already so full of ridicule and blame- it was mildly terrifying to me.  And then to ask that people be willing to pay me for that work? Stop the crazy bus! I'm getting off...

But as I lay cocooned in my comforters... the glow of my laptop haunted me and I knew the time for avoidance had passed.  I wasn't doing anything- and I had always said I'd get to it "eventually"... I just didn't expect that "eventually" to come so soon!  But it's a new year! Time to take chances- make mistakes- and get messy! (I'm a Science teacher so I'm allowed the occasional Ms. Frizzle reference.)

Sooo... I set-up a shop. 

• Integrating fun into the classroom is something I believe in.  
• Engaging my students is something I care about.  
• Creating a learning environment where students are self-motivated and intrinsically-driven is something I want!  

And review games do all of that in an awesome way!

I already have a couple games uploaded to my store, and I've started exploring the Teachers Pay Teachers seller forums.   It's so uplifting to be a part of such a positive and encouraging community of educators!

I'm not sure what will come from my Teachers Pay Teachers (Tpt) experience, but I'm looking forward to the journey!