1. How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you decide to be a part of it?
I have been selling on TpT almost from the beginning of the site back in 1996. I found out about the site from a Craig's list Ad and immediately saw the potential. Since I have always enjoyed creating activities for my students, I decided to give it a try.
2. When did you know that you wanted to be in education?
Very early actually. I remember painting a juice can in preschool (seriously!) and thinking, I want to be a teacher when I grow up. I never really swerved from the idea.
3. How are you currently involved in education?
I no longer have a classroom of my own. After my first child was born, I did teach part time for awhile, but once my writing career took off, I realized that I wanted to write full time. Currently, I write nonfiction children's books for the school and library market as well as teacher resources. I have over 100 published books.
4. What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?
I think it is totally worth doing IF you are willing to put in the time to create quality products. It takes a fair amount of work to make something you have used in the classroom useful for other teachers and worth paying for.
5. What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?
It is hard to find one specific one...
-when I get a really great comment from someone who has found value in what I have created
-A year or two after I joined, Paul featured my First Week product at the start of the school year and I made $1000 in just a few days, that was amazing (before the weekly newsletters).
-Hitting 20K is pretty cool.
6. What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?
I have, in my adult life, made several macrame owls (circa 1975).
7. Do you participate in education outside of the classroom? In what type of role?
Not beyond my writing and helping my own kids navigate through high school.
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
I would love to be an artist or to write a best-selling work of fiction.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything boring/repetitive or that requires me to be outside in cold weather for extended periods of time.
10. Who is your favorite author? Favorite educational author? And why?
Not sure how to pick a favorite. Lately I am into memoirs, so Elizabeth Gilbert is a favorite. Also I really enjoyed Janna Cawrse's Motion of the Ocean.
Don't read much professionally these days. I do read middle grade and young adult fiction from time to time. I thought the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was brilliant.
Please tell us about two of your unique educational creations that you are proud of. (Please limit responses to four sentences for each). Please include a link
- Literature Worksheets is one of my favorites because it is the first product I created for TpT. It held the number 1 Most Sold slot for a couple years and is currently at number 4. I am proud of it because it is a highly useful and versatile resource for teachers and because it facilitates creative and critical thinking about literature.
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