1. How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you decide to be a part of it?
I was fortunate enough to have a friend who had discovered Teachers Pay Teachers and told me all about it. I say “fortunate,” because not only did this friend tell me all about TpT…but she bugged me and harassed me until I finally signed up for an account and started posting items. I owe her BIG time!
2. When did you know that you wanted to be in education?
I was planning on studying Deaf Education in graduate school. I switched to Elementary and Special Education because my fiancée was in the Air Force and I thought I would have a better chance and finding work if I wasn’t so specialized. It wasn’t until I started teaching middle school students that I knew I had chosen the right career for me. I love the energy and humor they bring to class everyday.
3. How are you currently involved in education?
Currently, I am teaching 6th grade. I teach Language Arts to students with Learning Disabilities and then co-teach math, science, and social studies to classes of regular education and special education students.
4. What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?
Do it! Jump in and get started. It can feel a bit intimidating at first, but start with just one product, you’re favorite one. After you see how easy it is to place materials on the site you will want to put up more.
5. What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?
I would be lying if I didn’t say that earning money by selling classroom materials that I have already made isn’t totally incredible. But truthfully, one of the best aspects of being on Teachers Pay Teachers for me is how it has inspired me to improve my lessons and make my materials better. While before I might have been willing to slap a quiz together quickly without thinking about it, now I find myself wanting to make all of my materials as great as they can be. Teachers Pay Teachers is making me a better educator.
6. What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?
I’m a very outgoing person, but I absolutely loathe the ice-breaker activities we have to do at every in-service or training. I love talking and meeting new people, but when I hear the presenter says, “Now stand up and share three things you’ve learned with people you don’t know,” I cringe!
7. Do you participate in education outside of the classroom? In what type of role?
I have been trying to become more active writing articles for several education blogs. I tutor and work with students in after-school programs. Lately, my most important education role has been as a mother to my 2 year old son. I am determined that he will love books as much as I do!
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Besides teaching middle school, I have two “dream jobs” that I would love to explore someday. I would love to be a writer. I currently have a novel started, I just can’t seem to find the time to finish it! I would also love to be a chef. Cooking is a huge hobby of mine and I enjoy making food that people love it eat. I’m one of those terrible teachers who is always bringing in baked goods so that all the other teachers will eat them and I won’t. Good food makes people happy, and I think I would love to have a job that makes people happy every day.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
I don’t think I would like any job that requires doing the same things every day. One thing that teaching middle school students is not is monotonous. Students are always finding new and creative ways of keeping us on our toes, so I can’t imagine a job with no surprises or excitement!
10. Who is your favorite author? Favorite educational author? And why?
My favorite author is William Faulkner, I find myself getting completely lost in the worlds he creates and the characters he brings to life every time I read him.
My favorite educational author is probably Cris Tovani. She has written books like, “I Read It, But I Don’t Get It,” and “Do I Have to Teach Reading?”. Her books really helped me understand what goes into reading, what successful readers do, and how to teach those strategies to struggling, unmotivated, young adults. Her books are full of teaching ideas that I could implement immediately – I love that!
- Uglies Literature Unit: I work with regular education and learning support students. This complete unit is a great way for a teacher to use an exciting novel to teach those essential reading comprehension skills to students of all ability levels in the same class. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Uglies-Literature-Unit
- Math Games for Middle School: A group of 12 instantly useable math games that cover a variety of essential topics for math classes in grades 5-9. I love that it provides teachers with “one product” that can be used in 12 different ways. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Games-for-Middle-School
So enjoyed getting to meet you! Your enthusiasm for middle schoolers makes me happy inside- they so desperately need it. I'm going to go looking for your book choices this summer.
ReplyDelete