Featured Teacher: Ann Marie Smith

Featured Seller

1.   How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you decide to be a part of it?

I joined TPT as a Seller this past June 2011! I have accessed TPT for a couple of years, purchasing great products. While I had some major down time for a week this summer, I was searching around on TPT and decided, "Why not sell too?" So, I signed up.

2.   When did you know that you wanted to be in education?

Around my sophomore year in high school, I decided I wanted to teach. I was actually encouraged to explore other options due to the fact that teachers just don't make much at all, especially in Mississippi, but I was determined to do it anyway! Glad I did...

3.   How are you currently involved in education?

This is my 11th year in the classroom! I started out in Kindergarten and have spent a year each in K, 2nd grade, and 5th grade. I decided I wanted to move to middle school and taught 3 years in 7th grade and this is my 5th year in 8th grade. I have taught Language Arts throughout the time I've spent in 7th and 8th grade.

4.   What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?

Be willing to collaborate with others, seek advice, share ideas, and enjoy learning how to be a better teacher!! Have patience and determination, as well as an imagination.

5.   What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I've learned so much in the way of networking, blogging, collaborating, etc. TPT has motivated me to be a better teacher in the classroom because I'm so much more eager to try new things. I spend more time "outside of the box" now.

6.   What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?

I love, love, love animals (I have 5 dogs) and acrylic painting. And, funny, I guess would have to be that two of my colleagues and I always have silly competitions amongst our classes. We always show off our students' work and presentations to each other's classes. All of our students expect us to "one up" the other!! Our students actually love visiting our three classrooms too. It keeps the students motivated as well as ourselves! We are the same way when it comes to fundraising and Spelling Bees....always a competition, but all in good fun!

7.   Do you participate in education outside of the classroom?  In what type of role?

For two summers, I had the summer job of grading a component for National Boards. I plan to seek the opportunity again after this school year. Currently, I am not involved with additional education.

8.   What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Sometimes I contemplate counseling, although as a counselor in education. I get so attached to my students. I think I'd enjoy being a counselor.

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

I would hate to have any "cubicle" job.....no matter the work.

10. Who is your favorite author?  Favorite educational author?  And why?

I have two favorites at the moment, Suzanne Collins and Stephanie Meyer. I absolutely LOVED the Hunger Games Trilogy and the Twilight Saga. I own all the books, in their pretty hardback versions :)  I have been to see the Twilight movies and anxiously await the Breaking Dawn movies and The Hunger Games!!! I love books about vampires (weird, I know) and have several series of books on them; The Hunger Games books sucked me right in with its extreme measures and unpredictable plots! I can't name a favorite educational author because of the number of resources I truly think are awesome and all by various authors.

By Ann Marie Smith

Ann Marie's Teachers Pay Teachers Store


Ann Marie's Favorite Products

One creation is a Literature Activity Printables pack that I posted. We do several rounds of literature circles over the course of the year and have so many book titles that I needed a versatile tool that catered to text structures and literary elements for any novel/story. I love using them in my class. 


Literature Activity Printables

Another is my holiday poetry writing because it creates such a festive mood in my classroom during December!! My students love it every year. We display their poems and ornaments with lights in the classroom! 


Holiday Poetry Packet