My First TpT Milestone and a FREEBIE!

Good morning everyone!
A couple of weekends ago I met my first TpT milestone.

yes, me… such a wannabe.

I have no words to thank you for all your support and trust. Every time I hear a “cha-ching” on my phone I say:

“thank you lord!”

And I truly (from my heart) wish that my product can make the life of another teacher easier, and that such product can make a difference in the learning experience of her students.
Let me start by saying that I did not start my TpT store because I am oh-so knowledgeable and I had to share all the fantastic things that I do in my classroom.

far from the truth!

I have always been a dedicated individual who enjoys teaching and who loves her students with all of her heart. I have also worked with outstanding teachers from whom I have learned a whole lot, and who have become some of my dearest friends.
So here’s the truth:
One Sunday morning, two years ago, as I was unwillingly vacuuming my house, my vacuum cleaner broke. I asked my Honey Graham to take a drive to the local Wal-Mart to buy an inexpensive replacement since our carpets were dirty. He very calmly told me that we would have to make our purchase with our credit card.

I was speechless.

How could this be possible?

Don’t we have enough funds in our checking account?

But I am bilingual?

But I have a masters degree?

But I am national board certified?

But…But…But??!!

That Monday on the drive to work I felt guilty. My Honey Graham had a financial burden on his shoulders just because I loved teaching. It is no secret that we teachers do not make much. AND it is no secret that North Carolina teachers’ compensation falls way below the national average.
This is why I started my Teachers Pay Teachers store: so I could afford to continue teaching without feeling guilty about it. Teaching makes me happy AND I REFUSE TO QUIT IN SPITE OF THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
Because of my TpT store:

I can dream again!
I have had no choice but to become the teacher I never thought possible! My Blog is a window to my classroom and I want to show my readers the best, so that they can duplicate in their own classrooms.
I am fully aware of current education research and approaches.
More importantly: It is the first time in my teaching career, that my effort is reflected in my income.

So yes, I initially I needed to be more financially stable. But now, now I know that I have a lot to offer and I work very hard at creating products that:

are engaging
are based on valid, current research
meet students needs and enhance their strengths
are aligned to the curriculum
target more than one skill. I truly believe that teachers should work smarter, not harder!

You might say: But how does she do it? Where does she find the time?
Very simple:

I do:

work/create when my boys go to bed, after they are fed, read to, their homework is done, and lunches are packed.
I also hired a cleaning lady. She comes twice a month and keeps me sane.
network with other awesome bloggers like Krista from Teaching Momster, Lisa from PAWsitively Teaching, and Marie from The Literacy Spot. {Among others!}
take a lot of pictures in my classroom. You never know when a “bloggable” moment might happen.
respect my family time.
have very high standards for myself and I keep very strict goals on a monthly basis.
go to bed late on most nights.
rest when I am tired.
read a lot of literacy and math related material. My Amazon wish list is bigger than the state of Texas.
drink a glass of wine every now and then.
go for runs. They help me clear my mind!
cook a nice meal for my family on most days.
Read a lot about promotion, design, and social media.
have a very supportive husband!
Pray everyday

I don’t:

waste time.
procrastinate
clean my bathrooms
pick up after my children
stress over things I cannot control.
eat junk food
keep negative people in my life

Why Am I telling you all this?

I am telling you this because I hope that my words can encourage you to become a teacherpreneur. There is nothing wrong in making an extra buck or 20K! Everyone loves their neighborhood teacher, and sometimes when I speak of my passion for my profession, I can sense the look of “pity” in other people’s faces. It is almost like our destiny is sealed. Oh well… thanks to Mr. Paul Edelman and his genius TpT team, we have a choice. THANK YOU!!

We teachers also have dreams!

We dream of being able to pay for our own children’s higher education.

We dream of paying off our student loans.

We dream of a dignifying future for our golden years.

There is nothing wrong with that!

If you think that you are not good enough, or that you don’t have what it takes to start your own TpT store… You are wrong!

The magic doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. I promise!

If you are ever interested in starting your own store, you may use my affiliate link:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:laurajanaya

YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

Oh Snap, I almost forgot! As a token of my appreciation for all your support and trust, this awesome product will be free until September 27th, 2015! Enjoy!
Click on the link to get it (for a limited time) from my TpT store!!