One month update as a Teacherpreneur!

I've been creating resources for Teachers Pay Teachers and trying to build up my "brand" for about a month now, and feeling somewhat bummed that I've put in a lot of work and none of my products have really took off yet. I wanted to make a list of the things I've accomplished in the past month: partly to prove to myself that I have been working hard (even though it doesn't feel like it) and that the rewards of my labor are simply more than the dollars I've earned! And also: bullet point lists. Is there nothing else more soothing to the crowded mind of a teacher/mom/wife?

What I've done:

• Read and researched a TON of beginning TpT resources from other teacher authors
• Created a name, Exceptional ELA
• Created a logo
• Created a store quote and a store banner
• Learned how to use clipart from other artists responsibly
• Created 7 resources (2 free, 5 paid)
• Kept to my goal of uploading one resource per week and then some!
• Started the Exceptional ELA Instagram account, now with 169 followers and counting!
• Started the Exceptional ELA Pinterest account
• Started this blog

What I've gained:

• Some graphic design skills! I never knew how versatile Google slides can really be! It really is a workhorse! 
• Learned how to use new websites and apps, especially Canva! I'm definitely going to use this in the classroom a lot more for my students.
• Social media marketing skills: It's a whole new beast to tame, that's for sure...
• New resources I was going to make for my classroom anyway, but now I can share with other teachers who could also use them.
• Tons of connections to other teachers online who are in the same boat as me
• A newfound passion for making my lessons, activities, and strategies more engaging and rigorous than ever before!

"Yay!" moments:

• Sold my "Literary Limericks" resource twice!
• One teacher on Instagram tagged me in a post, saying that I was one of the inspirational teachers she followed last week!

All in all, really awesome for a month's work. I've been working mostly at night when the toddler has gone to bed and the chores are done. I've gotten a little less sleep, but I feel an even greater appreciation for the profession I've chosen. I'm looking forward to see where Exceptional ELA will take me a little further down the line.

For now, I feel content with the pace in which I'm going. I'm enjoying my spring break, and gearing up for a presentation I have at CCSA (California Charter School Association) Convention next Wednesday. Hoping all goes well! I'm nervous about it, but I have to remember to still enjoy the time I have off. Spring break always goes entirely too fast...

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Am I good enough? (A post told in Leslie Knope Gifs)

I'm pretty sure this is a question our students have asked us from time to time. Maybe not in those exact words, but questions similar to it. Everyone wants validation that they're doing the right thing, or that someone is appreciating the hard work they're putting into it.

Every time a student asks me a question like this, I never hesitate to say, "Of course, you're doing amazing things!" or "Keep at it: I'm so glad you're giving it your best shot!" Growth mindset over fixed!

But when it comes to me? Asking myself the same question? Especially when beginning as a new Teacher-Author on TpT, I am constantly asking myself...

Am I good enough? Is my work as a teacher good enough? Can I make great resources? There are so many others before me who have done much more and are so much more creative and hard-working than I am. Who would really want to use my stuff when there is so much more to choose from? What even is the point? Should I even try?

Am I good enough? My students are learning in my class! My students feel safe in my class. My students love coming to ELA. This is what they tell me. But still, am I really good enough to be more than "just" a classroom teacher? Are my ideas unique enough? Are they engaging enough? Do they utilize the newest resources enough? Do they hit all the right standards? Will they remember this tomorrow, a week later, a year later? Does it matter if they do? Is someone else doing this in a better way? Am I I just fooling myself by thinking I can do this too?

Am I good enough? I don't just have 100+ students to teach, I have a family to take care, too! Am I spending enough time with my young son? Am I dedicating enough time to my marriage? Am I spreading myself out too thin? Should I even be trying to attempt this right now when I already have so many responsibilities? How do those other teacher moms do it all? Could I ever be like them?

Am I good enough? Who am I asking really? What do I want to hear? Shouldn't I just try and not worry about whether or not I'm good enough? Don't I enjoy challenging myself? Don't I like sharing what works? Don't I like making connections with others?

But I remember what I tell students when they ask me if they're good enough. Yes, I am good enough. I am just starting but I can do this. I don't have a lot of extra time but I don't have to do everything all at once. I can build this slowly. I am lucky and blessed that my family supports me in trying new things.

Even I reach just one person, and even if that one person is myself, I am good enough. I can do this and I have something new to offer.

I might not be extremely successful at it, but I will give it my best shot. I will give myself the best chance by believing that I am good enough.

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