My Teaching Days

I taught gifted and talented kids for thirty years, and in that time I had a lot of changes. My very first year of teaching was in a K-8 school.  I taught the kids with learning disabilities for most of the time, but my last hour of the day involved model building and fun with a pair of bright eighth graders. After that tough year, I was asked to move full time into the gifted program.

The Gifted Program

My first few years, when young, I was teaching grades 1 - 4 at multiple schools. One year, I even had a different school every day. On Thursdays, I'd start at the elementary school and walk the grassy field to the middle school just before lunch. One day, my principal tells me to move out of my portable because a teacher from the middle school will be using it. I had to have everything out of the room before leaving the school. I darted around taking posters off the walls, boxing the little I had, and carrying it to my new classroom. Phew! I finished just in time and headed to the middle school where I was told that I'd be teaching out of a portable at the elementary school. I bet not many teachers can claim they moved out of a classroom for themself.

In the early years, we placed a lot of emphasis on teaching creativity and having fun. But, as the years progressed, the program evolved into academia. Eventually, the little ones were phased out with the end of our enrichment program, and I found myself enjoying third through sixth grade. However, with a full swing of the pendulum I eventually taught K - 5 with a repeated 9th grade sub job.

Math, Reading, & Historical Fiction

Depending upon the school, the subject emphasis varied. I've been at schools that tell me, "We need to up our math scores," while others want me to focus on reading. Social studies instruction through reading became important, too, since the testing did not involve social studies, so kids did not know about the past. So I wrote a lot of historical fiction stories. I've always loved writing and even have five unpublished novels. I've considered publishing one of my middle grade novel with questions on TpT. Although my novels aren't published, I have a plethora of historical fictions tales complete with vocabulary and comprehension questions. Reading Passages

Teachers Pay Teachers

I recently attended the TpT conference, which was all about branding and finding a niche. With my experiences through the years, my store is like one big department store with an emphasis on challenge! I even have some of my daughter's clip art in my store. 

Since schools focused on the gradual release teaching method, that looks a lot like TIMs from my early years, my PowerPoint lessons are fit for evaluations. Memphis did a lot of pop in evaluations, for everyone, during my final teaching years, so my lessons were always made ready for the unexpected.

I'm excited about my newest bundle because it fills a need for those, like I was, vested into an entire gifted program with multiple grade levels. It seems like getting a discount only applied to one level, but not anymore. In fact my huge bundle is 50% off for the rest of the day, so hurry!

Click HERE to find Logic Puzzles for the Gifted Program.

            Ghost Tours

Now that I've put in my time teaching, I enjoy giving historical ghost tours for Historical Haunts in Memphis. I wear a Victorian dress and fix my hair as in the olden days. I feel like an actress as I deliver stories of murder and mayhem. If you are ever in Memphis, hop on my bus and join the tour!

         Haunted Memphis Bus Tour

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#TpT, #TeachersPayTeachers, #iteach, #iteachgifted

Google Docs

I've recently learned that I can easily change my PowerPoints into Google Docs. I've set up a few and am offering to give one to you for free simple for signing up to my newsletter.

Take a look at what I have so far: Google Doc Products

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TpT Conference Fun

I'm now leaving Austin after learning how to be a better seller. At the conference was a booth to write about what teachers know. I'm great at making strong plans for successful evaluations, so that what I did. You can watch me being goofy!

I had lots of fun and will be starting a monthly newsletter, too. I've never been a big fan of mailings to my box, so I promise to keep it short and not bombard you daily. Will you follow me?

Follow me through email.

If you follow me, I'll give you a FREE product as soon as I figure out how to work the monkey mailchimp. It's all so foreign to me, but I hear there are great YouTube tutorials.

Rock on!

I made and reconnected with wonderful people at the conference.

My old friend Kathy.
Not that she's old, but I met her at the Orlando conference
and reconnected in Nashville and Austin.

My new friend Terri and I got great help from the TpT support team.

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#TpTFireworks

It's almost Fourth of July weekend, which means you can enjoy an amazing sale on Teachers Pay Teachers from the TpT Focused Success sellers' group. Members include some of the best sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers, and these products are being offered for $1.oo each!

Just search the hashtag #TpTFireworks, 

and you'll find great products for only $1 each.

And it gets better! My entire store is currently on sale for 20% OFF!

So click HERE to save 20% at by Catch My Products.

Here are my dollar deals:

Regularly $3.45,but now only $1 (Click HERE)

Regularly sells for $3.00, but now available for $1 (Click HERE).

Please stop by Catch My Products.