How Teachers Pay Teachers Changed My Life!

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Teachers Pay Teachers (a.k.a. TpT) is one of the many startups disrupting the world. If you aren't familiar with it, think of Airbnb* or Lyft* for teachers. Just in this scenario the hotel chains and taxi drivers are textbook publishers and teaching suppliers. The whole idea is for teachers to buy and sell teaching materials with other educators.

Why Teachers Pay Teachers Is a Genius Idea

The concept is such a genius idea. It gives teachers a way to share their passions and creativity with other educators. It helps provide teachers with relevant, classroom-tested resources. And it's finally a way for teachers to make (a fraction of) the salary they deserve! A little over a year ago, I started selling resources on TpT and my life has forever been changed!

At TpT HQ

The TpT Effect

I'm not kidding when I say TpT changed my life. Prior to discovering TpT, I was a burnt-out, full-time teacher (read about that here). And selling on TpT has truly empowered me to thrive (#practicewhatyoupreach)!

Here are 5 Reasons I Love TpT

1) Improved Teaching Content

It's made me a better teacher. Knowing that other teachers will be using my resources pushes me to create top-notch activities. This ends up being a huge benefit for my students!

2) Passion Projects 

It energizes my soul! Everything I sell on TpT is a passion project. One of the key elements of burnout recovery is to spend time on what sets your soul on fire and this is exactly what TpT is for me! If you take a look at my store, you'll notice that everything connects to empowering students to thrive.

3) Increased Influence 

My products have been download by a few thousand teachers. That means tens of thousands of students are being influenced by my resources. When I sit and look at the numbers it's almost unfathomable.

4) Helping Other Teachers 

Teaching is no joke. The hours are long, the pressure is intense, and the expectations can be unreasonable. With all of this in mind, I love knowing that I can help a teacher out. There's no reason another teacher needs to waste time creating a product I can provide for them. In no way does that make them a lazy teacher, it makes them resourceful and it gives them the freedom to use their precious time for their passions.

5) Financial Freedom

Last and definitely not least, time for the big elephant in the room - TpT has provided me some major financial freedom! This past school year, I was able to move to part-time teaching because of TpT.

Another photo from our TpT HQ visit

Give It a Try

See, I'm not kidding when I say TpT has profoundly impacted my life. So why don't you give it a try? I know you're already creating awesome resources for your students, why not share it with teachers across the globe. You can sign up here with this referral link and start sharing your passions with the world.

*P.S. These are a referral links. So if you sign up to be a TpT seller with this link, TpT will give me a little bonus $$$ (dets here). It's a win-win-win (you, me, and TpT)!