Been away for a while

I have been looking around at other blogs and it seems that there are so many new ones in the middle school section of TpT. I have also gone around and downloaded a few freebies and a few products that just might work for my own history classroom.

During this time I have also looked thru lots of old “Mailbox” magazines and converted ideas to fit my own classroom. Being that I teach Louisiana history I know that there is almost nothing out there for my subject so I have to be on my game just to create things for my own little world.

 I have come up with several items that have worked well for me and have shared them with teacher friends around the state. I have been begging and begging for them to share what they do but little has every come back my way.

Is it just me that has some great ideas or are they afraid to share? I would love to help all the new teachers out there in our state but I have to have items that they think may work for someone else if this is going to be successful.

I love what I do and I am smart enough to know that so many ideas out there have to be reworked just so that they can be used in our own state. Our history is very rich in people, culture, music, and food. We just need to share them with each other. Our state is celebrating our own 200^th birthday this year and it would be nice if we all began to “SHARE”.

-Greg

Emails beginning to come in...

Over the last few months my sells were very flat to almost nothing. But in the current quarter they have been shooting up. I am glad to see “product sold” emails almost every day and especially the ones that come several times a day. I know I am not up to what other have been doing but at least now I can say “I am selling items on TpT” and that is so cool.

I makes me want to work hard to come up with new things to add to my ‘store’. I have 50 now and lots of others that I just never uploaded. But now I see where I just might need to get more up here. I also have seen what is and what isn’t selling so I have an idea what types of things need to be added.

Expect to see more as the weeks roll on.

Things are beginning to happen around my site as more and more people seem to be stopping by. They are emailing me and looking over my items. I have told several of them that I would be glad to have them try my items and then let me know what they think. I would be glad to re-do the item for them if I need to.

It seems they want just a little bit of information and they then run off and try the material. Hopefully they like what they bought. Several of them have said my items are too cheap so now what do I do? Increase the price a bit? Do I post even more items? I have a jump-drivr full of items that I have used all year but only a few here.

We are about to start SAT testing this week so I really will not have time to upload much as I have to take care of my students during this week. I am doing “read aloud” for a few special needs students this year. Next week I can upload more items. Special request items that I have been asked about that I have.

I will also re-price a few items, do a new pricing schedule for my new items, and take down a few items that have not sold at all.

Money not in the bank!

“It would be so nice to get a BIG check but hey I am taking anything I can get at this point. I am just a little and I mean “little” middle school history teacher who gets checks like $1.50 and 65 cents. But, I know that some day it make pick up and then I might be able to answer what I will do with a really nice check. In 9+ months I have earned $16.50 total.”

I keep reading about teachers who are enjoying their checks and what they are doing with the money they have made. My check over the last 9+ months has equaled just over 16 dollars. Not much. But I am beginning to get a few email notes that my products sold today. One here and one there.

 I have been getting a few visitors hanging around my store from time to time. I went from listing everything for free to changing a buck to now I am changing a whopping $1.50 for many of them.

I have not done lots of pretty little fluff artwork on them. I have not given them lots of extra things that you have to print out. They are just my normal stuff that you might be able to really us in class for middle schoolers.

I know that the elementary school wants fluff for their kids but middle school just wants stuff not fluff. They want what works for someone else. If it didn’t work, I would not post it here.

On the left side of this blog you can see lots of things that I have in my store. Most of them have worked this year and some I have created for next year’s class. Just look them over and see what you might use. Be sure to email me a genglish at episcopaldayschool.org and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Just be sure to put an @ sign in place of the “at” and I will get to it ASAP!

Everyday your brain comes up with a new item to try in class with your students. Mine is the same way. It never seems to shut down. I am always looking at everything as a chance to teach my students something new yet cover some they need to know.

It the first case, it's about their own cellphones and what if they weren't so new. What would George Washington or some other famous person have done with his or hers. What Apps word they have had, what contacts wold they have had or text messages would they have had?

The other item was my wanting to make the students do a Venn Diagram like they are studying in ELA. So my first thought was how to get them to do one without the "fight" they have over them. So I made one with ME on one side since I do or have done so many of the current things they do. Now they just have to do the right-hand side themselves and see what WE have in common.

The ANTI-SALE

Strange as it sounds, I am having an “Anti-Sale” sale – kind-of, sort-of. Anyway I figured that Paul and TpT could use the money because I will never get any of it. I marked everything up to $1 from FREE. I am also posting several new items that I have created to use with my own students in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me messages about my “cemetery lesson”. I have that almost finished too. I will be posting it for a buck just as soon as I am finished.

Hunter Games

I have enjoyed reading the last couple of weeks. I got hooked on the Hunger Games by way of a gift vard a student gave me at Christmas. I ventured over to our local Books-A-Million store and right there inside the front door was a display of the HG books. I have seen students reading the book but was sure I would like it. But I did realize I had a $30 card so I bought the paperback copy of book one. I figured that if I didn’t like it there was going to be a big loss. I purchase several other books and went on my way.

Two weeks later I wanted something to read so I picked it up with the intent that When I got some new magazines in the main I would move on to them and put the HG back on a shelf somewhere. There’s where I was wrong. Ms. Collins hooked me after the first couple of chapters – and HOOKED I was. The book began slowly but like a freight train it began to move faster and faster and faster. Suddenly I could not put the book down. Katniss and Peeta had me by the eyeballs. I have never read so fast and so devoutly. Within two days I was finished and left hanging. I wanted to know what happened to them.

I rush out to B-A-M to buy book two. I had read all the reviews and everyone said book two was okay but book three was better. I waited te movie trailers, read the online comments, and searched the web for blogs and reviews. I wanted to read more about Haymitch and the Capital and Prim and Gale.

Book two again began slow but kept my attention and it chugged along. It was okay but now as afst paced at book on. But since I wanted to know what happened to Katniss I read and read. It took four days but I finished it. I had to read in and around my teaching but the kids were amazed to see an “old teacher reading” as one girl put it. She said she never saw a teacher really reading one of their books. I had to tell her I was just wanting to get to book three. Catching Fire was a good book and I found out another teacher had just finished book one the day before. There fore, I gave here my copy of book two and sent her on her way while I got book three.

Mockingjay, book three of the trilogy, was okay but not that good of a read. It took me and four days to read but like the first on, it began so slow. So ver-r-r-r-y slow. But it did begin t pick up steam and moved along nicely without any hint of what was coming. Within the last few pages I had a ton of bricks dropped on me and the book took a complete turn. I was not expecting it. Nowhere in book one or two - or even the beginning of book three did I see it coming. Sure I had hope something like that would happen because I didn’t like Katnis being played as a pawn but never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. But then again, I was reading so fast because I was so hooked.

The epilog was also a tearjerker. It may have only been a few pages but it came down to what I wanted to happen. Even more so. I almost hate to see the books come to an end. Now several people are telling me what books to read next. I figure I need to get away for a bit, watch a little TV then find that new set to read.