mindset tpt store

Debunking Teachers Pay Teachers Myths

Raise your hand if you have heard the following at least once in your career.

In order to be successful in selling your resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, you need to have advanced skills in technology, you need to be “artsy” and able to create “cute” resources.

In order to be a successful teacher pay teachers seller, you need to spend hours working on your resources and making an online presence.

You are a teacher. You should not charge for the resources that you created and give it to other teachers for the good of the students.

Is your hand up? I am willing to bet that you have heard at least one of these statements. Here’s the thing-- NONE of these are true! Today, we will dive into the myths of Teacher Pay Teachers and why you should pay no mind to these comments-- you can be successful doing exactly what you are doing now.

Myth Number One- You Need to be Advanced with Technology and Use “Cute” Format

The first myth that I would like to bust is the belief that in order to be a successful resource creator and seller, you need to have advanced technical skills. Often, people look at the resources on Teacher Pays Teachers and are in awe at how their resources look. The thing is, most of the art we see on the resources is not made by that creator! These sellers buy the art, buy templates, and have a team to help them. Does that make creators any less amazing? Absolutely not! However, knowing this, makes it less intimidating. You do not need to be a pro at technology, you do not have to be “cute”. Most of these creators are using google slides, PowerPoint, and canva-- all of these resources you can get quickly and are very user-friendly.

So, the question comes, what does it take to be a successful teacher pay teachers seller?

It takes hard work, creativity, and passion. Selling anything online takes work. You will not sell products without advertising yourself. Even if your resources are not the cutest ones in the store, if you have lessons that will help other teachers-- you will sell your products! Teachers are looking for success and help with engaging their students. If you have a resource that will do that for them, they will buy that resource!

Myth Number Two- You Need to Spend Hours Each Day Creating and Representing Your Brand.

Does it take hard work in order to make these resources, sell them, and build your brand? Of course, it does! I am not saying it does not. What I am saying is that thinking you need to spend hours on this, is not true. Just like you do not need to spend endless hours behind the scenes of teaching, you also do not need to spend endless hours on your store.

Instead of spending hours, it is more about consistency. As long as you are posting new resources on a consistent basis, your store will grow and you will have other teachers purchasing your lessons.

In addition to endless hours, many teachers believe they need to create the perfect lesson plan that has never been done-- something no one has ever seen! The truth is, all of the resources that you need are right in front of you. As a teacher, you create unique lessons all of the time. Use these lessons to help you! If your brand begins to grow and you find you are spending countless hours on trying to keep up, you can hire someone to help you on the back end! This will help you with some of the duties and saves you time!

Myth Number 3- Other Teachers Will Not Buy Your Product

Another huge myth that I hear is that you will not be able to sell your resources and products because other teachers will not buy them. I have heard this before and was curious why this was. The reason? Teachers do not buy other teachers resources, they would rather create it on their own. As teachers, we know this is far from the truth.

Take yourself back to a stressful day of teaching and lesson planning. I know we all have experienced one of these days. Those days where you feel like you just cannot think of anything engaging. You spend hours trying to come up with the perfect lesson. Or, think about times when you were suddenly transferred to a different grade level. You think “oh man….I have students coming in a week and I have NO plans”. How much would you have paid to have a worksheet, or more, simply available to you? The number is there isnt it? Your resource is the solution to that problem!

Teachers are never ending learners. We want to better ourselves and continue learning and we want the best for our students. We know that no matter how good of a teacher you are, you can always be better. The best way to learn and to better your teaching is to learn from other teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers is the perfect opportunity for this. Before, there was no way to learn from teachers across the country---- and now, you have countless resources and lesson plans from other teachers that you can use and personalize to you.

Which one of these myths resonated with you? Come tell us at Thriving Teachergram Tips Facebook group.

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