Why I Went Back to the Classroom and 7 Major Things I Learned While Working for Myself

How can I say no to this principal?  He offered me the job even though I said I'll go back to teaching because I want to sell better products at Teachers pay Teachers or TpT.  I know this sounds confusing so let me tell you my backstory.

I usually introduce myself as a recovering teacher.  You see, I was a special education teacher for more than ten years in a big urban school district.  Yes, it was an honor to teach in one of the districts that introduce major changes that others follow.  But it was draining!  My personal life disappeared and it merged with my teaching life.  In the end, I was forced to teach what my heart said the students do NOT need but what the higher-ups said they need.  There was a disconnect.  I need to reconnect.  So when a family situation made me decide between teaching and staying home, I left. For more than two years, I built and tried different online businesses.

One day, a friend told me that my name popped in her mind while she was interviewing for a teaching position in another school. She called me and asked me to apply.  I told her, I would if I will not go through the usual hoops a new hire goes through (phone interviews, submitting videos) and still get an interview.  By then I was toying with the idea of teaching again so I can produce better educational materials for my target niche.  

Well, in a few days, I did faced the principal and his panel of interviewers.  In the end, he asked me if I really want to go back to teaching.  I said yes because I am trying to sell better products at Teachers Pay Teachers and it seems I am out of touch of the needs in the classroom.  I even reminded him that the reason I was not available for an interview the following week is because I will attend #TpTOC17 Conference in California.  If I teach, I will be able to produce better products.  I also told him that I want to interview other teachers to create my Virtual Co-Teaching Series.  He thanked me for my transparency and called a few hours later to offer me the job.  So how could I say no to that?  A principal who understands that there is life beyond the classroom walls is rare. 

Now that I am preparing to go back to the classroom while managing my online businesses, I want to list what I learned during my recovery period as a teacher.  Maybe, this might be useful if you ever think what is it like to get out of the classroom (or office) and work for yourself.

1 - Mindset is the Key

In the back of my mind, I knew that mindset is the key to success.  But while I was immersed in teaching deadlines, I usually react to problems.  Yes, I did prepare for various lessons.  A lot.  But I did not have time to prepare my mind and this drained me.

While working for myself, I exposed myself to successful online entrepreneurs and all of them recall that major changes in their life and work happened when they changed their mindset. Go ahead, google this topic and you will see what I mean.

2 - Create Systems or Else

This is critical.  I was not aware that I was unconsciously following and internal system that my school embedded in me.  At first, I truly enjoyed not waking up early.  It got worse and I was waking up at noon and sleeping at 2:00 am trying to be productive but failing. I was lost.  In the end, I have to force myself to have a schedule. I tested a lot of scheduling systems and discovered that I hate exact schedules. Then I found out that if I do not list it, I tend to do it.  If it is in the to do list, I don't.  Weird but true.  And deadlines make me do it.  Still, I need to be more productive and definite with my time. So I tested more productivity apps and journals. So far, what worked is the Freedom Journal by John Lee Dumas.  

3 - Shiny Object Syndrome is Real - Avoid at All Costs

Yup.  When I left teaching, I have more money to spend and a real newbie.  I spent and spent.  A handful were useful.   Majority were useless.  During my first tax year,  I was almost in tears because I saw most of the things I bought were crap. Now, I think and do not hit the buy button immediately.  I unsubscribe from almost all email lists that will make me buy something later. One book that helped me is  Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. 

I also stumbled upon the a group that advocates multiple streams of income and was truly supportive:  Jim Cockrum's Silent Sales Machine and Proven Amazon Course.

4 - Be ready for marital conflicts especially when both of you work from home

Imagine yourself being with your husband for 24 hours.  Okay, some of you might love it but as for me, it ignited our differences to the point we were both thinking of separation.  But it mellowed and we gave each other space.  How?  We established our own LLC's and just help each other from time to time.  I do not know about you but this is what worked for me.

5 - Failure is a Friend 

One thing I learned is that to succeed, you have to embrace failure.  Not idolize it.  No.  Just learn from it and listen.  Then figure out what went wrong and move on. I failed.  But I failed fast and inexpensively.  Now, I focus on what worked and let it grow.

My major mistake?  Lack of focus and consistency.  Creating your own products that truly responds to the needs of your market brings the big bucks.  There is no such thing as easy money.  It takes effort.  At #TpTOC17 conference, one of the successful teacher-seller showed a graph where x is effort and y is income.  It is not a straight line.  It is exponential!  The more effort you put, the more money you earn.  But of course, it must be the right kind of effort.

6 - Slow but Steady Wins - Focus and Consistency

Jim Cockrum always advocates for slow and steady.  Well, when I started, I wanted the results NOW. I started a lot but finish some. Whenever I focus on one, it grows.  Then I focus on another.  Result?  Inconsistent business growth.  So my goal now is to focus and discover what my niche needs.  Find their problems.  Immerse myself in their vocabulary.  Teach.  Yup, my niche is the competitive world of education.  But I plan to be more specific and to ask the right questions based on the ASK book by Ryan Levesque.

7 - Educator by Heart and not afraid of losing my job

I am not fearful of losing my job anymore and I think this will help me become a better teacher.  Why?  Because my "recovery" time out of the classroom led me to discover that I am an educator by heart.  I am also a writer and it helped me reflect on my teaching practices. Before, I am just following conflicting recommendations from higher-ups to get good evaluations which in turn will help me keep my job.  No, there is no tenure in my district.  We were given higher pay in exchange for job security so we can be thrown out or rewarded based on our evaluations.

But now that I experienced how to earn for myself using online platforms, I am more confident to teach what my students really need.  I am not afraid of evaluations that might make me lose my teaching job in the district and elsewhere.  Of course I will still follow district and school protocols but I will look at it from the point of view of my student's needs.  If it contradicts what they need, I will speak out and still follow the rules.  Before, I was afraid to speak out.  Not anymore.

So who am I now?  I am a recovered teacher who is also an entrepreneur.  A teacher-entrepreneur who is building multiple income streams.  That is why I think #TpT is a good platform for me but I will not limit myself to it.  It is safer to be in different online marketplaces and be in tune with your major niche.

I do not know how long I will stay in the classroom this time.  But this is my promise:  I will document what worked for me and create digital products to support other teachers.  Sure, I'll make extra bucks.  But it will also make sure that my reach is more than just the walls of my classrooms as a Virtual SPED Co-Teacher.

DISCLAIMER:  Some links may be affiliate links that will give a few dollars (or cents) that will be used towards creating educational products or buying classroom supplies. You will still pay the same price if you use my links.