How to Clean Pencil Marks Off Your Plastic Bins

Well, it's that time of year! You are packing up your things and reflecting back on what was, hopefully, an AMAZING school year. This year I will be packing up my room and moving to a new school AND a new grade level. EEKK!! I'm super excited about this new chapter in my teaching career, but let's face it, every teacher dreads the process of packing up the classroom only to know that in 2 short months, you will have to unpack it all and do this

all. over. again!

Today I'm going to share with you a quick tip on how to clean those nasty pencil marks on some of your plastic bins you might have. I love these for keeping writing tools organized for my kiddos. Everything was kept neat and easily accessible for the kids all year long.

However......by the end of the year, these bins looked worn out and pretty gross.

YUCK!

This year my students used these bins by the computer stations. I kept pencils and scrap paper in these and boy did they leave some dirt behind. My first thought was just to throw them away. They were only $1 and I can just get more. But, since I know I will be spending money on other things because I'll be in a new grade, I want to save as much as possible. So I tried my best at giving these a fresh, new look.

Here is what you will need:

1- Magic Erasers
2- small paint brush
3- an old toothbrush
4- Bar Keepers Friend (this is amazing stuff!!!)
5- Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil
6- any brand detergent

Step 1: Pour a small amount of your detergent into each section of the bin.

Step 2: Sprinkle about 1 tsp of the Bar Keepers Friends on top of the detergent in each section.

Step 3: Walk away for a bit. Let this sit. I found that the longer I let this mixture rest, the quicker the stains lifted.

Step 4: Take the small paint brush and start mixing!

 

As you mix this, really work the brush into the corners because those are the most trickiest spots! It's so hard to get those areas clean, but the more you work that brush around, those stains will start to go away or lighten up.

Step 5: Rinse out the bins once you feel like you've gotten most of the marks up. Most likely, they won't all be gone, but it should look MUCH better. (We have a few more steps to really get those tough stains.)

Step 6: Drop a small amount of the vegetable oil or olive oil into each section of the bin.

Step 7: Tear off a small piece of the Magic Eraser and place it in one section of the bin. You will use this same piece for all sections.

Use the toothbrush to push the Magic Eraser piece into the corners of your bins. At this point you will really start to see those pencil marks disappear!! YES!!! 

Step 8: Rinse the bins. You may want to add a little soap to get rid of the greasy feel from the oil. 

Good as new!!!

I plan to use these for my own personal writing tools next school year. Hopefully I won't have to clean them as often.

I really hope this helps you as you start that long process of packing and cleaning. It's not the best part of teaching, but knowing that I saved myself some money, is a huge bonus!!

5 Tips You Should Know to Start Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers

How Do I Start Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers?

Have you ever bought something on Teachers Pay Teachers? Have you ever told yourself

 “I could totally do this!” Well guess what, YOU CAN!

9 years ago, I found the site Teachers Pay Teachers when I stepped away from teaching to raise my children. I took some time off, like so many teachers do, just to be a mom. It was the best thing I ever did! 

When I found TpT, I thought to myself, I could take my own teaching resources and sell them, this is going to be SO easy and earning some money really grabbed my attention. How hard could this really be??....

Type it up...     make it pretty...      and post it! That's it!

I heard crickets for a while until I figured out there was way more involved than those 3 simple steps.

This week, I’m going to walk you through what I found to be the most important things to know when becoming a Teachers Pay Teachers author. If you’re brand new to selling, I hope you find this advice helpful and I hope it motivates you to get started right away. If you’ve been selling for a long time and already know most of this, I hope it reminds you of the things you’re doing right and maybe even give you a few extra tips to remember.

So here are my 5 tips for getting started as a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers.

So how do I get started?

1.   The very first thing you need to do is set up an account, if you don’t have one already. Click the “Join Us” Button. 

     After clicking, you’ll see there are options on ways to join the community. I recommend starting with the Free Basic Seller account. This way you can test out the waters and get a feel for everything before you jump into paying something. You want to make sure this is something you’ll want to continue doing. 

     After choosing your options, you’ll be prompted to fill out your account information. If you plan on selling, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve come up with a name for your store. If you have a store name in mind, I recommend placing the name in the search bar to see if there is another store with a similar name. There is nothing worse than having a store name similar to someone else. You need to stand out! So get creative, even use your own name to start with. You can always go back and change this later. 

2.   After you have set up your account, you will need a resource to post as your FREE resource. All stores have a FREE download posted at the top of their stores for buyers to get a feel of their work. So I would spend some time thinking about what resource you want to post and making it AMAZING! 

     This FREE download at your store acts like the store front window. Buyers get a little peak into what you can create so you’ll want them coming back for more. Take your time on this! My FREE Download Beginning of the Year: Getting to Know you Interviews has been downloaded 16,856 times (the last time I checked). That's a lot of teachers so it's worth the time and effort to make this product stand out. 

3.   This next step will not happen right away. 

     You need to decide, what do I want my store to look like? 

     Do I want bright colors, simple layouts, fancy fonts, etc. 

     This changes all the time! The products I made 9 years ago look nothing like the products I’m making today. We will get into updating products later. This is something to keep in the back of your mind when you’re purchasing clipart and fonts. Some buyers stick with the same clip artists and that’s totally fine. However, if everyone uses the same clip artist, how will you stand out? Take the time to browse TPT for clip artists and font creators and decide what you like. After selling for a year on TpT, I decided to try creating clipart myself. 

    Check that out at my store by clicking below. 

4.   Once you start creating resources, you will want to sort your resources into categories. TpT has this wonderful feature where you can decide the categories in your own store. This will make it easier for buyers to locate exactly what they want.

    I do mine by grade level, subject, and clipart. The more resources you have, the more categories you will have. So create the categories as you go. You don’t want a category with nothing there. That will turn buyers away.

5.   The last tip is to look back on the ideas, resources, and lessons you have created in your own classroom. How can you make those to sell? 

     BE CAREFUL!! 

     Copyright is REAl! 

     Do not take a resource from a major publishing company or another TpT Author and just redo it as your own. 

    Bad idea. 
    
     Also, spend time searching your idea on TpT.  Honestly, most likely, someone has already done a version of what you want to do. The goal is to make it your own. How can you make your work unique and something teachers and their students will love?

So here is a little FREEBIE for you! I like making lists....well, I NEED to make lists. I used a checklist sheet to jot my ideas down. This kept me focused and allowed me to focus on one project at a time. It's easy to get overwhelmed because you have so many ideas in your head and you want to get them done right away and you need this extra money for a vacation with your family and staying up until 2am can be an option if needed.

Slow down. Use this check sheet to help you. 

I hope this post gives you a good idea of what it takes to get started as a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is just the start. There is so much more to learn and do. Come back for the next post in this series on Creating Product Covers and Previews.

My First Blog Post

So, here I go again...

I'm not new to blogging or creating teaching resources but I feel like I'm entering into a whole new world. I started creating teaching resources and clipart for Teachers Pay Teachers back in 2011. That seems like it was so long ago because things have really changed when it comes to how teachers are helping other teachers. I have to say, I think it has completely changed the profession for the better and I'm so happy to know that I can be a small part of that.

So eight years ago, I started off this journey by creating 123 Teach with Me and Dots of Fun Designs. (No links here because those websites are dead and gone).

After taking a break from it all, I finally decided to get back to what I love to do...being CREATIVE! It's a way for me to forget about the daily stress of district demands and the never ending to-do list.

It's my escape.

I have now changed my store name to Just Go Teach and I not only have teaching resources but I have combined my clipart in the mix as well. I just wanted everything in one place. I was bummed to find out that TpT has yet to figure out a way to combine my 2 stores without losing my ratings and comments, but I'll take that hit. I feel so much better about my brand and that everything is in one place for you to browse through.

So welcome to my page! I'm so glad you found me and I hope you'll take some time to check out my resources. I have been updating everything and slowly getting my clipart moved over.

It is a LONG process but I'm getting there.

This blog will be a place for me to share my own teaching experiences, advice, and the resources I create.

If there is one thing I have learned in the past 16 years of teaching, it's that

you can't do this alone. 

So feel free to stop by my store!
My top selling items are my Kindergarten and 2nd Grade Math Assessments.

And I just posted my Letter Shape Box Clipart Bundle.

Thanks again for stopping by! I'm getting ready to pack up my room and change grade levels so I'll be sure to come back with tips and tricks on how to make that transition as smooth as possible!