Do you feel like you need years of teaching or TPT experience to be considered a "teacher leader"? If you have some great ideas that you've been itching to share with others, but not sure where to start, this is definitely the episode for you! 

I'm giving you three ways on how you can be a teacher leader for your colleagues at school or your audience on Teachers pay Teachers. Even if you are in your third year of teaching or are just starting (or thinking about starting) a TPT store. This episode will give you some reasons why you don't have to have decades of experience to inspire and help other educators. 

In this episode, you will learn:  

• My initial hesitancy of establishing myself as a business to sell TPT resources (and much more) 
• Dealing with the ever-present imposter syndrome 
• The best thing to do if you have an idea that will benefit many other teachers 
• Ways to be a listener more than talk 
• Advice on putting yourself out there in the online space 

You don’t have to have years of teaching experience or have been on TPT for years with hundreds of resources uploaded to be a teacher leader. All you need to have is creative ideas, knowledge of what you want to share, and the willingness and ability to support your colleagues and audience in a way that is positive and helpful!

Let's connect!

• TPT Store: The Southern Teach by Kirsten
• Website: thesouthernteach.com
• Instagram: @thesouthernteach
• Facebook: The Southern Teach
• Blog: The Southern Teach Blog
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Kirsten 0:00

Would you believe me if I told you that I was initially very hesitant to be considered what people may call a thought leader or teacher leader. And I'm going to share you my story and also share with you tips on how to be a teacher leader inside and outside of the classroom. So I hope you'll join me in this very special episode.

You're listening to the creative teacher podcast, a show for busy teachers looking for ways to engage, inspire and make an impact inside and outside of the classroom. I'm Kiersten, a full time classroom teacher and part time business owner who is all about simple and actionable tips, strategies and resources that result in wins, big or small, to in each week, as I give you my best advice on classroom teaching and starting and growing a teacher business. If you're looking for that extra spark of creativity, you've come to the right place. Let's dive in together.

But today I'm going to be sharing with you a few ideas I have on how you can be a teacher leader inside and outside of the classroom. Maybe you resonated with one of these big mindset blocks are hesitancies that I had, maybe you also are an introvert, maybe you are afraid of failure. So I'm going to share with you my best tips about what I've learned through This process as a teacher for eight years, and also just as a TPT seller, so my one big reason is to just do it scared, you have a really great idea to get students to walk quietly in the hallway. Or maybe you just want to upload an activity that really worked for your students and you want to upload it on TPT, the best thing to do is to just share it even when you are scared to do so. And believe it or not, you will be surprised at how many people needed exactly what you have to offer.

Another way to be a teacher leader inside and outside of the classroom would be to be a listener. And I've learned the hard way in my life that sometimes the best thing to do is just listen more than talk. And when you listen to other teachers, you can build positive relationships and allow them to like know, and trust you more, it always helps for a positive work environment. And it allows you to meet the needs of your colleagues or teacher audience. Now, specifically, when we want to talk about being a listener for if you're a teacher, maybe let's say your colleagues are really frustrated with their class or how much time it takes for them to play in. So instead of offering a solution immediately, sometimes just acknowledging and validating their feelings is really all they need. The only thing is that there is a fine line, because you don't want to be caught in a constant cycle of a teacher that's constantly complaining, and very negative towards everything. Because that can be an emotionally draining and exhausting for you. So that's when you can start offering solutions and how to best help. And also just giving them a positive outlook or approach. So maybe if they are frustrated with their class offer some activities that the students might enjoy, that can help build relationships between the teacher and the class. Or you could come up with a solution so that you can take on a subject to plan while the other teacher takes on that other subjects. So it just takes one thing off their plate so that they can alleviate that workload. Now, being a listener as a TPT, seller looks slightly different.

But if you are a teacher seller, who sells resources on Teachers Pay teacher's listening can come into the form of common questions you might get on your q&a dashboard. Or maybe when people comment on your Facebook or Instagram posts, really listen and gather what are what they're really struggling with. You can use this information to create new resources, or revise your current resources or your product listings. Maybe the messaging is off, and you can fix that, or even offer some type of informative workshop or freebie. Another great way to listen is to hang out where your ideal teacher customer is hanging out. So something I love to do is join Facebook groups with similar like minded people who might also buy my resources or other things that I offer. And sometimes questions come up on topics that I know I can offer solutions on. But I don't always comment immediately on what I think they should do. Sometimes I just simply just read them and take notes, and visually just take in what they need and what they're looking for. And eventually, I turn those comments and suggestions into something that might help them and offer a solution eventually.

To be a teacher leader, you do not have to have years and years of teaching experience. And you do not have to be on TPT. For years with hundreds of resources uploaded, all you need to have is creative ideas, knowledge of what you want to share, and the willingness and ability to support your colleagues and audience in a way that is positive and helpful. So just remember that it, you don't have to have a principle certification, you just have to have some background knowledge, creative ideas, and ways and willingness to help others. So here's my creative action tip for you today, I want you sometime this week to be a teacher leader, it can be something super simple. You can use one of the strategies mentioned to help you with your teacher, friends, or your colleagues or your audience. So I'm going to repeat these three tips again, do it scared, be a listener. And do not be afraid to put yourself out there.

So before we leave, I want to make sure that if you haven't already to connect with me, I am on Instagram at the southern teach. And I think it'd be really fun if you can screenshot this episode that you're listening to right now on your phone, and upload, tag me on Instagram have your biggest aha moment from this episode, or really any episode that you've listened to. So I hope this episode is super helpful and valuable. I think everybody needs to know that you can be a teacher leader, you do not have to have tons and tons and tons of experience. You just need to have some knowledge, something that you're passionate about something you love to talk about something you love to do, and be able and willing to share that topic with others. All right. Well, I will see you in the next episode. Have a wonderful day.

Thanks for tuning in to the creative teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review. I'd love to hear your feedback. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach. I cannot wait for you to join me in the next episode for more tips and inspiration. Have an amazing day.