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My Business Story

I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying God works in mysterious ways. In my life, he absolutely does. My teaching career was in full swing. The California housing crash in 2008-2010 brought this homeschooling mama out of the home and back into the classroom. I quickly slid back into my position as a mentor teacher, then leadership team member, and before long I was acting Vice-Principal. 

Acting Vice Principal is just what it sounds like “acting”. I was doing the work of a Vice-Principal but didn’t hold the title and didn’t receive the pay. I was juggling administrative responsibilities and teaching 4th grade, using Holiday of the Day activities like Wonder Woman. 

At the end of the 2018 -19 school year, I decided to officially apply for the position of Vice-Principal & ask for a raise due the position. If I didn’t get it, I was fully prepared to step down from my volunteer position as Student Support Coordinator (cute name, right?) and focus entirely on teaching fourth grade. 

Back to God and his mysterious ways… The top school administration was less than thrilled with my request for the proper title and the raise that goes with it. They decided to counter the offer by NOT offering me a contact AT ALL. No Vice Principal, No Fourth Grade. NO JOB. 

So after 19 years as a classroom teacher and Homeschool Mom, I suddenly found myself jobless in July. 

New Career Avenue

My best friend owns a catering business and I became the lamest lunch lady in high school history. Thank goodness my recycled 4th-grade jokes were still funny and I only ruined the rice a few times 😳. My claim to lunch lady fame is burrito folding. I can do it like I was born in Mexico! That’s a resume line for sure! (We won’t point out  how burritos are American cuisine, but whatever!)

While working half days laughing, serving lunch to kids, my mind began to turn. What am I going to do with my life? 

I have my blog. I’ve coached families on how to Homeschool. 

I started digging around and found $12.78 in my Google Ad account! 

Yippee, I didn’t even know that money was there. I was going to make money blogging!

What will it be? Blogger? YouTube Star?

After realizing the only people left making money blogging were the bloggers whose blogs were so riddled with ads you couldn’t tell the article from the ad, I was out. I can’t stand TV commercials. Why put them on my blog? 

The other set of people making money from their blogs were selling ebooks telling you how to make money blogging. I still can’t quite figure out what those eBooks actually say. But if you can convince thousands of people to buy your $3 eBook that’s a lot of money. Again, I’m out. 

My next idea was YouTube. I could be a famous YouTuber. My kids were less than encouraging. In fact, they laughed at me outright and said I was not funny and too old. When discussing this with my good friend Emily she had actually heard of a very affordable course that taught you how to use your phone to make YouTube videos. The Ignite Video Challenge happened to be starting the very next week and I signed up. I’m not exactly a famous YouTuber but that course did give me the confidence that I needed to move forward in the business direction I finally landed. 

The path to Teachers Pay Teachers

I needed a business where in the words of Stephen Covey: my main thing was my main thing. My whole teaching career I have been writing my own curriculum. I needed the lessons to be the way that I wanted them. I started teaching in 1994 long before Teachers Pay Teachers was a thing. If I didn’t like the curriculum options at the local teacher store I made my own. 

When I cleaned out my classroom in July of 2019 I had been using my own unique twist on the curriculum for every subject except math. Some of what I used was purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers and some of what I used I made myself. 

When I was homeschooling it was the same thing. Some of what I used was purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers and some of what I used I made myself. 

Over the years I noticed this type of teacher-made curriculum created a unique environment for my students. There were fewer moans and groans because we weren’t dragging textbooks out. We weren’t reading boring materials about history and science. Instead, we were completing exciting activities and learning hands-on. We were making memories and having experiences. Student engagement was always at an all-time high when I used a customized curriculum- especially when I incorporated the unique holiday of the day!

I’m certainly not the only teacher who wants to provide this type of educational environment in the classroom.

My light bulb moment

I noticed each year the more I focused on the relationship with my students and the less I focused on the academics the better things went. That might sound crazy. How can a teacher not focus on academics? It goes back to my training in psychology. Unless your basic needs are met, your higher needs can’t be met. 

When students feel loved they learn – bottom line. I always chose to focus on making sure they felt loved and the learning followed behind automatically. 

There have to be more teachers out there just like me who are looking for a curriculum to fit their unique needs. I’m not a unicorn. 

Holiday of the Day is the answer!

When do we feel most loved? When are we happiest?

Some of the happiest times in our lives are those we spend together with our families celebrating birthdays, holidays, and other fun events. I’m not suggesting having a party every day for school, but instead building upon the memory-making and the joy that holidays and “events” bring naturally.  As a homeschool mom, we spent one entire year using a curriculum that was entirely based on the holiday of the day.  It was hands down a highlight of our homeschool journey. 

More teachers needed the holiday of the day in their classrooms. More homeschools needed the holiday of the day in their curriculums. 

Using a holiday curriculum focuses on love and connections first and the academics just follow. 

Happy Hive Homeschooling recognizes the deep love you have for those in your home and classroom, yourself included. Our products are designed to foster that love and your commitment to a quality education built on strong relationships, accurate academic resources, and enriching experiences. 

You can use one holiday a month, once a week or you can use the holiday of the day daily! There is no wrong way to homeschool. 

I look forward to sharing this journey with you and providing ready-to-go products that inspire a love of learning in your home and classroom. 

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