Hello Friends!

I don’t know about you, but the holidays went by much too quickly!  We are just getting back into the swing of things around here!  I wanted to take a few moments and just chat with you about why you should be following TpT sellers AND leaving fair feedback!  I PROMISE you want to read this (find out how to get FREE stuff!).

Why Follow Me?

Follower Freebies – I will be straight up honest here: freebies are why I start following most of the sellers I follow.  Who doesn’t like free stuff?  I do different freebies on Facebook and TpT so follow me both places!  Often, I post a product announcement on Facebook before TpT sends out the new product email.  (Remember, most products are discounted for 48 hours!).

Twitter – I have fallen in love with Twitter over the past year.  Did you see my post about Twitter for PLC? Follow me there to chat during music ed chats and to see some cool pictures!

Get to Know Me  – Once I have started collecting freebies, then I really like getting to know other music teachers out there.  There are some really amazing people in our profession!  If you follow me onFacebook you will get a peak into the things that make me laugh and cry!  Follow me on Twitter – you will get more pictures of what is going on in the classroom!  Follow me on TpT and you will never miss a release of a new product!

Feedback {Why and How}

As you will see below, I am giving you some major entries to my giveaway for going back and leaving feedback on some of my products you are enjoying.  I know I get behind leaving feedback for my purchases, and I used some of my free time during the break to catch up!

Why Leave Feedback?

Money, Money, Money! – You get TpT credits and these really rack up!  I actually got my latest purchase on TpT for FREE because I took the time to catch up on my feedback.  Most of my products have about 5% of people leaving feedback.  Some people have even commented on Facebook or emailed me to say how much they love the product!  (If this you, THANK YOU! – now go put that comment on TpT! 🙂 ).

Help Sellers – When you leave feedback, it helps us improve our products or know what products buyers are really interested in.  Really love that worksheet or game you bought? Let us know! Maybe we have a few more up our sleeves and just need that extra incentive to get it posted!

Help Buyers – I know I have been on the fence a few times about a purchase and really take the time to read the reviews.  When I see several 4 star ratings and detailed comments, I am ready to buy that product for my own classroom.

DID I MENTION FREE MONEY!?? –  See #1 – not gonna lie, biggest motivator for me! (Thank you TpT for credits!).

How to Leave FAIR Feedback

Read Descriptions – Please don’t rate a product low because it is not what you expected.  99% of sellers have extremely detailed descriptions (I know I do!) and often have a full preview available. I try to make every page you will get a part of the preview.  If something is not as expected, CONTACT THE SELLER FIRST!  TpT Sellers are probably some of the best customer service reps out there – let us try to please you before less than 4 stars!

Give us some details –  I get a lot of  “Thanks” and “That is great.” and I have been known to leave that in a hurry too.  What I would really like to know is why that is so great!  (Of course, I’ll take a 4 star “Thanks” over nothing any day! 😉 ).  If you want to leave less than 4 stars, please contact the seller first and give them a chance to make it right.   Need to contact me?  [email protected] is the way to go!

Typos – TpT Sellers are human.  We make mistakes, even with proofreading.  Sometimes I have looked a product for so many hours that the words just run together.  If you find a typo in my product, please let me know and I’ll update it ASAP.  (I often reward you for being my editor in practice! 🙂 ).  The Q&A section on TpT is excellent for this in addition to email.

Technical Problems – Sometimes this is the Seller’s fault, but 99% time something has gone wrong that is out of our control.  Please contact the seller first and let us double check.  We may then refer you to TpT.  TpT is run by humans who once again, are not perfect.  Sometimes something goes wrong on their end.

I think that is about it! THANK YOU FOR READING!

Wrapping Things Up

My final advice? When in doubt, bake cookies! (Pillsbury makes an excellent pull apart cookie dough, I must say). A dozen cookies on someone’s desk can make them feel warm and gooey inside (pun intended). This strategy has been around since the beginning of time and is a tried and true method.

If you are new at school and looking for lessons for the first day, you might also enjoy this post on first day lesson plans! 

Who did I miss? Any other key people in school we should add?

Musically,

Shelley