Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christine Lawson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I started Write Moments in 2019. Write Moments includes reading and writing resources designed for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Although, the inspiration for my business happened many years before as I created resources for my own fourth grade classroom.

I have been a teacher for 21 years and have taught 4th grade for 15 years. In Texas starting in 3rd grade, students take a standardized test called the STAAR test. In 2016, the students in 4th grade at my school did not perform well on their STAAR Writing Test. My colleague and I researched and worked together to create lessons and materials to help our students perform well on their tests the following year. Our scores increased by 14%! It was at that moment that I decided that I wanted to help other teachers across Texas by creating high-quality resources that would help their students do well on the STAAR test.

The website Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) has been around since 2006. I have purchased and used resources from the website since 2012. I decided in 2019 that I would sell the resources I created on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Little did I know that I couldn’t just create a resource and put it on TPT. There was so much more to creating a successful business. Soon, I purchased a business course that was created specifically for teacher sellers. I learned so much!

In 2019, after teaching all day, cooking dinner, and putting my kids to bed I spent hours on my business.

First, I created hundreds of resources. Then I learned that I needed to have the right branding. I also had to take photos of my resources, create covers, and previews of the resources. Additionally, I built my website on WordPress from scratch with step-by-step directions (a few years later, I would have it updated by a professional).
Also, I created posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to gain traffic to my resources and blog posts. Finally, I started my email list. I worked on a free opt-in and created Facebook ads to get people to sign up for my email list.

Then teaching changed in 2020! Students were sent home and teachers had to teach online. That’s when I started converting everything I made into digital resources.

Last year, the state of Texas changed the STAAR Reading test. I made sure to update my resources to match the new test questions and had my most successful year to date.

Today, I have over 300 resources. My best sellers include Writing Notebooks (for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) that have pages of grammar rules, revising strategies, and writing tips. Students glue the pages into their notebooks and can reference the rules throughout the year.
Also, I have a very popular STAAR Reading Review. This reading review is 10 days of reading and writing skills that teachers use before the STAAR Reading test. It includes notes, small group activities, and independent practice.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Write Moments provides reading and writing resources to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers. These resources are TEKS aligned, so they are perfect for Texas teachers. The goal of the resources I create is to help students be successful on their STAAR reading test. This is the standardized test that students across Texas must take in 3rd grade.
The questions can be tricky, so I use question stems in my resources. The consistent practice helps students know what they are doing when they get to the test in April.
I am most proud of the success that teachers and students have when they use my resources in their classrooms.
For instance, this year after using all of my own products 96% of 4th graders in my school passed their STAAR Reading test. I have also heard from other teachers who consistently used my resources. One intervention teacher used my resources and all of her students passed (they had failed the previous year). A 5th grade teacher used my resources in her classroom and 94% of students passed the STAAR Reading Test.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started my business in 2019. I was creating resources for teachers to print and use in their classrooms.

In 2020, teachers were forced to teach online. Many had no idea what to do. I got busy converting all my printable resources into digital resources that teachers could post online.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell my resources on a platform called Teachers Pay Teachers. I choose this route instead of selling on my own website for several reasons. First, TPT is a well-known website among teachers across the country. So the customers are already coming looking for lessons and materials they need. Also, if a customer has technical issues, I can direct them to the technical support that is provided by the site.
The con is TPT takes 20% of all commissions. Additionally, I don’t have any contact info for customers that have purchased resources from me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://write-moments.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writemoments_teaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writemomentstpt
• Other: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/write-moments