TeachShare Sellers Spotlight: Tina Arozena of Homeschool with Big Easy Homeschooling Mom

Tina's Journey as a Teacher-Author

Tell us about your educator journey to where you are now.

I'm a homeschool mom from the Big Easy, now in my third year of homeschooling my 8th-grade daughter. Like many kids during the COVID-19 outbreak, she transitioned to an online public school (K12 in Louisiana)—but what I saw was overwhelming.

She spent 10 hours a day juggling class participation, discussion questions, nightly homework in every subject, and endless assignments. There was little time left for just being a kid, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

That's when I realized—she had been learning from me since birth, and I could take control of her education. With my background in Business Management (B.S.) and an MBA, I researched everything I needed to start homeschooling. And I was right—this journey has been an absolute blessing and has made learning a joyful and stress-free experience for both of us!

Tina's Featured Resource: The History of Easter PowerPoint and 20 Note-Taking Sheets

About the Resource

This ready-to-use PowerPoint and 20 Note-Taking Sheets provide a comprehensive look at Easter's origins, traditions, and cultural significance across different time periods and regions.Designed for easy implementation in any learning environment, this resource helps students explore key historical events, analyze traditions, and develop strong comprehension skills. Whether used in a homeschool setting, traditional classroom, or independent study, this resource makes learning interactive, meaningful, and stress-free!

What Students Will Learn

• Explore the historical origins of Easter and how it has evolved.
• Analyze cultural traditions and their significance across different societies.
• Strengthen note-taking and comprehension skills using structured worksheets.
• Make connections between historical events and modern-day celebrations.
• Engage in critical thinking by discussing the impact of historical traditions.
• Develop research and discussion skills through guided activities and prompts.

Perfect for Grades: Middle School, High School

Subject Area: Social Studies

What inspired you to create this resource?

I wanted to share The History of Easter because holidays have become so commercialized that many people don't actually know their true origins.

What's one tip for teachers using this resource effectively in their classrooms?

Use these ready-to-go materials to simplify lesson planning and keep students engaged without extra prep!

FREEBIE: The History of Easter PowerPoint & 20 Note-Taking Sheets

By Homeschool with Big Easy Homeschooling Mom

Free

More Awesome Learning Resources from Tina

I am currently working on a teaching resource (lesson plan, scope and sequence, and pacing guide) as well as additional resources for a full unit study. You can visit my store for more resources.

Tina's Best Practices and Insights for Educators

If you could give one piece of advice to your first-year teacher self, what would it be?

To set realistic expectations for yourself, give yourself some grace, and celebrate the small successes!

What inspired you to start sharing your resources with other educators?

My inspiration was my daughter and other educators I met along the way. Once I made the decision to create resources, I joined The Homeschool Quest on Facebook, started a website, and dedicated all my social media to helping others in their homeschool journey!

Was there a specific moment when you realized your materials could help beyond your own classroom?

I love the freedom that homeschooling brings—especially being able to teach my daughter important life concepts that aren't always covered in public school, like cursive writing, cooking, baking, chores, and financial literacy. As she began asking more questions about the world around her, I thought, "What if I created homeschool resources just for her?" That small idea quickly turned into something bigger. I connected with other educators who encouraged me to start creating and selling my resources—and I haven't looked back since! It's been an amazing learning journey. At first, I wasn't making many sales, so I invested in a few helpful courses, including Kristen Doyle's Profit Booster Bootcamp and SEO for Teacher Authors. Since completing them in October 2024, I've started selling products much more consistently. Learning about SEO truly changed the game for me—it helped me reach more educators and build momentum I'm really proud of!

What's one thing you wish more teachers knew about using resources like yours in their classrooms?

My resources are NO-PREP Comprehensive resources. I know that educators—whether classroom teachers or homeschool parents—are juggling a lot. Life gets busy, and time is precious. That's why I create ready-to-use resources: to help take the burden off their shoulders so they can spend more time with their families, friends, and doing what they love, both inside and outside of teaching.

What's your go-to teaching strategy or classroom hack that always works?

I let my child take the lead in our homeschooling, always keeping her interests at the center. She chooses what she wants to learn in all of her core subjects—Math, ELA, History, and Science—and also picks electives that matter to her, like life skills such as cooking, baking, cleaning, gardening, and financial literacy.

How do you balance creativity and practicality when designing resources?

I'm the kind of person who keeps a notepad on my nightstand—ideas often come to me when I should be sleeping! Whenever inspiration strikes, I jot it down right away. I usually begin with a reading passage, Q&A, and note-taking sheets, then build out the resource step by step. From there, I create a lesson plan, scope and sequence, pacing guide, and PowerPoint to form the teaching component. To round it all out, I include a 6-part assessment toolkit with exit tickets, self and peer evaluations, rubrics, and more. By the end, it becomes a complete unit study that blends creativity with structure, making it easy for educators to teach and students to learn.

What's one of your favorite ways to keep students engaged in learning?

In our homeschool, I like to keep things fun and interactive so learning never feels dull. One of our favorite approaches is letting her take the lead as the teacher—she'll explain a math problem to me, share her perspective on a reading passage, or walk me through a science experiment. It keeps her engaged, builds confidence, and turns every lesson into a two-way learning experience.

Making Learning History Engaging and Accessible

Teaching history doesn't have to be dull—and Homeschool with Big Easy Homeschooling Mom proves it! She creates resources that are thoughtfully designed to make lesson planning easier while keeping students engaged and curious. Her History of Easter PowerPoint & Note-Taking Sheets offers a structured yet interactive way to explore the origins, traditions, and cultural significance of Easter.

With built-in comprehension activities and a synonym review game, this resource supports critical thinking, vocabulary development, and historical understanding in a way that's both meaningful and easy to implement. Perfect for homeschooling, classrooms, or independent study, this resource ensures that teaching history is informative, engaging, and stress-free.