The Face Behind Math With Mrs. DOT ☺️

Hello friends. 💛

For a long time, my store didn’t have a face. Just a name.

When I started my Teachers Pay Teachers store in 2023, I wanted something that could grow with me. I knew I loved algebra, but I also wanted room to branch into geometry, probability, or anything else math-related. That’s how Math with Mrs. DOT was born.

The “DOT” part came from my soon-to-be last name. My husband and I combined our names when we got married, and he offered to let mine go first. I didn’t want to go through all the paperwork, but I loved my new initials: D.O.T. It felt right.

At first, I kept everything quiet. Only a few people knew about my store: my husband, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my best friend. I didn’t want people from my old school to find it. I was proud of what I was creating, but I was also scared of being judged. What if someone from my teaching past saw it and thought, “She wasn’t even that great of a teacher”?

And honestly, I’ve never been the type to put myself out there. I don’t comment on strangers’ posts. I don’t write in livestream chats. I’ve always had the mindset that if you don’t have something valuable to say, you just stay quiet. That habit of staying small followed me into my store.

So for the longest time, I hid behind my logo.

Then came TPT Forward 2024. One of the presenters talked about branding and said something that stuck with me: “When you think about the sellers you trust, you can picture their faces.”

And it’s true. When I think about the creators I admire, like iteachalgebra or Scaffolded Math and Science, I can picture their faces alongside their products. You recognize them instantly. You know who’s behind the work.

The presenter encouraged us to think about what happens when buyers can’t connect your products to a person. If people can’t see you, they might scroll right past you. If they can see you, they remember you.

It made sense.

Still, I was nervous. I didn’t like posting my face anywhere online, but I decided to try. I added my photo to my logo, updated my product templates, and changed my store banner. It wasn’t easy, but it felt right.

And you know what? The world didn’t end.

No one from my past came out of the woodwork to say, “She was a terrible teacher.” No one said anything negative at all. In fact, my store kept growing, even during the time I stepped away. Maybe it wasn’t because my face was there, but it made everything feel more personal, more connected. I had given myself permission to be real and sprinkle my life experience into my TPT persona.

It also made me proud. Because now, when someone sees my logo, they see me. And that’s something I’ve learned to feel good about.

So if you’ve been hiding behind your brand, I get it. It’s scary to step out, but it’s also freeing. People connect with people, not just products. And after a year of putting my face behind my work, I can finally say it feels natural.

💬 Let’s Reflect

Do you show your face in your brand? Or are you still building the confidence to do it? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.

Stay brave, bumblebees. 🐝

Daniela

📖 Related Posts

⭐ Why I’m Back (and What I’ve Been Working On)
⭐ The Comparison Trap: Finding Joy in Your Own Journey

🧩 Related Resources

Here are a few of the activities that helped shape my store and style early on:

⭐ Graphing & Writing Linear Equations | Algebrania Line Equation Challenge
⭐ Solving Literal Equations Spatial Maze | Space-Themed Manipulating Formulas
⭐ LINEAR Function Fact & Fib Finder | Key Characteristics of a Function

Thanks for reading! You can find all my math resources on 
👉 Teachers Pay Teachers | Math with Mrs. DOT
and follow along for new posts and classroom ideas on 
📸 Instagram | @mathwithmrsdot
📘 Facebook | @mathwithmrsdott
📌 Pinterest | @mathwithmrsdot