I mean, just look at how beautiful that thing is. It reminds me of school and lesson planning and grading and organizing data, yet I STILL think it’s gorgeous.
The Erin Condren teacher lesson planner is certainly a splurge. I contemplated it for a few years, and I am so glad I finally took the plunge. I’ll never look back!
Now that I’ve been using an Erin Condren teacher planner for four YEARS, I am prepared to share with you 8 reasons why I love my teacher planner.
1. Communication Log
A lot of communication happens online these days. We can always go back to find records of emails and Dojo messages.
However, I like to keep track of notes home and calls to parents *just in case* I need that information in the future. This chart at the front of the planner makes keeping record super easy.
2. Yearly View & Monthly Views
Use the annual page to plan units or keep track of birthdays – however you wish!
3. Notes
Each month has a set of blank pages for notes. I love using them during PD or staff meetings so that all of my notes are kept in chronological order (and safely in the same place) all year long.
I also use them for to-do lists!
In the notes section for each month, you’ll also find a “Dates to Remember” list… perfect for listing students’ birthdays!
4. Lesson Planning Pages
The pages are THICK, meaning that Flair pens don’t bleed through if you use them! (I usually use ball-point pens because they are faster with my half-cursive sloppy handwriting, but I use Flair pens sometimes!)
Sometimes use small sticky notes to replace plans. As you know, things change and we have to be flexible! Instead of using whiteout (ain’t nobody got time for that) I just write my new plans on a little sticky note and stick it on top. It’s perfectly sized!
I use skinny washi tape, thanks to a colleague’s recommendation, to break apart my planning pages to show at a quick glance when my students go to lunch, recess, and specials.
I also use washi tape to block off the last column, which I use for notes or after school activities.
5. Checklist Pages
I use these checklist pages ALL THE TIME. Again, it’s something I used to do separately, but it’s so nice to have it all in one place! So far, I have used the checklist pages for beginning of year forms (pictured above), permission slips, and homework. I recently realized I could use a page to start keeping track of my reading and writing conferences with students. The opportunities are endless!
6. Stickers
I’ll admit, I don’t use the stickers that often. I use them when we have something out of the ordinary going on so that it’s extra obvious in my lesson plans (so I don’t forget)!
Your planner will come with preprinted stickers that say things like “staff meeting,” “library,” “conference,” and “field trip.” It will also come with two whole pages of blank stickers for you to use as you wish!
Pro tip: Didn’t use all of your stickers this year? Cut them out to use next year!
7. Pockets
…for all those loose yet very important papers.
There are two pockets in the back of my teacher planner that I use to store loose papers that other people give me, like speech RTI data or other things that I need to keep up with.
8. Plastic Sleeves
I always order a few extra plastic sleeves for the back. In the plastic sleeves, I store papers that I refer to all the time, like pacing guides, students’ ID numbers, my classroom schedule, and my reading groups.
Again, it is SO NICE to have everything in ONE PLACE, nice and organized!
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Note: This blog post was originally posted in 2016 and updated in 2020. This is not sponsored or endorsed by Erin Condren – all opinions are my own.