Skip to main content

Erin Condren Teacher Planner!

In search of a new teacher planner, I decided to do some research. I needed a lift. I needed a "hug" of sorts with the thing that I used all day long in the classroom. And Erin Condren planners seemed to be the ticket.

Last year was a little rough for me. It was hard leaving the kiddo, hard juggling all the grading and being a good mom, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, friend, coworker... you get it. So when I came across the Life Planner, I LOVED it. I told myself that, somehow, I would make it work for a teacher planner because it was just so colorful and uplifting. BUT THEN. I discovered they actually made a teacher planner, and two whole hours of researching and watching videos on how to use them later, I bought one. Two weeks later, I bought the Life Planner, too. :)

There are so many great things about this planner, but even receiving it was a gift!



It's like a marvelous backsplash for life... :D
SUCH beautiful packaging. I opted not to get mine personalized this time, but I love the saying on the front...


The cover, in case you cannot tell, is SUPER durable. Caps are appropriate here. I was surprised with how durable it was when it arrived.













Since I am a nerd, and I have already admitted as such, I have begun the process of filling it out in preparation for the year. Less to do in the fall! Here is what the lesson pages look like:














Notice the tabs on the left-hand side. I LOVE THE TABS. They are durable and amazing and I love them. The tabs on the right are ones that I added, and I will talk about that in a moment. How I plan on organizing this is one of two ways. Since I teach four-and-a-handful classes, but mainly four, I plan on perhaps using the first column for a To Do list, and then giving two columns for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes after that. Or, I do the first column as religion, then two columns for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade LA. Not sure yet!

You have an option of adding checklists. I thought I would go ahead and try it as my grade book this year. That is why there are extra tabs in the back!

I also went about whiting out the message at top of every since page telling me how I can use the checklists... :)















I am kind of jumping around, but earlier in the planner there are places to take notes and a calendar view. I love the size and the room you have for both.


Here is a place to graph, track, etc. I decided to use it as a brainstorming area to write down ideas that I see on Pinterest and the like and then forget about them. This way they are with me!
















Calendar View... Notice the room on the sides for monthly planning and goal setting.








And, as I said before, I drank the Kool Aid and bought myself the Life Planner too because I needs it.




They're buddies.









In closing, I am so looking forward to using this planner because of its color, its perkiness, and its charm. I needed a little pep in my step, and having a planner that's looking out for me is helping me get excited for the new school year. Thank you, Erin Condren.

If I have somehow shifted your way of thinking and you now cannot live without it either (or you just want to check it out!), here is the site.

Happy Planning!

~Caitlin

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Inspirational Posters, Anyone?

  I LOVE MEANINGFUL QUOTES. There are so many awesome quotes that I wish I could carry with me at all times, or have someone pop out of nowhere and say them to me. I have had the Word Swag app for a while, but it never occurred to me to use it in the classroom. What I did was go onto Pinterest (can I say enough about Pinterest...) and look up some great quotes. Then, I picked a background and a font that I liked and voila! How can we use this?  - Posting quotes for a quick write prompt/starting point. Making them into art helps it stick and makes it more memorable as well. - Beginning a unit or novel with a quote that applies to the themes/ messages.  - Simply posting them on Edmodo or Google Classroom to give them something to think about.  - Blow them up as a picture and post them! (Note: I haven't tried this yet, but it looks like the quality is not diminished when making it into a large picture) Get the Word Swag app here.  ~ Caitlin

Books I Read Every Summer

When I was in my graduate program, there was a particular professor that... well, let's just say he shouldn't have been there. Everything we wrote was apparently garbage, every discussion left students angry and upset... not what a MEd program should be. ANYWAY. The one and only thing that I remember being worthwhile in the two classes I took with him was a resource day. This was partially because it had nothing to do with him, but it was also because everyone brought a book they were passionate about that they had picked up along the way. It was so incredibly helpful, and I went shopping after that! So, since I know the usefulness of having someone else look at something and say, "Hey, this is worthwhile!", I thought I would share mine! These are some more targeted towards ELA/MS, but there is something for everyone! Whether you are in year 1 or year 40, anyone can use a reminder of the things you need to remember to do each year to make your class great. I tel

About Me!

Hello there, fellow teachers! My name is Caitlin, and I am a teacher in Portland, OR. I am currently teaching at a private school, teaching 6-8 language arts and a 6th grade homeroom and religion. I am going into my 10th (!!) year of teaching, and I am still incredibly passionate about what I do! Outside of school, I have an awesomely patient husband, an incredibly active toddler, and a crazy cat and dog. Life is busy! I am always, always looking for new and exciting ways to reach my students. There are many changes going on in my professional life with new literature textbooks, juggling a toddler and the grading load, and revitalizing curriculum; even after 10 years, I am open to new things. So that's the focus! Help others, share ideas, and hopefully make some great connections along the way! ~ Caitlin