Planning Tools For Teachers

Summer is upon us friends! I have returned to the land of the living after navigating Maycember, ha! I’m now embracing summer with all it’s coffee drinking, slow-paced, cabin project completion glory. I’ll be moving to third grade in the fall! So much of my summer study will be about my new grade level.

For today’s conversation I want to share the tools for teachers I use to strategically plan the school year in front of me. I love getting my hands on these in early June so when inspiration strikes, I’m ready.

*This post includes affiliate links

My Lesson Planner

I use the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner as my main hub for teaching. I lesson plan, keep my grade book, long term plan for the year, and take notes at staff meetings throughout the entire school year within this comprehensive planner. It sits open on my desk most days and acts as a day to day guidebook in my classroom. You can use this link to access tutorials and details specifically about the Teacher Lesson Planner. It has been my constant companion throughout most of my career. I don’t know if I could function without one at this point.

My Note Taking Journal

While the lesson planner is really comprehensive it adds bulk to my bag. It doesn’t necessarily give me the ability to take detailed notes when I need to. For that, I use my favorite lined notebook from Nomatic. It is the smartest journal I have ever seen. I can store a pen, take notes, mark pages, use the dual elastic bands to keep it open or closed. I can even walk away with it open on a table thanks to the lay flat design. It has 240 slightly weighted pages and is really durable.
If I need to embrace a morning of meetings, professional development, a conference, make notes for an inservice I may be leading, or simply get really intentional about making my to do lists I use my Nomatic. You can buy it on Amazon here. As far as a simple lined journal this notebook meets the need, but elevates everything to the next level.

My Infinite Agenda Mid-Year Planner

I have always struggled to combine my daily plans at work and home in a single planner. Being a working mom I often find myself heading to an appointment or a practice after school. I often need to make a call to the insurance company on my lunch break. A planner that can house my school plans (albeit somewhat loosely) and my family plans (much more concretely) in a seamless way is important during this season of my life.

You know I am a huge fan of My Infinite Agenda. I’ve been connected with them since last August and have been using their Agenda’s since they hit the market several months before that. Just a few days ago they officially launched their newest product, an August-August Mid Year Agenda and let me tell you, help has arrived!

Now I’m able to combine the awesome gratitude-goal oriented-vision board-planner-journal with my personal and professional life! I have already started using it to dream of what 3rd grade holds for me and as I start to jot down school year dates that we need to know as a family.

I feel like finding the perfect planner is like looking for the perfect white shirt. There is always something more or different that you want. Well NOT with this Mid-Year Agenda from My Infinite Agenda! I finally feel like the ideal planner for me has arrived!

And the best news of the day. You can get an additional 20% off if you use my code, PDH20 at checkout. Just use my link above to take ya right to the website.

Keeping It All Together

Teaching is not only an art form but it’s an organizational management challenge that takes care, thoughtfulness, and mental endurance. Being equipped with the right tools for my 10 month teaching journey is like a backpacker having the right backpack or a marathon runner having the right shoes. I carefully select and invest in the right tools to help me do my job with excellence. These planning tools for teachers give me the equipment for my journey ahead.

With hope for you and your intentional home,