The Power of Planning

As a writer, I’m a plotter.

I may not follow my outline exactly, but I find a lot of value to knowing where I would like my characters and my story to end up.

Finding a Teacher Planner

It was no surprise then when, as a high school English Language Arts teacher, I quickly realized the value of a reliable planner.

When I tried multiple different formats. I tried the highly recommended massive printed ring binders that were so heavy and clunky they ended up ripping due to my constant erasing and reorganizing.

Then I switched to spreadsheets.

I developed a basic lesson planner that includes standards, student asset planning, assessment, and reflection that I have shared with several colleagues. While my colleagues found this spreadsheet (feel free to download a copy for yourself by clicking here) but nothing quite checked all of the boxes for me.

And thus, the idea to design my own digital planner was born.

DIY Teacher Planner

I wanted something I could manipulate, duplicate, and adapt to my needs. Something that allowed me to keep track of what I needed to complete, follow up, and to help me keep track of information like passwords and communications.

I work at a creative arts school where any range of activities could redirect planned activities. As a teacher with multiple subjects and grades, having instant access to a range of planning tools was essential for me to stay organized on the days when things were out of my control.

The power of planning and being prepared is incredible.

Few things are worse than starting off a morning unorganized or unprepared as a teacher. Our students feed upon our moods and if we are feeling scattered, our students reflect that.

I asked my colleagues about what they used or what they wanted out of a planner and none could give planners they would recommend as all were missing things they needed.

We could not find a one-stop shop where we could plan, organize, notate, create follow-ups, keep records, and have a space for reflection.

Then it dawned on me. I am a Canva wizard.

So I opened up my Canva (not sponsored) and created an aesthetically simple teacher planner with over one hundred pages and boundless opportunities that I could access at a moment’s notice on my daily companion, my iPad.

I use the GoodNotes app (also not a sponsor) DAILY in my classroom to from projecting the day’s activities for my students to leading literary analysis activities.

It was a no-brainer for me to download this planner as a PDF to annotate and add stickers to my heart’s content, which I did for several months.

Inside the Planner

After using this planner with my current five secondary classes, I made a few tweaks and am now pretty satisfied with what I have made. The planner now has:

Attendance Sheets
Behavioral Report Notes
Brain Storm Page
Budget Page
Class Notes
Class Schedules
Coloring Pages
Important dates
Reflective Journaling Prompts
Lesson Plan Templates
Meeting with Guardians Notes
Meeting with Staff/Dept Notes
Notes with or without Lines
Password Collector
Seasonal Month Templates
Sub plan template
Today’s Plan template
Unit Plan templates (two different types)
Weekly Planners (three different types)

AND this planner is undated, which means I can use it forever.

Or as long as I need.

It’s been an incredible resource, which made me realize that I should upload this digital planner it to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, so other teachers could find use it in their teaching life as well.

Having a reliable teacher planner that you can carry with you or access on the go is a must if you are a “plotter” like me.

To check this planner out for yourself, here is a link to its listing on my store. If you just want a quick and simple lesson plan, here is the sheet document I have used in the past, which has been very helpful over the years!

Happy teaching and cheers!

-Sarah