I remember my very first "teacher" planner came from an idea a colleague had shared with me. Each school year she would buy a large spiral bound notebook and then create planning sheets from her daily subject times, specials, etc. on her computer. Printing out the daily planning sheets, she then cut and paste each one into the notebook. Now let me tell you, at the time I LOVED this idea and created one for myself. This was before Google Suite and Google classroom, so to me this process worked, and I used it for several years.
Eventually, I fell in love with the Happy Planner, with it's discs and cool "special" paper cutter. The planners would range in price, $20-$35+, depending upon whether you found one on sale or had a coupon to a local craft store that sold them. I loved using the stickers and decorating my planning pages throughout the school year. Additional sticker packs could run you $16-$20. The special cutter I would use to add any district memos or resource pages into my planner. It was pretty useful, but also an additional cost of about $25. The planning page paper quality was pretty good, and I used this disc planner for a few years.
 From time to time a few teachers would talk about the ErinCondren planners. They are truly beautiful, and you could have one personalized with your name, planning page style, etc. However, they were expensive ranging from a basic planner, with no personalization starting at $49 to a highly personalized planner in the range of $70. At first I avoided the temptation, but as time went on I kept seeing them on my social media pages. Then one day, as I was flicking through YouTube, I came across a video about the ErinCondren planner. I watched this video, and then another, and then another until I just had to go online and check one out for myself.
Going to the
ErinCondren site was an eye opener. Not only do they create planners, but they offer beautiful notebooks, journals, and other supplies. I went to the "
Teacher Planner" page and began to do my research. The description of paper quality and the ability to customize the planner to the smallest detail was intriguing. Eventually, I began to design my very first ErinCondren Teacher Planner! I chose the
Yearly Wildflowers Teacher Lesson Planner, which begins at $57.50. You can personalize the coil of the binder and depending on your choice it could be an additional $10, but I was fine with the platinum color with no additional expense. You can personalize your name at no additional cost, choose your layout on the planning pages of vertical or horizontal, choose your interior design and calendar options, and decide if the number of 20 checklist pages is sufficient.
Finally, the planner comes with a nice selection of stickers that are high quality, one sheet protector, but you can purchase three more for $3. There are optional add-ons such as 20 additional checklist pages for $5 and +20 extra curricular pages for $5.
In the end, I did personalize my planner with my first and last name, but I did not add any additional add-ons. My final cost before taxes and shipping was about $58. It really was not that much more than the cost of what I had put into my Happy Planner. When my Teacher Planner arrived I was definite that I made a great investment in this planner. It is absolutely beautiful, high quality paper, checklists, and layout. I love the inside cover with a "whiteboard like" dry erase page that can be used over and over again for quick glance planning or lists. There is a two sided folder and a sheet protector where I can put notes or quick reference papers. Additionally, it had 4 colorful sticker sheets and 3 holiday sticker sheets along with a snap in stencil ruler.
I was so pleased with my teacher planner that I ordered a
personal planner for my desk at home. Again, high quality, individualized build, and great layout. So, while the initial look at cost may seem high, It's well worth the research and, eventually the investment. Check out
my article on Middleweb where I share planning along with other key elements for new middle grade teachers.
