Teacher Planners: How to Pick the Right One + 11 Of Our Favorites
It is no secret that teaching is one of the most challenging professions in the world. It takes an extraordinary person to shape young minds and prepare them for the world.
With so much going on, even the most organized teacher can fall victim to disorganization. That’s why it’s important for teachers to have the right tools to prepare their lesson plans, jot down classroom ideas, and schedule activities for their classes.
The right teacher planner can make a world of difference when it comes to preparing for school.
But which one is right for you?
Do you want an undated academic year teacher planner or are you looking for a monthly lesson planner? Do you need one with an address book or a record book? Do you prefer regular paper or superior, thick paper?
Will you be using planner stickers? Should it have a space for goal setting and to-do lists? Would you like it to have pocket folders? Do you prefer a vertical or a horizontal layout?
Keep reading to learn more about why teachers would benefit from a teacher planner and see a list of our favorite planners.
The advantages of teacher planners
There’s no shortage of advantages of using a planner. This includes the following:
Get organized and manage your time
Not only does writing down your lessons and plans in a planner help to keep you organized, but it also helps to keep you on schedule. Visualizing daily and weekly tasks will automatically give you an idea of how much time you have to spend on each and where you need to focus your effort.
Free up mental space
As a teacher, you probably have a million ideas running through your head on any given day. Destress and clear up some room in your head by jotting ideas down in your planner.
Get motivated
Who doesn’t feel extremely satisfied when they check something off their list? Include your daily to-do lists will motivate you to accomplish the goals you set in your planner, and do it in a timely manner.
Take notes
Planners are a great way to keep notes and records that you want to circle back to later, whether it’s a teaching idea or something that you would like to remember about a student.
Communicate more easily with others
If you need to share your curriculum or plans with another educator, a planner is an excellent tool to keep everything in one place and easily pass it back and forth.
Teacher planner options
There are so many teacher planners on the market that it might feel overwhelming to choose one that’s right for you.
We’ve compiled a list of the best options out there and tell you why they may be right for you.
1. Goldmine and Coco Monthly Agenda Calendar
This everyday planner has a super cute floral design on the front and throughout the pages of the planner.
Not only does it look good, but it’s also functional, with monthly views over two pages, so there’s plenty of room to plan a whole day.
It has a dedicated section for all of your notes, but there is also plenty of space in the margins to jot down your thoughts. It’s thin enough to comfortably fit in any bag, and the heavyweight paper means that your planner will stay intact no matter how hard you write or what pen you use.
2. Goldmine and Coco Daily Spiral Planner
This spiral planner is a great resource for teachers. Keep track of all of your daily to-dos, including notes about students, class activities, and exam prep. This planner is good for 6 months and is an excellent tool for keeping track of all those lingering teaching-related tasks.
Other features that really set this planner apart include removable covers, a handy dot grid notes section, gentle self-care reminders, and daily affirmations.
Teachers will also appreciate the monthly, daily and notes tabbed dividers, to help them get organized, and the “look ahead” section at the end of each month, which helps to plan for the month ahead.
With 6 months of undated daily pages, you can start and stop when you want, so it’s super convenient.
3. Goldmine and Coco Weekly To-Do Planner Inserts
If you’ve already got a planner you love, you should look into adding these fantastic inserts, which are ideal for teachers looking for a way to organize their lesson plans.
These inserts, 16 sheets in total, are undated and delivered to you, printed on premium paper with a smooth finish, and ready for insertion in your planner. They’re available in multiple sizes, including A5, A6, and Classic HP, and have plenty of space, perfect for any teacher to get his or her thoughts in order and organize classroom plans.
4. Goldmine and Coco To-Do Inserts with Details
If you’ve got a lot of small projects and tasks to keep organized for your class, these inserts will help you keep everything organized. You’ll be able to plan everything in a matter of minutes with these 16 undated sheets.
They’re delivered to you on premium opaque paper with a nice, heavy finish and are ready to use so you can get started immediately. Available in A5, A6, and Classic HP sizes, these sheets let you create 15 tasks and jot down the important details for each one.
5. Erin Condren Teacher Planner
Erin Condren ain’t playing around with this serious planner, which is entirely customizable to your needs and personality.
This daily, weekly, and monthly calendar offers three choices of start and end dates. The customization options are second to none, starting with the multitude of options you have for your front cover.
Teachers can choose from coiled, binder, or softbound binding options for their planners and coils can even be customized with different colors. The interior comes with a choice of Layers, Mid Century Circles, or Focused designs.
It’s also an incredibly functional custom teacher planner, with checklist pages, note pages, communications logs, graph pages, and more. If you’re the kind of person that likes to make lists, you can add extra checklist pages.
Sheet protectors keep all of your most important notes and plans safe, plus you can add more of these. And if all of this wasn’t enough, this planner even lets you interchange your covers and snap on a whole host of planner accessories like exam trackers and habit trackers.
6. Bloom Teacher Planner
When Bloom says “teacher planner,” they mean it. This planner is another excellent option. The color is watercolor floral, which covers both the cover and the inside pages with floral designs that are eye-catching but not over the top.
Functionally, it comes with 60 weeks of undated column-style weekly planning blocks for total customization. It has everything a teacher could ever want inside, including a personal information page if it ever gets lost, an information page for substitutes, a student information page, a communication log, a grade book, and a separate page for special dates.
Organization is easy with 14 tabs, and durability is a given for this Bloom undated planner when the pages are 100gsm paper.
7. Celebrate Learning Academic Planner
If you are looking for something a little more low-key, Celebrate Learning has you covered with this simple yet effective, stylish teacher planner. It’s far from bland, with a polka dot cover and bright pages and stickers to brighten your day.
This planner is a blank slate, which is incredible for teachers who like flexibility, and for parents looking for a homeschool planner who don’t need all the options and space that a teacher with a full classroom needs.
It features weekly and monthly planning pages and a host of other support pages like substitute information, communication logs, contact info, grade logs, graph sheets, and note pages.
8. Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook
The Rocketbook is not only unlike any planner you’ve seen before, it’s unlike any notebook you’ve seen before. It’s truly the ultimate in customization. It comes in three different sizes and a handful of plain colors, which look pretty unassuming considering the pages inside are anything but.
There are no logs, calendars, note pages, or stickers with this book; it is just blank pages that hold a surprising secret. All of the notes taken on the rocket book can be uploaded to the cloud and easily organized using the Rocketbook app.
What’s even more impressive is that all you need is a damp cloth to wipe these unique digital planner pages clean, making this the only planner you will need ever again.
Due to the nature of these pages, they are incredibly durable, and since you will never have to replace them, this is a fantastic eco-friendly option for the earth-conscious teacher.
9. Clever Fox Planner
The Clever Fox planner is great for work and personal use. There’s no shortage of color with this planner, as it comes in a rainbow of colors with brightly colored stickers for use on the inside. There are also three colored ribbon bookmarks to keep your place. It comes in a keepsake box and is small enough to fit into just about any bag.
Like a few of the other planners on this list, Clever Fox takes an undated approach that allows you to customize the pages and start at any time. This planner has a unique layout with a 12-month calendar in the front followed by a 52-week planner.
The back of the planner has 50 empty pages for notes and lists. On the personal side, this planner starts with a life coaching segment that encourages you to write down what you’re grateful for, what brings you joy, your personal goals for the year, and your affirmations.
The following pages continue the personal growth trajectory with vision boards, mind maps, and a page to write down your top five goals. This planner is for the teacher looking to plan a curriculum by day and life by night.
10. The Happy Planner Big Teacher Box Kit
This isn’t just any teacher planner; this is an entire planner box kit.
You can choose from three different sizes, and from there, the customization is unlimited. It comes with one big-sized undated planner, one folder, one bookmark, two rolls of washi tape, three punch cards, and three sticker sheets.
It’s expandable with an infinite number of accessories to make it exactly how you want it. The customizable aspect of this product means that it can be used as a weekly, monthly, or combination planner.
11. Deluxe Dated Teacher Planner
Sometimes you aren’t looking for something fancy. If that’s you, this is a fantastic option. The marbled front cover looks nice but is subtle, and it comes with a traditional, dated calendar with colored tabs and stickers.
One thing that sets this planner apart from others is its matrix-style layout, which allows you to break down your week by time frame, classes, or any way you like.
This planner has all the functions you would expect from a planner that’s all business. It comes with monthly and weekly calendar pages, a student list, a communications log, a yearly overview plan, daily schedule charts, seating charts and grids, grades log, and notes pages.
Choosing the right planner for you
With so many options available, it can be intimidating to choose the right teacher lesson planner for you, especially if you’re still trying to find your style. When deciding which one of these excellent planners to choose, keep these considerations in mind.
Do your research
If you’re not sure if a planner is right for you, do your homework. Make a list of everything you’d like to include in your planner and shop accordingly. Check reviews online and ask other teachers which planners they use to get a feel for what may work for you.
Think about layout
The layout is important, so think about which layout would best suit your needs.
Find the right size
Size is usually an afterthought, but it’s important. If a planner will sit at your desk all the time, size isn’t a big deal, but if you want something lightweight and small enough to fit in your bag, you may need to go small.
Style
Some teachers may love a planner that is loud and reflective of their personality, while others may prefer something a little more subdued that’s all about business.
Extras
Weigh the extras each planner has to offer. Sometimes, when multiple planners have precisely what you’re looking for, the difference may be in the extras.
Time to get planning
Teachers, get ready. You’re now in a better position to find the right planner for you and all your classroom needs. Take the plunge and indulge in planner accessories, while you’re at it. The right planner will help even the most focused teacher manage his or her time better, organize lesson planning, and remember important information about classes or students. Happy planning!
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