If you have been teaching for a while then you probably remember those very large planners your admin would hand out at your first faculty meeting of the year. You know the ones with very large boxes and you had to write everything by hand? And those plan books would not fit in your teacher bag! Wow, times have changed.
A few years back some very popular companies invented a teacher planner that is quite spectacular. It has all sorts of bells and whistles and design elements. When I still taught third grade I did buy one of those one year and loved it. It had so many extra features- like birthday charts, seating charts, parent contacts, and password sections. Lots of extra pages! Except, now as a specialist, I don’t need all those extra pages.
I teach one subject. I need small spaces to jot down the basics of what we are doing. I don’t need a birthday page for 350+ students. I need a calendar and some basic planner pages with small sections. I don’t need a lunch count page. I looked for something that would fit the needs of a specialist and was not overwhelmed by any of the options, so…
I started making my own planner.
Specialists Have Different Needs
I knew when I started making a planner a few years back that I would need some specific things. I need a year-long planning page. In fact, I need that for each grade level. I need smaller boxes to write my actual plans on. I need a grade sheet and a health sheet. I need a calendar that has room to write things for the whole school and my own classroom.
With a few things in mind, I started creating a planner for ME.
Planning Pages
This is where I started. I needed specific spaces for several grade levels and the extra classes I teach. But, I do not need those enormous boxes to write in. The size I created works perfectly for me to jot down what each class is completing in STEM for the week.
I made spaces for 7 sections since I normally have 5-6 classes daily. I also have special classes (like Math) so I needed extra boxes for that. I also needed To-Do Lists and Reminders!
The individual boxes are small, but it works. I usually write something like- ‘Building Boats’ or ‘Ferris Wheels, part 2’ in those boxes, along with the teacher’s names.
When I created versions of these for other specialists I left a space on the side to write subjects or teacher names. I also created a specific page for 7, 8, 9, or 10 sections daily. And I made it editable.
Calendars!
When I created versions of these for other specialists I left a space on the side to write subjects or teacher names. I also created a specific page for 7, 8, 9, or 10 sections daily. And I made it editable.
But I also made a one-page calendar. I have these inserted in my classroom planner and use the one-page version for personal needs, rather than school related.
I love making these sets and last year I added two new color themes to the resource. This spring I added another color theme. Now, you can choose from purple and teal or cactus and watercolor or floral or tropical or serenity and lighthouses.
I included calendars in all themes in both the one-page and two-page sets, so your calendar pages will match the kind of cover you choose. MIx and Match!
Covers
I have so many covers from which to choose. I really love the cactus theme and watercolors. Those print really well and are so soothing. I am also loving the serentity colors and lighthouses.
The images below show you covers, inserts, and title pages in many forms.
Notes Pages
These are my favorite creations. I love these notes pages that you can add to each month. Each of them has a space to jot down notes, whether personal, reflective, or school-related. Some are decorated with soft watercolor images and some are holiday themed. They are all beautiful!
Specialists – Twelve of Them!
I now have specific designs for 12 specialists. Each of these covers is editable so you can change the wording to reflect your personal specialty.
Binding!
I use the ARC system that I purchased from Staples. The packet I purchased included a special hole puncher that creates a long row of holes along the side. The white discs you can see in the photo below are threaded along the holes and the pages snap in really easily. The pages also stay in place well and can easily be removed.
I use a transparent hard plastic cover over my pages. This gave my planner some protection without laminating the pages inside. You can opt to laminate your cover and have the planner bound. I tried that one year, but the edges of my laminated cover were larger than the binding machine at Staples. They advised me to let them do the laminating as part of binding the planner in the future.
Last advice about the ARC system- I purchased the 1-inch plastic discs. They have smaller discs that would also work well. The larger ones are just too large and your planner would have to be very thick for them to work. Go small!
Printing
I have a home printer that prints great and I use HP Instant-Ink so printing is not a concern for me. Most of the pages are all black and white and I have so many choices of how you set up the pages that are in color. I print the calendars in color (I do provide black and white versions in some styles) and I print the sections covers in color. I also love those notes pages so they are printed in color. (The link above for ink is an affiliate link.)
Best of All…
The best part is that you design your final version of your planner. Mix and match the pages and styles or go totally in one color theme. It’s fun and easy to create your beautiful specialist planner!
