A Sneak Peek at my Erin Condren Planner! :)

Just like many of you I have been ogling these Erin Condren planners for years! But as I anxiously awaited landing a permanent position (no more temporary) I just couldn't justify buying one. Due to the poor educational climate here in Oregon, landing a permanent position has been rough. I've been in temporary positions for the last 2 years so with every June came the uncertainty of the next school year. 

When I got the call on the last day of school that I had gotten the permanent (albeit probational) position  I was ecstatic! And you better believe that the first thing I did was run home and buy my lovely EC planner! *swoon*

I'm going to be honest, I had preemptively designed my dream planner and it had been sitting in my cart for weeks!

Now I don't know about any of you, but once I bought the planner I wanted it right away! I was just too excited I couldn't handle it! I stalked my UPS tracker for what felt like weeks for this bad boy to finally show up!  And when it did, I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. Actually, I was just like myself on Christmas morning! I love me some holidays!

Isn't it Uh-maz-ing!? I loved how much personalization I was able to add! And I love the way it looks!

Many of you have been asking if these planners are worth it, so I am going to give you a peek inside my planner and share some of my initial thoughts! 

The first thing I noticed as I opened up my new planner (besides the fact that the tissue paper was purple, definitely meant to be!) was how hefty this thing was! I don't really know what I was expecting, but it definitely was more substantial than I thought! I was very happy! I immediately started flipping through the pages to see what it was all about!

Here's a breakdown of what's in it!

Cover Page - The very first page is a cute little cover page. It also has an inspirational quote on it! 

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.

Little quotes like this are all throughout the planner!

All About Me - This is a place to keep track of your personal information in case you ever lose your planner. It also has a section for usernames/passwords/access codes and web resources. I definitely won't be using that section. I can't help but think if it were to get lost, someone would have al of my information! Scary!

Classroom Events & Volunteers - Theres a place to keep a list of your classroom volunteers and their contact information. There isn't a place to put in when they come in, but I think I would just write it next to their name. Theres also a place to keep track of special events and field trips. Although I think it makes more sense to place events within the calendar but maybe that's just me!

Helpful hints for the substitute - This page has some key info for subs: school schedule, who to talk to if they need help, students with special needs. This doesn't really make sense for me. I wouldn't want to leave my entire life/lesson plan book with a sub. I like to have my planner with me at all times! I am super attached to my planners! But if you leave yours at school, I could definitely see how this would be useful!

Holidays & Dates to Remember - Important dates/holidays broken down by month. And also a page to write in birthdays! I also wrote them on the corresponding month within the planner! 

Absent Log - Keeps track of students name, date, reason for absence and if they had a note or not!

Graph - I am not sure how I am going to utilize these pages yet! There are 8 of them!

Year at a Glance - This page is great if you do a lot of thematic units! You can sketch them out into a yearly plan. 

 Months - Each month is laid out for you! Here is where I put in birthdays and my day-to-day plans (appointments, lunch dates, to-dos, etc.)! Each month also has 2 pages for "What's going on in _____" and also 1 pages for any other notes. I'm not sure what I'll use these for yet either, but I'm sure I'll find something!

The only thing I didn't like about this section was that the dates weren't already on the calendar. I had to go write them in myself. Urg!

Lesson plans - This was the section that really sold me! I love love love this section! It is broken down by day and also by subject! It is totally customizable and I can't wait to use it! 

I used to have to create a new template every year for my new schedule and then print off copies! Talk about a hassle! AND I love that it is now in the same place as my planner. No more accidentally leaving my lesson plans at work!

(Yikes, sorry that picture is so blurry! More reason for me to win the Blog Hoppin' photo scavenger hunt haha)

Checklist - Great way to keep track of anything! Papers that need to be returned, homework assignments, permission slips, tests, DRA's, the possibilities are endless! 

  

Stickers - There are 4 pages of stickers! 2 pages that are pre-labeled and 2 pages that are blank for you to customize!

Misc - There was also 1 pocket page, 1 sheet protector and a few randoms items pictures below. There were some gift tag labels, a business card, a $10 off card and some stickers! 

Back cover - The inside of the back cover has a complete 2014 and 2015 calendar!

So here are my thoughts!

Pros: 

- Combines life planner and lesson planner

- Totally customizable 

- Lesson plans span over a full page no flipping back and forth

- Sturdy 

Cons:

- There are a lot of pages that I don't think I will actually use. 

- I have no idea what to do with the blank stickers. What do you use them for?

- Kind of bulky and hard to fit in my purse. 

(I had to buy a new purse. Oh darn! Haha)

Overall, I am in love with this planner! It took me weeks before I actually wrote in it because I didn't want to ruin it! I color coordinate my planner to help me keep track of my different responsibilities! I label my highlighters as my key so I never forget what color is what! Yes, I'm a little OCD but I love the way it looks! 

If you're still unsure about getting an Erin Condren planner, there is a great video that gives even more of an inside peek into these planners! You can see the video {here}. 

I can't wait to see how you all use your planners! There's so much space I don't know what to do with!