Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner Review 2022
I have been planning for the next school year for months now. The time has been flying by so fast! We are two weeks (8 days after today!) from the end of our homeschool year, and I know many of you out there are winding down your year as well. You likely have already received some information or dates regarding next school year. This is always a busy time of year for teachers – wrapping up one school year while preparing for the next. If you need a special place to keep track of all of next year’s plans and events, you might be interested in this year’s Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner!
This Year’s Designs
Samantha, from EC, let me know that this year’s designs are about harmony-making peace with plans that won’t be 100% what you might expect or what they were before- mixing and matching and celebrating little wins and moments along the way. The designs aren’t just literal but also metomorphical:
Isn’t that what teaching is all about? Different students from different backgrounds and cultures, working together (and with you) in your classroom. You create a peaceful classroom, full of harmony, growing and changing and experimenting with new ideas and strategies. It can be so stressful, especially in today’s world, but there can be so much joy if you take the time to look and notice.
I have previously reviewed the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. My first time using the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner was way back in 2013. Many things have changed over the years, so if you want to take a blast to the past, check out any of those previous reviews for comparisons.
Important Info about this year’s launch:
This year’s Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planners and related accessories will go on sale for EC Insiders on May 16, 2022. If you aren’t already an EC Insider, you can sign up here. For those not an EC Insider, teacher planners will go on sale May 17, 2022. While supplies last, there will be a gift with the purchase of a teacher planner!
The Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner will be available in 6 (SIX!) different options this year! You will be able to purchase the following types of planners:
I had the opportunity to review two of the planners: the coiled planner in Colorful Harmony and the Softbound planner in In Bloom as well as some of the fun accessories! I will be sharing additional photos of all of the goodies I received over on my Instagram!
The Coiled Teacher Lesson Planner
The coiled planner is a solid choice, especially if you have never used an Erin Condren teacher planner before. There are many interchangeable cover options. Speaking of covers, the inside of both the front and back covers can be written on with a dry erase marker, although a wet erase marker works best to prevent smudging and smearing. Included in the planner are pages to keep track of events and volunteers, parent communication, a year at a glance, graph paper pages, monthly calendars, weekly lesson plan pages, checklists, stickers, a sheet protector, and a folder to tuck in important things. The paper is SUPER high quality and thick. The planner features tabs on to mark each month as well as the checklist section.
The planner pages are dated and labeled so that your day goes across the two pages. There are 5 rows (one for each day of the week) and 7 columns across the 2-page spread. The last column is not divided into boxes. This can be used for notes, reminders, or extra space for lessons.
The Softbound Teacher Lesson Planner
I’ve never used a softbound teacher planner before, and I actually kind of love it! Its missing some of the features (monthly tabs, sticker sheets, folder, page protector), but it is much more compact in size without the large coil. It really does lay flat, and includes a ribbon bookmark. It feels wonderful to hold in your hand. It’s soft and flexible. The only downside, for me personally, is the lack of options. I prefer bright colors, and the exterior of the softbound planners are much more muted and/or floral. I’m not a floral gal, but it is a beautiful design. The inside weekly planner pages of the softbound planner are pretty much the same as the coiled option, but does include a fancier font for the month and year in the corner.
Teacher Record Book
Something else I was sent that I am SUPER excited about is the Teacher Record Book. Maybe your school requires lesson plans in a certain format and a large planner just wouldn’t work for you. Maybe you don’t like to handwrite your lesson plans (I don’t blame you – I have a template for that!). Maybe you’d like to try out an Erin Condren product but aren’t sure if they would work for you. Enter this Teacher Record Book!
It’s a small notebook size (7×9) and includes an interchangeable cover with dry erase inside covers. There are three tabbed sections in the record book- Graph, Checklist, and Notes. You can use the graph paper to record notes, data, seating charts, etc. The checklists, of course, can be used to keep track of all sorts of classroom things including grades. The notes pages in the back can be used for whatever you need to keep track of. It’s a great little record book! Perfect for someone new to Erin Condren or who just can’t use the larger planners. It will be priced at $16.
Additional Accessories
Some other fun accessories that will be available are the snap in dashboards. One, is the universal snap-in to do dashboard ($6.50). You can write on it with a wet or dry erase marker to keep track of copies to make, things to grade, a list of contacts to make, things to do, and other notes about looking ahead. The other, the snap-in teacher dashboard ($7.50), includes a box for each day of the school week, things to do before and after school, and the backside includes blank sections to use however you wish. These snap-in dashboards can be used with any coiled Erin Condren planner or notebook. If you typically write on sticky notes a lot, this could save you several!
There are also a couple of notepads to choose from. The first, the Colorful Teacher Weekly Schedule Deskpad ($12) has a space for each day of the school week as well as blank space on the side and bottom perfect for sticking sticky notes or jotting things down.
The other, the Teacher Productivity Notepad ($10), has sections for Contact, Prep, a checklist/to-do list, and a big blank space at the bottom for whatever you need to write down.
A super fun, and decorative item available is the sticky note ball ($12.50). It features 12 mini pads of sticky notes with 25 sheets on each for a total of 300 sticky notes. Perfect for a quick, little note, plus it looks really cute on a desk.
Every year Erin Condren releases a new sticker book called the Cool for School Sticker Book ($15.50). You get 12 sheets of fun stickers including: 3 washi sheets, 3 clear sticker sheets, and 6 paper sticker sheets. Some of the stickers have metallic accents and over 600 stickers are included. These stickers are functional stickers and include flags, letters, checklist boxes, icons, and more.
There are some fun writing tools this year! I love the Erin Condren dual tipped pens, but this year I received some of the new dual tip markers that have a black, fine tip at one end, and a fun, colored functional stamp on the other end. These are great for using with to-do lists or in a bullet journal if that is your jam. I had a little difficulty with the stamp that was a solid circle. It may stamp better the more you use it, but I did want to mention that was the only one I had any trouble with. I also received a single pen with black ink which features an adorable red heart at one end! (The package said red ink, but the ink is black.) The heart dual tipped marker will be the free gift with purchase of a teacher lesson planner (while supplies last!).
New Lesson Planner Cover Options
The last items I received were two fabulous interchangeable covers. The first cover is the Finger Painted Petals from the EttaVee X Erin Condren collaboration. I already said florals aren’t really my thing, but these painted florals are beautiful! I love the bright colors and the textures of the paint. It’s a really lovely cover. It’s perfect for a art teacher or anyone who loves bright colors. The second cover is the more classic Rainbow Apple cover. Both are so colorful and right up my alley!
There are tons of other items coming out as well including totes, backpacks, clipfolios, and more! And many of the classic EC products like stickers, address labels, planner folios, pencil cases, and planny packs are coming in fun new colors and prints!
Save $10 on your first Erin Condren Order
Remember, if you’re new to Erin Condren, you can save $10 off by clicking here. Will you be ordering anything from the launch or do you have other planner plans? Let me know in the comments!
*When you use my referral link to receive $10.00 off your first order, I receive a $10.00 Erin Condren credit when your order ships with no additional cost to you. By me helping you, you also help me, so thank you very much! Teacher Planner and accessories were sent to me by Samantha of Erin Condren. Thank you!