Make Planning Great Again!

Hack your way to better classroom productivity with our team’s go-to planner shortcuts and tips:

#1: Allocate your last block of DOTT/Non-Contact Time each week as planner time to organise the following week. That way, you're fresh and focused on the task, rather than doing it at 4pm on a Friday when you're exhausted.

#2: Use stickers as mini headings, to highlight important events/meetings/holidays, or just to be cute-AF! Part of the joy of visual planning is allowing it to be creative and unique to you while also meeting your logistical needs - so have fun with it. Also: STICKERS! 😍

#3:  Pre-fill award/effort certificates with each student’s name, so you never forget one and store them in the back in one of our A4 adhesive pockets. (Trust us; this is the ultimate #flex for those last-minute assembly awards!)

#4: Block out Public Holidays, Student-Free Days, holidays, and any other important dates for the whole term in advance so you can plan around these gaps (or plan what fun you’ll be having!). And don’t forget to add in your students’ birthdays so you can plan a special shoutout or treat 🥳

#5: Dedicate a notes section at the back of your planner for keeping a record of conversations you have with parents and admin alike, no matter how (quote-unquote) “informal” you think it will be. Dates, times, attendees, what was discussed – jot it all down.

#6:  Use colour to separate subjects, categories, duties, events, etc. Our eyes are trained to see specific colours in certain ways, which helps us decode and understand visual schedules. We like to assign each subject area a colour (e.g. Purple for English/Literacy, Red for Maths).

⭐️Bonus tip: Carry this over into the classroom with corresponding coloured files, folders, resource buckets/baskets, etc., to store your subject resources/printouts.

#7:  Keep your old planners and look through them for lesson inspo on those meh weeks when you’re reconsidering your career choice. You never know when an old lesson could be revisited/re-jiggered; it’s also a nice reminder to see how far you’ve come and grown as a teacher. Aww! 🥹