This week, in the midst of resurrecting a 25-year-long dream, I started preparing for the fall semester. Writing is what I’ve always loved; teaching is what I started doing to pay the bills (this is humorous on a cosmic level, I’m sure). Once I started teaching, however, I received this delightful surprise: I actually do enjoy it. Now the trick is to get better.
One of my goals this year is to be more organized. Last year was my first at this school, and my first year in my own classroom. I’m not ashamed to tell you that it took the better half of the first semester to catch my breath, let alone figure out what I was doing. As I start to put the year together, I’ve started making my planner.
There are plenty of beautiful planners on the market, and plenty handmade by enterprising bloggers, who are generous enough to share. Why make my own? Well, simply put, I’m a control freak. When I customize my own, I get the exact look that I want, all the features I need, even hand-picked quotes by my favorite authors for quick doses of encouragement (you know, when it’s No-School November and I’m in the planning weeds).
Bonus: in addition to a beautiful planner, I get to brush up on my long dormant computer skills. But the planner isn’t finished yet. So, fellow teachers: enlighten me in the comments: what do you find completely necessary in a planner?
Tera Brasel 
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