Being organized as a teacher is very important. Here are a few great ideas that you might find useful.
Missed Work
Having a missed work file is great. Having one that students can access without having to bug you is even better. It takes a little bit of work, but can save you tons of time later.
This can be as simple as stapling folders to a bulletin board. I like this method since it takes up very little room. It also makes sure the students check there after being absent any day for up to a week.
I make sure to print off a copy for myself and put them into my day book binder. This way I have a record of everything that was distributed. But I often get asked for missed work and then have to locate it, copy it, and distribute again to one or two students. This self-serve option is so much better.
Lost Items
Primary teachers can probably identify with the image above. There always seems to be something lying around in the classroom that never got returned to its proper place. As a teacher, it can be taxing to clean up the room at the end of the school day.
This bin will let you throw random items in it and worry about where they go later. Perhaps, a student will be able to help you out the following day. I bet some students would love helping solve the mystery of, “What is this and where does it belong?”
One of these teacher hacks is straight from a classroom I visited this week in my supply teaching. The other is from this post, 24 Awesome Teacher Hacks to Keep Your Classroom Under Control.
Teaching Tip Archive – Close to 300 great ideas to use in your teaching