Any teacher knows that a paper management system (also balled being organized) will make the world of different. Here is my 'control center'
There are a few key components that keep my life going.
1. Make Up Quizzes
So I used to play the game of 'track the student' to make up grades and I was horrible at it! I realized after I implemented SBG that it is not MY responsibility to track them down but it is the students. I give a quiz each Thursday so the students know that if they are absent on a Thursday, their make up quiz will be push pined onto the board waiting for them. How do I remember to do this? When I pass out the quiz, I see who is missing and immediately write their name on a quiz and tack it up there. Easy peasy!
2. Hand in Papers Here!
What you can't see is that each bin is marked by period so students know where to place their papers. This is where anything/everything goes into, I take nothing on my desk or in my hands.
3. Papers to be Passed Back
This is for me. Once I grade/check-in any papers, I put them directly into the corresponding slot. I find that this has helped me keep the clutter off my desk and motivates me to finish everything. As an added bonus, I also have found that when kids see papers in there, they will offer to pass them back! Double bonus!
4. No Name Papers
I still don't understand how middle schoolers fail to put their names on papers but it happens! So when I find one, I grade it and hang it up. From there, it is up to the student to claim the paper and hand it in again, with their name this time.
5. Crate in the Middle
You know when a student is absent and they come back and go "What did I miss?" This takes care of that! When I hand out something in class, I immediately put it in the corresponding file folder. My advanced math has its own section and the other class periods have their own section. I made a file folder for each day of the week. The new papers I put in standing up and the old papers are then turned sideways into the file folder. This part of the control center is the hardest for me to remember to everyday but it makes my life SO much easier!
Of course there are some math cartoons that are funny and spruce it up a little bit. What does your control center look like? I would love to hear more ideas/suggestions!
Katie
