The end of the school year is coming up quickly, and so will soon end my first year of teaching. I have tried a lot of things this year to get my classroom management under control and I want to share with you my failures and successes.
Absent Folders

Pros: Each student has own place for their absent work, they know where to look without asking the teacher where to go
Cons: Hard to have students keep in order, time consuming when you have large number of students

Comments: I will not be doing this again next year. It was hard to get the students to buy into it at my school (worked well during student teaching). I am instead going to do a wall hanger with papers from Monday-Friday and have students pull papers from there.
Pass Back Drawers

Pros: Less clutter, not carrying too much paper around
Cons: Forgetting to remind students to pass back the papers
How to make it work: Start at the beginning of the year and have students check for papers to pass back when they are done with their warm up activity or with the assignment.
Comments: I started this midway through the year and it didn't really catch on. I believe if I make a bigger deal of this at the beginning of next school year this will be a success.

I have a small reminder area that I used wet erase markers to write upcoming quiz/test/project dates.
Pros: Students held accountable for checking one place
Cons: Not very big
Comments: I was originally inspired by a pin that had a very larger reminder board, but I didn't have the time to make one at the beginning of the year so this is what happened. It works very well, I have it right away when my students walk in. They have come to learn and check it. I will be doing this again next year, maybe make it more cute.

Exit Ticket / Rate Yourself
Stop light themed exit slip where students answer a question on a post-it and then place it on a part of the stop light according to how well they understood the material that day.
Pros: Quick visual assessment of understanding, documentation
Cons: Sticky notes keep falling, students forgetting to write names if asked
Comments: I love using this in my class, but I don't do it often enough. I run out of post-it notes often and didn't hold my students accountable at the beginning of the year for them to bring their own (even though I put it on the school supply list). Definitely need to make sure students have their own post its, preferrably the super sticky or the whole adhesive back post its. I will be using this again, possibly making a banner with directions.
Please comment and let me know if you have used any of these this year or in the past, or have any other ideas!
Thanks,