Get Organized - No More Stacks!

I don't know what's gotten into me recently, but I have been on a mission to organize my classroom.  Although I'm not disorganized, I am a stacker.  Eventually, I need to file away everything in these stacks I've created and it takes a very long time.  This new school year my goal is NO STACKS!

The first grading period has just ended and I'm doing well with this so far.  Remember that motto, "a place for everything and everything in its place"?

How am I accomplishing my goal?  
Making more effective use of my teacher binder, which is very similar to the interactive notebooks/binders my students use, is helping.  My version contains the same table of contents, notes, homework, quizzes, tests, and bellwork as the student one.  I also have labeled tabs just like they do.  So what is the difference?  Basically, my binder contains a copy of each handout plus an answer key for each homework assignment, quiz, test, and bellwork.  At the end of each grading period, my plan is to transfer the original copies and answer keys from my teacher binder into a separate one to store until I need it for the next school year.

What else is helping?  
This year, I decided to give numbering assignments a try.  I've always been skeptical that this would actually be helpful.  I know teachers who post a numbered list of assignments along with the date each was made.  Students then check the list to see what makeup work they've missed when absent.  While this is great, my goal in numbering assignments was different.

I wanted to use the numbering system to keep my handouts organized.  Remember, no stacks!

Here's what I've done:
- I used a filing cabinet (one drawer for Algebra and one for Pre-Algebra) and hanging files with tabs.
- I labeled each file folder with a number or other appropriate label (notes, test, quiz, etc.).
- When I do my planning and copying (hopefully a week in advance), I put the copies in the appropriately labeled file and I'm ready to go!
- If a student needs an extra copy of something, it is easy to find.  I can consult my teacher binder if I don't remember the assignment number.
- I empty the files and start over with assignment #1 each grading period.

The red card stock serves as my bookmark!

My teacher binder combined with the filing system of numbered assignments seems to be working well for me.  I hope it can help you, too!