This is a quick tip. I suggested a few days back that you create a spreadsheet document with your students in the first column and blank boxes on the page. (To create boxes, print the gridlines.) You then carry these sheets around on a clipboard, marking down student performance during class. That clipboard can be a real motivator for many students.

Here’s a helpful idea: Laminate some of those pages. You may want throwaways as well, but a laminated page has the advantage of being reusable. Find a bright, cheery wax crayon and then just rub the crayon off when you want to use the sheet for other purposes. You can record attendance, classwork and homework, track permission slips and other forms, document payments, etc.

I’ll confess I have not tried this. I just printed and tossed. But when someone suggested the idea to me, it sounded like a winner. Fewer trees are sacrifice with this technique and you don’t risk running out of printed sheets.