CARD CHECK  Speed up taking attendance by creating 3 x 5 cards (use a different color for each period) for each student and placing the cards near the classroom door, suggests ninth-grade teacher Thomas Hoolihan of Getzville, N.Y. As students enter the room, they find their card and drop it into an "attendance box." He collects the cards that are left and on the back records the date of absence and reason, if known. Hoolihan uses the cards to record absences later in the day without wasting valuable class time.

QUICK MARK  Retiree Joan Kickhofel of Detroit, formerly a seventh-grade teacher, suggests another efficient way to record attendance and tardiness. Place a large copy of your seating chart under a plastic or vinyl cover, and with a grease pencil mark students "A" for absent or "T" for tardy.  Record absences/tardiness while students are working independently, then wipe the chart clean and it's ready for the next class.

DIGITAL CHART  Christine Dunne, who teaches German and Spanish at a Webster, N.Y., middle school, uses digital photos for her seating charts. She takes head shots of her new students and then has them type their names on the computer keyboard next to the number that corresponds with their numbered photos. Later, she inserts each student's photo with a text box that includes the student's name. Photos are inserted as "float over text" so that she can easily redo the chart to reflect seating changes.

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