The Bottomless Backpack

My very bright son, Flash, is one of the most disorganized people I know. He routinely loses his money, keys, yarmulkas, glasses, cellphone, and (one very expensive) Ipod. When he was little, he would get off the school bus wearing only one shoe. Last week, he forgot his little sister at the neighbor's house.
Admittedly, he's gotten better with age. His backpack used to be a nightmarish black hole into which notebooks, worksheets, tests, and homework would disappear, never to be seen again. Now that he's started high school, he's gotten better at keeping track of his papers, even if those papers are usually crumpled and fraying at the edges.
Of course, Flash is not the only one. I've had more students like him than I can count. And yes, they're usually boys.
Today's New York Times has an article about private tutors who specialize in helping students get organized:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/education/01boys.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I don't recommend spending $50 an hour for this on a regular basis, but for kids who are so messy that their schoolwork is suffering, it may be worth meeting with one of these tutors once or twice, just to get a system in place. Then, you or your child's teacher can help keep him on track.
What do you think? How do you teach your children/students to keep their things organized?