Communication = Structure

Remember when you were younger and your parents enforced bed time? Or when you wanted to eat chocolate before dinner, they touted the ol' line: "You'll ruin your appetite." As a kid, it was pretty annoying, but today there's a lot of value in these boundaries:

They created structure.

Everyone needs structure. It could be small things, like setting your own bed time or big things, like enforcing willpower. But, you need it, and most likely you structure your life without even knowing it.

Your students also need structure.

In the Independent Studies environment, sometimes students are allowed to attend on their own time, sometimes just once a week. It's not like the traditional classroom environment where your students must show up daily promptly at 8:00 am.

Therefore, it's up to you to set up that structure for them. The key to this is communication.

• If you have the resources, provide your students with a planner. It could also be as simple as a monthly paper calendar that they must carry with them in their binder.
• Set up an email distribution list where they can receive weekly news blasts.
• If they claim not to have an email, make them set one up. Most students have a smartphone and have access to their email. It's a life-skill to know how to check your email.

• Call your students if you will be on vacation or if there are planned changes to your schedule. 

If you set up structure, your students will be more likely to come in an even feel like they belong.

What can you do to increase communication to your class?