Communication is key. When I was going through the interview process for my job, my program director asked me if I would have a problem calling my students. I was surprised by this questions. Of course I don't have a problem calling them. If I notice they need help, have been absent, missed an assignment, or got a low grade, etc, I'm going to call them. Email is good but we all know that they are easy to ignore. I know not everyone is comfortable with speaking, so I start with a text and build up to a phone call.
