Hi Emma: I'm a fan of frequent status updates. It takes a liuttle bit of extra time, but really not that much extra. Students feel better about their class when they are in direct contact with the one who has control over their instruction and grades. And I think each time we converse with our students personally, we create a stronger relationship, providing a connection to the students being open to advice and suggestions for improvement. Just relating is always a good thing too. I think that tends to normalize the teacher and student, and flatten out the potential for artificial personality discrepancies. Just being natural and ourselves creates trust and respect as much as anything else. Regards, Barry