The Power of Communication

At the beginning of this school year I sat down with one of my colleagues and discussed the first units of studies, daily procedures, and everything there is to know about the school (this is my first year at this school).  As we spent endless hours going over everything, there was one piece of advice that stuck out to me.  She recommended that I start a "5 minute jot" notebook with each of my students.
A "5 minute jot" notebook is basically a communication notebook between each student and the teacher.  Students are given 5 minutes everyday where they can write anything they want, and then the teacher responds back to each student with a comment or something as simple as a smiley face.
At first I was resistant to the idea, thinking that it would be a lot of additional work, but I decided to give it a try. 
After the first day not only was I hooked, but my students were hooked.  Students that I told "do not write" were sharing great memories with me, asking questions, and writing about their friends and families.  The first day after school I sat down and read through all of the notebooks and made sure I wrote a personal response back to each and every student.  
The next morning the students faces were priceless as they opened the notebooks and realized that I really did respond.  Students were eager for their "5 minute jot" time and were disappointed when the time went by so quickly.  Again, I wrote back, students were shocked they got responses, they wrote a new entry, and the process has continued ever since.
I have learned things about my students that I may have never known if I didn't have this simple notebook.  I have connected with students who usually are very quite and shy.  I have watched my "non-writers" fill up half a page of writing in five minutes (I don't think they realize they are really writing).  I have witnessed the power of kind words, as my students run into the room in the morning to open their notebooks and see what is written.
Some people would say I have taken on an extra, unnecessary burden in my daily routine, but I would have to disagree.  The half an hour I take out of my day to read and respond to my students is one of my favorite parts of the day!  Who knew a simple piece of advice would have such a positive effect on my teaching!