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Your first year of teaching is an exciting time, filled with lots of firsts and fond memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your career. It can also be a nerve-wracking time, no matter how prepared you may feel. Even experienced teachers still get the back-to-school jitters! To help you confidently tackle the first weeks of school and beyond, we curated a list of questions first-year teachers could ask veteran teachers. 

10 Questions for New Teachers to Ask Veteran Teachers

Every teacher started as a new teacher and learned a lot year after year. And they likely became successful by seeking advice and help from their colleagues. So, don’t be afraid to reach out to the veteran teachers in your school to ask truly insightful questions about everything from parent-teacher communication to preventing teacher burnout.  

• How can I connect with each student in the first days and weeks of the school year?
• Which classroom organization systems have worked the best for you over the years?
• How did you start to develop a classroom routine you could use from year to year with minimal changes?
• What have you found are the most effective classroom management strategies for new teachers?
• What are your best tips for new teachers to find resources that will help cut down on planning time? 
• What do you keep in your toolbox for backup plans when things don’t go as originally planned? 
• What are your best time management tips? 
• What are some of your non-negotiable boundaries? 
• How do you collaborate with other teachers? 
• Do you have any advice for thriving in the first days and weeks of the year?

Veteran Teaching Advice for New Teachers

Veteran teachers have likely experienced every concern, question, and feeling that you are, and they probably want to help you get through them all with minimal stress. Use these tips to help you stay present and positive in your first year of teaching.

1. Build relationships first.

Taking time at the start of the year to create an environment where students feel comfortable and connected will go a long way toward helping them — and you — be successful in your classroom.

💡Pro Tip: “Build relationships with your students first,” says Sara Weaver of Little Humans Big Learning. “Connection before correction is one of my favorite phrases!”

2. Think through your classroom routines.

Organizing the classroom is top of mind for many new teachers, but what about organizing your routines and systems? Stephanie Yi from Math With Ms Yi put together a free planning document that helps her plan out the routines she wants her students to know, like what to do when they get to class, and the processes for turning in work.

“It’s allowed me to think through my routines and visualize the organization of our classroom. It also prompts me to ask questions of the school’s routine and expectations that I otherwise might have missed, such as bathroom, hallway, class transitions, and dismissals,” Stephanie says.

3. Have classroom management plans ready to go.

Now that you’ve planned your routines, you can build off of them and think about your classroom management procedures. Carina B. likes to have a classroom management plan ready to go from day one, which means starting off the year with routines and procedures in place.

For a creative approach to classroom management, you can try this classroom economy system from Nancy Chung of FancyNancyin5th.

“When I was a first-year teacher, I was in need of fun and effective methods for classroom management,” Nancy says. “I’m so thankful for the advice that was given to me at the time to implement classroom economy as a tool for teaching financial literacy, but also for a positive reward system.”

Students are rewarded for positive behavior and can use their classroom money to “buy” things like homework passes, choosing their own seat, or items from the prize box. Nancy has a money template for you to make your own classroom economy.

4. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

During your first year teaching, you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of materials you need, especially since you’re starting from scratch. Before you spend hours outside of school creating these materials, remember that there are many teachers before you who have tested what works for them and passed along their knowledge and resources.

💡Pro Tip: “Do not reinvent the wheel,” says Fletcher Nelson from Third Grade Swag. “There are so many amazing teacher-created resources that you can find and use that are going to save you so much time. I like to find resources that I can use multiple times or for the entire year.”

Similarly, Rory Yakubov from iteachalgebra suggests using ready-to-go resources from other teachers. She has math anchor charts ready for the entire year and fills them out with students as they get to each unit.

5. Always have a backup plan.

Not all lessons will turn out as you originally planned, and that’s okay. If you’re prepared with a backup plan, you’ll find it easier to move on when a lesson doesn’t turn out how you expected.

“The amount of times I’ve been in a situation where my lesson went way shorter than expected, and I had to fill some time, I can’t even count,” says Gabby Roma. “Having backup activities at the ready whenever we finished something too quickly or some students finished earlier than others was such a lifesaver.”

6. Find simple ways to save yourself time.

Teachers don’t need to be reminded that time is a limited resource. In your first year of teaching, everything might seem to take even longer as you’re finding your footing, which is why time management for teachers is essential. Seek out the simple ways to make your days go more smoothly, and automate any tasks that you can.

💡Pro Tip: “Don’t grade everything. Utilize digital resources to save time and paper,” says Brittany of Brittany Washburn Technology Skills Resources. “You can use digital tools with auto-grading features to save precious time giving feedback.”

There are countless other ways to save time. Kathleen from Miss Crafty Math Teacher minimizes her morning routine by using a flip calendar on magnetic rods for the date. She assigns students to flip the calendar each day, so she can use those extra few minutes to focus on other things in the morning. It sounds simple, but using a system like this means you never have to write the date (or forget to change it) again.

7. Set (and stick to) boundaries.

Achieving work-life balance can be a difficult goal for your first year of teaching, where it may feel like you never have enough time to catch up. However, many veteran teachers suggest that new teachers learn how to set boundaries early. Building a foundation for good habits now can last your entire career and prevent burnout. 
These boundaries between work and home look different for every teacher. Some teachers may plan to stay late at school one day a week to get ahead, while others may set a rule to never stay at school late. Test what works for you. For more tips, check out these strategies for teachers on work-life balance.

8. Learn from other teachers.

Don’t be afraid to ask other teachers for advice! They have a wealth of knowledge to share. Ask an experienced teacher to a coffee chat to talk through your questions, or see if you can observe their classroom. You can also look to the many teachers who share what they’ve learned online.

💡Pro Tip: Your colleagues can be a source of guidance and support. “Get a mentor teacher to guide you and a teacher bestie who will listen to you vent without judging you,” says Tanya G Marshall The Butterfly Teacher.

9. Take time to enjoy the moment.

If you’re overwhelmed by feeling like you need to get everything “right” in your first year of teaching, take it easy on yourself. Rather than trying to achieve perfection, focus on learning, growing, and enjoying the journey. 
Above all, Claudia Londono reminds us of the importance of enjoying the moment. “Take lots of pictures, because your first class will always hold a special place in your heart.”