Frequently Asked Questions About the First Day of Teaching

by roxannaelden

Title with paper airplane

Here are some frequently asked questions about the first day of teaching. Click on any question to read the answer.

Should I tell students I’m a first-year teacher?

Won’t they know anyway?

I really just have one rule in my class: “Respect everyone!” Isn’t that enough?

My racial and/or cultural background is different from that of my students. Will they still listen to me?

Can I count on my class list to be accurate? If not, how can I assign seats on the first day of school?

Should I start planning on my own or wait until until the collaborative planning meeting with my department?

Should I try to plan my whole year ahead of time?

Should I let parents come into the room on the first day?

Should I let students help create classroom rules to show I value their opinions?

Can I really not smile until Christmas?

You keep talking about getting a good night’s sleep before the first day of school. But what if I can’t fall asleep?

What if I’m not clicking with my mentor teacher?

My mentor is great… but I’m not exactly sure what we’re supposed to talk about. What kind of questions should I be asking a mentor teacher?

I keep having dreams about getting lost on the way to school and then showing up and finding out I’ll be teaching a class of 400 students on the PE field and then realizing I’m wearing a bathrobe. What’s that about?