Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Profession Opinion

If I’d Only Known. Veteran Teachers Offer Advice for Beginners

By Larry Ferlazzo — August 12, 2022 3 min read
A teacher tries to juggle remote and in-person instruction
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is on Advice for New Teachers.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

ifsomeonetellsyou

1. Ignore the Negativity. Be a Teacher

Every day in the classroom offers new experiences, as well as the opportunity to have a major influence on students’ lives. Read more.

2. Would You Urge a Young Person to Go Into Teaching? What Teachers Say

There’s no one answer to explain why teachers would recommend (or not) their profession. What is clear: It’s rewarding. Read more.

3. Video: Tips for New Teachers This Fall

During this unusual teaching year, in which where and how teaching will take place is up in the air as a result of COVID-19, I offer recommendations to new educators entering the profession. Read more.

4. Mistakes New Teachers Make & How to Avoid Them

Michael Janatovich, Sarah Thomas, Roxanna Elden, Kristi Mraz, Christine Hertz, and Julia Thompson contribute their suggestions. Read more.

5. New Teachers Must Create a ‘Balance’

Recommendations for new teachers come from Cindi Rigsbee, Carol Pelletier Radford, Jenny Grant Rankin, Jennie Farnell, and Ken Lindblom. Read more.

6. New Teachers Should ‘Leave Gossip for Tabloids & Reality Shows’

Rebecca Schmidt, Madeline Whitaker Good, Katherine Whitaker, Ann Hoover, Jon Harper, and Otis Kriegel provide advice to new teachers. Read more.

7. What Teachers Wish They ‘Had Been Told’

Allison Marchetti, Rebekah O’Dell, Kathy Levy, Matthew R. Morris, Stuart O. Yager, Rita Platt, and Larnette Snow finish off a three-part series on what teachers know now that they wish they knew then. Read more.

8. ‘When I Started Teaching, I Wish I Had Known ...’

Linda Hoyt, Jenny Edwards, Mary Tedrow, and Vance L. Austin offer their suggestions about what they know now that they wish they had known then. Read more.

9. What Educators Wish They Knew When They Began Teaching

Roxanna Elden, Dave Stuart Jr., Julia Thompson, and Jennifer Gonzalez share what they wish they had known prior to becoming a teacher. Read more.

10. New Teacher Advice—'Hold on to Your Optimism & Idealism’

Allison Zmuda, Jenny Edwards, Kelly Young, Maurice J. Elias, and Emily Geltz contribute their guest responses sharing advice for new teachers, and many readers do the same. Read more.

11. Advice to New Teachers From Veterans

Five veteran educators—Valeria Brown, Julia Thompson, Roxanna Elden, Sean McComb, and Megan Allen—share advice they wish they had at the beginning of their careers. Read more.


Explore other thematic posts:

Related Tags:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.
School & District Management Webinar Squeeze More Learning Time Out of the School Day
Learn how to increase learning time for your students by identifying and minimizing classroom disruptions.
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Teaching During Menopause? You May Want to Hear This News
The FDA will remove warning labels on HRT, a treatment for menopause. Here's why it matters.
4 min read
Photograph of a woman in her 40s or 50s, eyes closed, sitting at a desk holding a small portable fan in one hand with the other hand on her neck.
E+
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor How Teachers Can Take Care of Themselves
A retired teacher shares recommendations on setting healthy work-life boundaries.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Images Should Reflect Real-Life Demographics
A reader pushes back on the illustration used with an Education Week Opinion essay.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Teaching Profession Should It Be Normal for Teachers to Have a Second Job? Educators Weigh In
Research has shown that most educators work multiple jobs. Teachers shared their reactions in an Education Week Facebook post.
1 min read
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Monique Cox helps her co-worker, Chanda Carvalho, stretch after leading her in a physical training session at the Epiphany School in Boston, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox, who is a teacher at the Epiphany School, supplements her income by working as a personal trainer and DoorDashing food after her teaching shifts.
Sophie Park for Education Week