When veteran teachers reflect on their first few weeks in a classroom, nearly all of them say, "I wish I'd known . . ."

One of the best resources for new teachers is a veteran teacher--that teacher down the hall who always seems to know the right answer. It may take some time in your new school to find the right person to mentor you, so how do you handle the first few weeks?

Subscribers to Teaching Magazine's free newsletter can check out Teaching Secrets: The First Days of School, which is a compilation of hints from teachers, former student teachers, and mentors. One useful suggestion is to make quick notes about student behavior during the school day. These dated observations can be helpful if you have a student with special needs or disruptive behavior.

Other sites that offer some terrific new-teacher resources include TeachersFirst  (downloads include "Survival Guide for New Teachers" and "Baptism by Fire: 100 Essential Tips and Resources for Student Teachers") and TeacherVision (downloads include "Top Ten Things Every Teacher Needs in the Classroom" and "Tips from Veteran Teachers on Dealing with Parents").

I invite veteran teachers to complete the sentence from the first paragraph: "When I was a new teacher, I wish I'd known . . ."