Flying Solo, but Not Alone

It’s finally happening; the moment you’ve worked so hard for is here! You’ve been hired for your first full-time teaching position. You’re officially on your own now. While you might share a classroom with a co-teacher or two, there’s no longer a cooperating teacher to debrief with after a rough lesson or step in when an activity starts going south. The moment the class acts chaotic, or an exit ticket shows that your students haven’t mastered the lesson content, it’s easy to start doubting whether you have what it takes. Even though you might feel alone, you don’t have to be! Here’s the ultimate guide to requesting help as a first-year teacher!

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help. You shouldn’t feel weak or afraid that your administrator will doubt your abilities if you ask them for support. School leaders and administrators expect you to have questions and value your openness to feedback and suggestions. Veteran teachers and admin expect you to have questions and to be open to feedback and suggestions. Pretending nothing’s wrong when something clearly is can be a red flag for some leadership, not a badge of honor. Knowing when to ask for help shows you’re self-aware and want to improve professionally.

Start Small: The Low-Stakes Ask

It can be tempting to hold everything inside until a true crisis or bad observation arises, but asking for guidance around low-stakes objective tasks can build strong relationships with administrators and peers. For example, try asking a colleague how they format their lesson recap or weekly progress report. Remember, not every question needs to be done in person. Consider sending a Teams message, sharing a Google Doc for feedback, or leaving a brief note. This can be a quick, low-pressure request when time might be tight. Don’t expect an immediate answer; your colleague might be teaching or having a busy day!

These quick asks can build a habit of asking for help so that when larger issues arise, you’ve already built the foundation of support. However, avoid asking about tasks already covered in formal emails or meetings. Repetitive questions can create the perception that you don’t pay attention or lack initiative.

Bring a Plan, Not Just a Problem

How you ask for help matters just as much as the request itself. As you discuss the issue with your mentor or admin, ensure that you aren’t whining or venting about the issue. Focus on collaborating to solve the problem rather than getting it off your chest. As part of the problem-solving-geared approach, it’s always a good idea to share strategies you’ve already tried before asking for advice. It’s an even better strategy to come up with ways that the person can support you.

See It in Action

One of the best ways to suggest support is peer-to-peer observation. There are various ways to go about this. First, share the area you want to improve with your admin, mentor, or department head. Then ask them to recommend an experienced peer for you to observe during your prep. Seeing someone excel at a skill you’re struggling with is hugely beneficial. Observing a strategy in action provides a deeper understanding than hearing or reading about it. This also shows others that you respect their technique, are willing to learn, and seek low-lift means of assistance as a first step.

Once you’ve seen a teacher or two at work, try practicing alone. If you feel like the problem persists or you don’t quite understand how to implement the change, you can try asking one of those expert teachers to come and observe you. This is where establishing a good relationship early on is extremely helpful. Asking someone to sacrifice their own prep is a heavier lift, as it typically requires planning time for both the observation and the follow-up debrief. If you’re not able to find a time that works, you can also suggest filming yourself as a strategy. The two of you can review the footage together or independently, followed by a debrief in person or via email.

Navigating Mentor Relationships

A critical relationship to navigate, if you have it, is an assigned mentor. Often new teachers are assigned a mentor during their first or even second year of teaching. Your mentor may be required to meet with you weekly or biweekly, assign you tasks, or even set up their own observation schedule. It is a huge relief knowing you have someone in your corner whenever a challenge arises. This person can offer guidance and help you receive the support you need.

But what if your mentor isn’t supportive, too busy, uninterested, or just not a good fit for your personality or teaching style? Looking to a veteran teacher on your grade or subject team, a hallway neighbor, or a new-ish teacher for guidance can be an excellent move. Just because they’re not your assigned mentor doesn’t mean they can’t offer guidance. One of my good teacher friends ended up becoming my unofficial mentor because my assigned mentor was often too busy with other projects. Find that person, work on forming a solid working relationship, and maybe even develop a lasting friendship along the way.

What do you do when your struggles with your mentor aren’t an issue of helpfulness? Perhaps the person is mean, toxic, or uncomfortably intrusive? That’s not something to ignore and should be addressed with an admin immediately.

Help Cheat Sheet: Who to Ask for What

There are a lot of people you can ask for help. It can be challenging to decide who to approach. Here’s a quick guide to help you identify the right person to turn to:

• Administrator: Questions on the official observation process or observation feedback, school policies, district policies, emergency protocols, legal compliance, professional development, classroom technology (if there’s no dedicated tech person), large resource requests, severe discipline or safety issues, conflicts with co-teachers or colleagues.

• Content Lead/Subject Lead/Department Head: Curriculum questions, pacing guides, standards, state/course testing.

• Grade Team: Classroom management and routines, transitions, student behaviors, schedule logistics, interventions, IEP questions or accommodations, field trips, parent communication.

• Hallway/Classroom Neighbor: Daily survival questions, like what time is the fire drill? What stairway do we dismiss from? Where can I find extra pencils or paper? Can you cover my class for a few minutes while I run to the restroom?

• Guidance Counselor/Social Worker: SEL support, home life concerns, specific IEP support questions, understanding a student’s diagnosis, severe behavior de-escalation support, attendance issues, connecting students/families to community resources, academic placement concerns, bullying.

• School Secretary/Administrative Assistant: Finding and completing official forms, mail and deliveries, where to turn in attendance forms or issues with LMS portals, bell schedules, visitor sign-in, translator support, building or daily operations questions, general knowledge of all the school’s inner workings, or questions you don’t know where to ask.

Give Yourself Some Grace

Asking for help or admitting that you need it might seem overwhelming, but here’s a not-so-secret secret. We all need to ask for it at some point or another. In fact, you will never stop asking for advice or trying to improve your teaching practices. In the words of expert author Anthony J. D’Angelo, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more content on the Teq Talk blog or our YouTube channels OTIS for educators and Tequipment.

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