Editor's note: The Nov. 20 report, "25 terrific tips for new teachers," by New York Teacher staffer John Strachan generated many letters and e-mails from other teachers — active and retired — who wanted to share their own experiences. Here is a sampling:

Every new teacher should read The First Day of School by Harry Wong. I credit that text for my success the four years I spent teaching in a junior high school. What he taught me about classroom management is invaluable.

L. Kamila Smith
Guidance counselor
Union Square Business Academy
Washington Irving High School
New York City

I was impressed with all the terrific tips for new teachers in the Nov. 20 issue of the New York Teacher. I would like to add one to the list. This one was given to my accelerated class of 1945 by our history teacher at SUNY Potsdam. Our teacher was concerned because we were accelerated, and he gave us this advice: "Be firm but fair." I taught for 32 years with this in mind. It worked.

Lena Spadafore
Retiree Council 9

Here are three more tips:
1. New or young teachers should never sit behind their desks while teaching a lesson. Move around the room. Keep students engaged at all times. If your feet hurt at the end of the day, find comfortable shoes that will keep you moving with less pain. "A teacher's behind that sits becomes wider and wider. That makes you slower and slower."
2. Work on your room constantly. Display student updated work; keep the room clean. Always make it a part of your daily routine. Bulletin boards should also be kept up to date with the latest curriculum. Your students will never tell you, but they love a clean, organized room.
3. Every new teacher should contribute to some kind of tax-deferred annuity savings program as soon as possible. This is a very good way to save for the future and concentrate on the job now. We are teachers, not business people. The tax-deferred annuity will help secure the later years. 

Ralph Verdiglione
Retired teacher of special education

The best thing I always said to my class was that I was privileged and proud to be chosen to be their teacher. I reviewed their records just like their doctors did and I determined they were all capable of having a successful school year. As their teacher, I was one of many professionals in that school who were responsible for them. We were not going to let them fail, nor allow them to negotiate down the standards we had.
New teachers need to believe from the start that they are professionals, and professionalism has many responsibilities such as a commitment to quality work, not blaming others or the system, and thinking long term.
Also, always think question-answer-question, not question-answer. Teacher questions based on curriculum should be to create, encourage and engage thinking. If all your questions just require one answer and do not stimulate further thinking and exploration, do us all a favor and leave your keys in the office. We want students who think.

Michele Mazur
New-teacher induction facilitator
Syracuse City Schools

I enjoyed the article "25 terrific tips for new teachers." Sharing tips and ideas is so valuable, especially to new teachers.
I have a tip of my own: Do not be afraid to be the basis of a classroom joke. It adds to class environment/atmosphere.
I also have a Web site that shares more of my ideas and those that other teachers have submitted as well: www.energizetheclassroom.com. I am currently a social studies teacher at Thomas Edison High School in Elmira Heights, and have been teaching for 12 years. I also just published a book titled, Energize the High School Classroom; Keep it Fun! Keep it Relevant! Keep Learning!
Again, thanks for the interesting article and tips.

Paul Richmond
Received via e-mail

What to say to those students who, when called upon, offer up the well-worn excuse, "I don't know."
Respond by asking "If you did know, what would you say?" Then keep a running tab of how many times this small retort invites a student to make a contribution to the class. I was surprised to find it worked more than 90 percent of the time. This technique applied with a little bit of humor was very helpful for me. 

Michael Goodman
Retired social studies teacher
Victor Central School, Victor

Well, not everyone agreed:
I am a retired New York City teacher with more than 32 years of experience. Presently, I'm teaching part time in college. After reading your article "25 terrific tips for new teachers" I must respectfully disagree with most of the tips. They reflect inexperience and highly unrealistic expectations that typically is displayed by the State Education Department. Clearly, teachers and students are not machines with unlimited time on their hands. There's absolutely no doubt that the author of the article is living on another planet. Isn't it time to come back to earth?

Nathan Banks
Received via e-mail