Questions to Ask Teachers to Get to Know Them
Questions students and parents can ask a teacher at a conference, an open evening, or the start of a term, covering how they run their classroom, what helps at home, and how they prefer to be contacted.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What do you enjoy most about teaching this age group?
Why ask it
Age group is usually a deliberate choice. The answer tends to separate teachers who came for the subject from teachers who came for the students, and both run very different rooms.
How did you end up teaching this subject?
Why ask it
Some trained for it, some were assigned it when a colleague left, some switched careers. The route explains a lot about how confidently they range beyond the textbook.
What's your favorite way to start a class?
Why ask it
The first five minutes set the tone for the hour. A teacher who has a fixed routine here, such as a question on the board or a two minute recap, usually runs a settled room.
What does a good day in your classroom look like?
Why ask it
Answers split between quiet focus and loud argument. Knowing which one they mean tells a student what counts as participating rather than disrupting.
What's a classroom routine that works better than you expected?
Why ask it
Gets something practical rather than a philosophy of education. Teachers are usually glad to explain a system they are proud of.
What's a project you're looking forward to this term?
Why ask it
Puts a date on your calendar you can ask about again later, and it shows where the energy of the course actually sits.
How do you like to mark progress or effort?
Why ask it
Some teachers use notes home, some use recognition in class, some avoid public praise on purpose. The answer shows what motivates their room.
What's something students often struggle with in your subject?
Why ask it
Tells you what to watch for before the first low grade rather than after it, and it is usually one specific skill rather than the whole course.
How do you prefer families to contact you, and when should we expect a reply?
Why ask it
This prevents the most common source of friction. Teachers rarely volunteer their limits but will state them clearly when asked.
What do you wish families knew in September rather than in March?
Why ask it
Nearly every teacher has one answer ready here, usually about homework habits or telling them early when something is wrong at home.
What can we do at home that actually helps?
Why ask it
Better than offering to help with homework, which many teachers would rather you did not. Answers are often small: reading aloud, a consistent bedtime, checking the gradebook weekly.
What's a book or resource you find yourself recommending?
Why ask it
Teachers accumulate these and are seldom asked. A specific title tells you where their own interests lie.
How has your teaching changed since you started?
Why ask it
Invites reflection rather than a summary. Someone who can name a practice they dropped is still adjusting, which is a good sign.
What's a challenge you're working on this year?
Why ask it
Asked respectfully, this gets an honest answer about class size, a new curriculum, or a schedule that does not fit. It also shows you where not to add to the load.
What's a small thing students do that makes your day easier?
Why ask it
Concrete and immediately actionable, and far more useful than asking in the abstract how to be a good student.
What part of the job takes more time than people realize?
Why ask it
Grading, documentation, and family communication usually come up. Useful context the next time a reply takes three days.
Was there a teacher who shaped how you teach?
Why ask it
People answer this warmly and in detail, and the story usually explains something about their own classroom style.
What do you enjoy doing when you're not at school?
Why ask it
Simple and human. Keep it here rather than pressing for details about their household or family.
What do you hope students remember from your class in ten years?
Why ask it
Rarely the content. The answer is usually a habit or an attitude, and it tells you what they think they are really teaching.
Is there anything you'd like to ask me, since we'll be working together all year?
Why ask it
Turns the conversation into an exchange. Teachers often hold a question about a student's routine or interests but do not want to seem intrusive.
Getting the Most Out of a Short Conversation
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Pick the Right Moment
Conferences run on a clock
Ten or fifteen minutes is common, and a queue is usually waiting. Choose two questions, ask them first, and leave the rest for email or a later meeting.
Open evenings suit the lighter questions
Teachers are standing, talking to a stream of families, and cannot discuss one student in depth. Questions about routines, projects, and what helps at home fit that setting well.
Anything about a specific difficulty needs its own meeting
If a student is struggling, ask to book time rather than raising it in a doorway. It gives the teacher a chance to look at the work first.
If You Are the Student Asking
- Ask one question and listen to the whole answer rather than working through a list.
- The end of class or the start of office hours is better than the moment they are packing up.
- Questions about their route into the subject are usually welcome; questions about their salary, age, or home life are not.
- If they mention something they are working on, ask about it the following week. That is what makes it a relationship rather than an interview.
What Lands Badly
Comparing them to last year's teacher
Even a compliment delivered this way is heard as a comparison. Ask about their approach on its own terms.
Turning rapport questions into a grade conversation
If your real question is about a mark, ask it directly and early. Warming up first and then pivoting makes the friendly questions feel like a tactic.