You probably remember how thrilling it was to finish student teaching, get your first job and finally have your own classroom. So becoming a co-teacher can be intimidating for those who never expected to have to share the reins.

When a co-teaching pairing takes a turn for the worse, it’s the students who suffer. But co-teaching can be an invigorating experience that can transform your teaching.

Here’s what I learned in my first year of co-teaching about building and sustaining a productive and positive relationship:

Create a no-judgment zone: For most of us, teaching is intensely personal, and even the best teachers can be insecure about the quality of the job they’re doing. Over the course of a year, both co-teachers and solo teachers will have bad days, encounter difficult situations with students and teach lessons that don’t quite land. But for co-teachers, knowing there will always be another professional in the room if they mess up can add extra anxiety to a teaching assignment that’s already challenging. So it’s crucial that you and your co-teacher establish a judgment-free professional relationship. Acknowledge from the start that neither of you is the perfect teacher and that you’ll each make your share of mistakes along the way. Even better: Go out of your way to laugh at yourselves when mistakes happen.

Keep it in the family: Never speak ill of your co-teacher to someone else in your school community. This is going to be a challenge at times. Your co-teacher may do something that bugs you, say something that insults you or even drop the ball on an important task. Colleagues and parents may push you to say something negative about your co-teacher. But you must resist. This isn’t just a moral issue: Even if you were just blowing off steam, it’s likely that what you say will get back to your co-teacher. It only takes one breach of trust to destroy the relationship. If your relationship sours, students will pick up on the tension in the room, and your classroom will not be a happy place for learning.

Your co-teacher is a genius at something — find out what: “Multipliers” author Liz Wiseman encourages leaders to find the genius in each member of their team — co-teachers should do the same. Find out what your co-teacher is really great at; then give your co-teacher room to make it a part of your team’s approach. Draw attention to it and praise it authentically. You’ll build your partner’s confidence and sense of ownership in the co-teaching relationship, making him or her feel valued and more likely to take risks or make suggestions. This is especially important if you’re a more senior teacher working with a newer teacher.

Dim your star a little — or turn it up: Are you a high-octane ringmaster of a teacher with a big personality? That’s awesome. Your students probably love the way you bring the energy into your daily performances. But where will your co-teacher fit in? If you do what you’ve always done, your co-teacher will likely feel more like a spectator at your show than a true partner. Find specific ways for your partner to take the lead, such as alternating who opens and closes the lesson, or timing yourself to make sure you are not hogging the talking stick. On the other hand, if you’re a teacher with a quiet presence who gets a lot without saying a lot, you may have to turn up the dial a little bit to ensure both you and your co-teacher have an equal presence in the room.

Don’t be your partner’s crutch (and don’t let him or her be yours): Co-teaching presents us with a rare opportunity to help our partners get better at their craft. If your co-teacher has a weakness, you may be tempted to take on those responsibilities. But ultimately, you’re not doing him or her any favors by covering up this shortcoming. Give your partner the chance to take on new challenges and responsibilities, even if he or she stumbles at first. On the flip side, don’t rely on your co-teacher to do something just because your co-teacher knows more about it. You don’t want to look back in a few years and realize you never learned how to do something basic because you always had someone else to do it for you.