I submitted this in an e-mail to everyone in the course, but if you are a teacher or soon to be teacher who hasn't had an interview yet the whole process can be intimidating. I wrote down some of the more interesting questions that I have had in the couple of interviews I've gotten in the last month, especially including the ones which Henderson asked me in their interview.
My hope is that these will help you prepare for your own future interviews and give you an idea of what to expect:
Some of the questions I remember from both interviews included the following (in no particular order):
What do you think you will be bringing to our school that no other candidate will bring? (talk up your good side)
Why are you the perfect candidate for this job? (Say you are the most enthusiastic, driven and willing to "do the job"!)
What experience do you have teaching?
Discipline in a high school class room is important, how will you deal with students who require disciplinary action? (don't say send them all to the principle, the principle won't like that!)
What will your typical day's plan include? (what is your bellringer, lesson plan, exit review strategy, etc...)
Collaboration with other teachers in your department is important, are you a team player?
What experience do you have working with a team?
Collaboration with special needs advisers is important, how will you interact with them to ensure a special needs child gets the correct attention?
Are you familiar with the current common core standards in your subject area?
How will you attempt to incorporate technology in your classroom? (Dr. Goldberg should be happy to see that question asked, and this class gave me plenty of answers!)
How important is assessment? How will you assess your student's progress? How will you assess your job as a teacher?
How will you interact with student's parents?
I think that is pretty much all I can remember that they asked me....
Some good things to have prepared before you go in for the interview:
Have a packet with copies of your transcript and your resume ready in case anyone in the interview doesn't have a copy to look at. I referred back to my resume several times to point out interesting things. I didn't need extra copies, but it would be nice to have if you did need them. I also took my official transcripts in case they needed to make better copies, if it has been a while since you submitted your application or updated your transcript bring the most recent transcript.
If you are doing an alternative certification program KNOW THE PROGRAM. They will ask you about how it works with your school, when you will have to complete the program, what you have left to do, and where you are with it. They will want to know if you understand the process, even if they understand it fully! (And some districts I've talked to seem to not understand fully the option 6 rules!)
If you are in science, know your certification area. Even if you are alt. cert. you will know what your certification will be in. Research the classes that you can be allowed to teach and know the rules surrounding them. Science certifications are especially confusing, if you know what classes you can teach prior to the interview this will show you've researched it and you can discuss the options you will give them. Make yourself more attractive by showing them what you can teach, especially if they don't have certain electives currently that you could possibly teach!
Clubs! Research what clubs and extracurriculars the school offers. Ask about them in the interview. Propose some ideas for clubs that you would like to start and would be willing to spear-head! I suggested several geology/paleontology clubs and even some that I would like to help with that they already had (science olympiad). School systems want teachers who are willing to go above and beyond simply teaching their classes!
Dress professionally. Women have a lot more lee-way with this... but guys should at least wear a dress shirt and tie. I don't own a suit so I made due with what I had... I guess it worked!
After the interview they will ask you if you have any questions. I had a ton. Prepare a bunch before you go and write them down so that you can remember them! Organize your questions so that, if possible, one question runs into another. For example, if they haven't talked about your classroom ask them: "Will I have my own classroom or will I be a traveling teacher?" If they say you'll have your own, then ask something like: "What type of resources are in the classroom? Will there be a projector, smartboard, etc?" If you are like me and have items to bring you could ask: "Where could I store my fossil collection?" These questions all lead in to one another. Don't ask a question about the classroom, then jump around to clubs, and then back to the classroom....
I would always ask what the earliest date you would need to be there is. Schools usually have professional development days prior to the school year, these will usually be on their calendar but, as I found out, some of them are not! I actually have to report a week earlier than what their calendar says. So even if you don't get the job, this is a nice thing to ask in the interview. I think it shows how interested you are in the position and that you are thinking ahead as though you've already got the job!
Sorry for the long post, but I thought this was important enough to put into the blog!
How important is assessment? How will you assess your student's progress? How will you assess your job as a teacher?
How will you interact with student's parents?
I think that is pretty much all I can remember that they asked me....
Some good things to have prepared before you go in for the interview:
Have a packet with copies of your transcript and your resume ready in case anyone in the interview doesn't have a copy to look at. I referred back to my resume several times to point out interesting things. I didn't need extra copies, but it would be nice to have if you did need them. I also took my official transcripts in case they needed to make better copies, if it has been a while since you submitted your application or updated your transcript bring the most recent transcript.
If you are doing an alternative certification program KNOW THE PROGRAM. They will ask you about how it works with your school, when you will have to complete the program, what you have left to do, and where you are with it. They will want to know if you understand the process, even if they understand it fully! (And some districts I've talked to seem to not understand fully the option 6 rules!)
If you are in science, know your certification area. Even if you are alt. cert. you will know what your certification will be in. Research the classes that you can be allowed to teach and know the rules surrounding them. Science certifications are especially confusing, if you know what classes you can teach prior to the interview this will show you've researched it and you can discuss the options you will give them. Make yourself more attractive by showing them what you can teach, especially if they don't have certain electives currently that you could possibly teach!
Clubs! Research what clubs and extracurriculars the school offers. Ask about them in the interview. Propose some ideas for clubs that you would like to start and would be willing to spear-head! I suggested several geology/paleontology clubs and even some that I would like to help with that they already had (science olympiad). School systems want teachers who are willing to go above and beyond simply teaching their classes!
Dress professionally. Women have a lot more lee-way with this... but guys should at least wear a dress shirt and tie. I don't own a suit so I made due with what I had... I guess it worked!
After the interview they will ask you if you have any questions. I had a ton. Prepare a bunch before you go and write them down so that you can remember them! Organize your questions so that, if possible, one question runs into another. For example, if they haven't talked about your classroom ask them: "Will I have my own classroom or will I be a traveling teacher?" If they say you'll have your own, then ask something like: "What type of resources are in the classroom? Will there be a projector, smartboard, etc?" If you are like me and have items to bring you could ask: "Where could I store my fossil collection?" These questions all lead in to one another. Don't ask a question about the classroom, then jump around to clubs, and then back to the classroom....
I would always ask what the earliest date you would need to be there is. Schools usually have professional development days prior to the school year, these will usually be on their calendar but, as I found out, some of them are not! I actually have to report a week earlier than what their calendar says. So even if you don't get the job, this is a nice thing to ask in the interview. I think it shows how interested you are in the position and that you are thinking ahead as though you've already got the job!
Sorry for the long post, but I thought this was important enough to put into the blog!
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