Advice from teachers

fridayjustleft04

I've been a fully certified teacher since I graduated college in Dec. '09 and have my very first interview for a 6th grade position on Friday. As I've never had a teaching interview, I need some tips. What should I bring? (I have a binder with extra resumes, my philosophy and some lesson plans I've done.) What questions are generally asked? What do I need to do to not screw myself out of this job? (Joking..sorta) Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

mncardone

a 6th grade position in what subject?

Jorra

Wish I had advice, but instead I'll bump because I'll be in your position very soon!

My school's program has us make a portfolio of work which links our own work to the state's standards of effective teaching practice.

skinney1357

Hi. I currently teach high school English and really went through many interviews. I would say that I had about 5 interviews and the process was typically the same. If you have student samples of work and other models of the lessons that you have done, I would bring that as well. They will ask you the usual: what are your strengths and weaknesses, they will ask you about lesson plans, etc. and they may also ask you what you know about the district you are trying to get a job at and how you can add to the district. With this being said, make sure you research the district, schools, philosophy, demographics, etc. Other than that I would say be really positive and enthusiastic! Good Luck!!!

stc74

How you deal with discipline is a big deal, also think ahead about how you intend to involve parents. Be prepared to discuss what extra curricular duties you are qualified/prepared for doing. Being a team player and cross curricular stuff is important as well as being well versed in your state's standardized testing. I'm not sure which state you are in but be ready for that also.

I sure hope college does more to prepare you for teaching than it did 15 yrs ago. My education classes were nearly useless. Thankfully I figured it out on my feet. And FYI I think the first two years were the worst, after that I just figured out that no one really knew when I was "winging it ", but me.

Good luck!

Saksgirl1

I brought my internship portfolio with me. It seemed like I had the answer to every question that I was asked in there! Good Luck!

NKF92879

#1) Be yourself. If they don't get to know you, they'll never know if you'd be a good fit for their team.
#2) STUDENT CENTERED (This is VERY important)
#3) Willing to learn (You don't know it all yet. You might not even know enough some days, but you must always be willing to learn from others.)
#4) Let the know you're a team player, and that you're willing to get along with your coworkers and be professional no matter what.
#5) Relax. It's OK if you don't get this particular job. I sent out (literally) hundreds of application packets, subbed for a year, and had close to ten interviews before I got hired. I've been teaching 7th grade math & language arts for 5 years now, and I love every minute of it.

CaptainAmerica1970

Difference between Summative and Evaluative assesments, technology, involve parents.

seacliff421

As a principal and teacher I want to know how someone will fit into the existing team, what skills and cooperative experience do you bring with you. Also, how will you engage students in the content and meet the grade level standards. Use the experiences you have had to fit into your answers, because that shows that you have been in similar situations and know what to do. I think the most important question that I ask interviewees is "What questions do you have for me?" That shows what your priorities are. You can ask about specific programs the school might have for intervention, English Language Learners, counseling etc. Most important, be yourself. Good luck!

clutterqueen

I would make sure you address how you will use differentiation to meet the needs of every student in each class.

MisterDubs303

Know what is valuable to the district and building.
Know what is valuable to the district and building.
Know what is valuable to the district and building.

Are they using RTI, Understanding by Design, or beginning to use the International Baccalaureate Program, or any other formulas or programs that drive instruction? Show that you are familiar, but do not try to convince them that you know more about it than you do. It's clear when people simply regurgitate what they've read on a website or something. Honesty goes a long way. If they ask about something that you are vaguely familiar with, just say you are somewhat familiar with it (and maybe state a couple of ideas to prove it) but you are interested in learning more about how to effectively use it. Since it is your first gig, they don't expect you to be a master teacher (but may hire one instead), but you should be able to communicate some valuable lessons that you learned while student teaching.

Convince them that it is a calling and not just a job, but at the same time you are a professional - more than just a kid-lover. Demonstrate proof of how you exercise that calling in other arenas of your life already. Know why you want to teach in that school or district versus the fact that they are just the first ones to respond to the (as far as they are concerned) 100 resume's you sent out. Know what else you have to offer to the faculty and school at large besides your classroom teaching (though I don't know how extensive this is at 6th grade).

Personality is key. Go into the interview gracefully, with confidence and enthusiasm. Your attitude and personality can win with people above the aptitude that will have to be proven in time (rather than the interview) anyway. Finding teachers is easy. Finding people you want to go to work with and who the principal would want as a subordinate, is a little more difficult.
Just imagine yourself in the role of an existing teacher and as the existing principal. For each of those roles, what would you want a new team member to be like since you have to work with them every day? Good luck.

kimi131

I will be starting my 6th year of teaching in August. I went through a lot of interviews, and a couple of districts, before I landed what seems to be my permanent "home" (next year is 3rd year there and it's the best district I've been at thus far).

Things in my portfolio:
1. extra copies of my resume, complete with phone numbers of recommendations
2. glowing recommendation letters (as the years go on, I only keep my favorites)
3. student work
4. student letters/cards (I save nearly every little "I love you Ms. X" and "You are the best teacher I've ever had" from my kids)
5. evaluations from my former principals, etc.
6. notes from my colleagues where they told me they appreciated me, etc.
7. pictures (I take pictures of my classroom, bulletin boards I've created, student work on the wall, etc.)
8. lesson plans and general outlines (in general I find that the interviewers don't look at these as much)
9. copies of my transcript as well as an original, copies of my teacher certificate, etc.
10. a list of recent accomplishments - things like, "June 2004- passed my teaching exam with xxxx, June 2005- received additional certification, August 2009- poem published in _______" These aren't always teaching accomplishments, but they relate to teaching or the subject I teach. I read somewhere that this was good to have, but I find that they don't look at these as much.

I know you may not have all of these since you're just getting started, but perhaps you have a few from your student teaching, college, etc., or maybe that makes you think of something you do have. In general, I saw they were most interested in my resume (sadly it appears some principals don't look at it before you walk in), the recommendation letters, student work, pictures, and notes from my colleagues.

Things I have been asked (generally speaking)
*Describe your teaching style
*What is your greatest strength/weakness (I've read that you should turn your weakness into a positive, so I like to say that I am too dedicated/focused , which can become a strain on me)
*Describe your classroom management style, discipline, rules/procedures, etc.
*Describe your favorite lesson that you have taught.
*Describe ways you incorporate technology into the classroom
*How do you reach struggling students?
*How do you deal with difficult parents? How do you get parents more involved in their student's education?
*What do you expect from administration? (I tend to answer this with support)

That's all I can come up with right now! Hope it helps! Try Googling "Teaching portfolio" and "teacher interview." There are lots of things out there. That's what I did when I was getting started. Good luck to you!

fridayjustleft04

Thanks, everyone! I have samples of student work and all that good stuff somewhere in storage..just gotta find it. Lol. I also have a book that my 5th graders made for me. I kinda wanna take it with me (maybe it shows that I was a good/likable teacher?). They didn't say what subject on the phone, so I have no idea. All I know is that the 6th grade at that school is departmentalized. (God, I hope they don't want me for science!!) Thanks again for the help, everyone. I'm going to spend the majority of tomorrow going through my college notebooks to brush up on the basics, as I haven't been in a classroom in over a year. I'll let you know how it goes.