We can’t get through the day with0ut hearing about the economy.  Well, the bad economy has impacted education, specifically teacher hiring.  In some districts, hiring has been frozen. This weekend I spoke with a principal who said his hands are tied.  He can’t move on any hiring until this summer (when the District will release their budget).  This is extremely frustrating to principals who tend to want to wrap up their teacher hirings in April and May.  Its even more frustrating to aspiring teachers (job applicants) who are wondering when they will get an interview.

I asked the principal what his advice is to those teacher job applicants.  His advice was to ” keep being persistant.”  Here are some other ideas:

• Arrange to visit the school
• Talk with the school’s teachers
• Get (keep) your face and name out there
• Learn how to get your foot in the school door (read Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching, and Finding a Job)
• Read other teacher interview/hiring strategies (Student teacher topics)
• Don’t give up!!!

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If offered an interview at an unfamiliar school understand that you are already at a disadvantage. You may not be as knowledgeable about the school as another job candidate that student taught there. In Road to Teaching, I offer strategies to maximize your knowledge of the community, school, and, most importantly, the students before heading into your interview. Acknowledging that time is of the essence, here are quick tips to better prepare for your interview:

If you have only a day before the interview…

• Conduct on-line research of the community. A great resource for this is Yahoo’s Real Estate website. This will give you a good overview of the socio-economic and ethnic picture of the neighborhood.
• Visit the school’s website. Read everything, especially if the school posts a newsletter for parents. This will give you insight into the various changes/reforms happening.
• Review the school’s test scores. Check out School Matters for this. This will show the strength and areas of improvement in student achievement. Think of how your experience, skills set, and professional training will improve student learning in these areas.

If you have a few days before the interview…

• Do everything mentioned above.
• Send an email to your teacher friends, explaining that you have an interview, and ask for their insight on the school for which you applied.  Often friends will know someone at the school that you can get in touch with.  These personal connections are important!
• Go to a cafe near the school. Observe and casually talk with people there.
• Drive around the school and local community. Plus, this will alleviate stress of trying to find the school on the day of your interview.

Hopefully, these are some ideas to get you started on preparing for your teacher interview. Feel free to add your own ideas/tips in the comment section.

Also, thank you to everyone sending in teacher interview questions. Please keep them coming.

Interviewers ask this question is to find out your guiding principles for education. Prepare for interviews by re-reading your education philosophy statement. Outline your top three core beliefs on teaching and student learning and describe specific examples of how your philosophy has informed your curriculum and instruction methods.

Sample interview answer

I believe in instilling a passion for lifetime learning into my students. One way I instill this passion is by being a model lifetime learner for my students. For instance, in my classroom, you will hear me thinking aloud, interacting with the text during reading, and demonstrating inquiry by asking questions. I believe that every child can reach their learning potential, with high expectations, the necessary support and opportunities, and a caring classroom.

I support this effort by greeting each child as he/she enters the classroom, so that each student feels welcome and believes that he/she is part of a learning community. I clearly state the learning and behavioral expectations for my class, and I follow through in upholding these standards. For instance, if a student turns in a substandard project, then I meet with the student, reiterate my expectations, and provide any further assistance or support that the student might need to finish the project.

I believe in teaching students with dignity, and in providing a fun, studentcentered learning environment. I make sure that every child knows that is they are worthy, by listening to and caring for their needs. I work hard to create a classroom that celebrates achievement and progress. These efforts encourage the students to stay in school and learn. Weekly celebrations in the form of specific task praise, certificates, positive calls home, and group recognition are common in my classroom. By the end of the school year, each child will be celebrated for some contribution to the class or a skill they have developed.

Other philosophy related teacher interview questions:

• What is your educational philosophy.
• What is your philosophy on homework?  (Food for thought)
• How does your philosophy translate to the types of lessons you actually have students complete in your classroom?
• What activities have you have implemented that reflect your philosophy of education as it relates to middle school students?
• What is your philosophy on teaching science to elementary kids? Teenagers? Economically disadvantaged kids?

Useful links on how to write a philosophy statement:

Philosophy Statement for Student Teachers

Topics for Philosophy Statement

Interested in becoming a gym teacher?  Check out this post.  It referenced Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching, and Finding a Job.

Excerpt from Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching and Finding a Job

Another way of phrasing this question is, “How will you create a classroom environment that motivates your students?” You can take a number of approaches to answer this common interview question, such as: classroom management, learning environment, instruction, teacher and student relationship, and curriculum. One successful approach to answering this question is to address an overarching theme, such as establishing clear and high expectations for your students. Students will be motivated to learn and behave properly when they internalize the teacher’s expectations. For instance, if a student walked into your classroom on any given day

- Can the student expect a certain daily routine?

- Can the students expect to be treated fairly when discipline is used?

- Will the student know the overarching learning objective or essential question for a lesson?

- Can the student expect a curriculum that his challenging and relevant?

- Would an observer of your class see varied best-practice instructional strategies?

All of these provide an environment that encourages students to learn from you. In answering these questions try to create a visual picture for the interviewers of your classroom. In your depiction, explain how you set clear and high expectations from the start of class to the dismissal bell.

Assessment is a powerful tool to improve student achievement.  Rather than treat assessment as an end result, teachers should incorporate assessments as part of the learning process, allowing both teacher and student to monitor progress and evaluate news ways to improve.   A teacher can accomplish by

Road to Teaching is highlighted as a resource in the eHow article below.  Help continue to grow the web’s largest collection of teacher interview questions by sending in your interview questions to eric@road2teaching.com!

Interview Tips for Beginning Teachers | eHow.com.

Blog Postings

Teacher Interview Question – What is your educational philosophy?

Topics for Philosophy Statement

Philosophy Statement for Student Teachers

Site Links

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/capstone.html

In recent weeks the number of visitors and their emails have been flowing in.  Mostly these are aspiring teachers and job seekers, preparing for an interview or looking for strategies to land a teacher job.  Of course, the teacher interview page, receiving over 200 daily visits alone, and the numerous blog posts are a big hit.

Good news! To further help, I have lowered the price of the e-version of Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching, and Finding a Job to $5.49 .  This is a fantastic resource for any job seeker looking for a teacher job, especially in light of the tough job market.  This price reduction is 27% off the original e-version and 61% off the Amazon.com print version.

This offer will only last until end of April.  I hope you will use this book and Road to Teaching’s online resources to help in landing your perfect teacher job.

Good luck on the job search!!!!

-Eric