The face-to-face interview situation
establishes a rapport and encourages the respondent to answer more fully and
honestly. Prior to the interview I
would provide the applicant with a complete job description that includes
salary ranges and work hours. The job
description should talk about the experience, talents, educational preparation
and skills necessary to obtain the job.
I would paper screen all applications prior to scheduling
interviews. Then under ideal
circumstances, and after selecting the top several candidates whose
qualifications and talents best match the job description, I would check some
of their references. This would be
handy information to have during the interview. Prior to the interview, the job application must be read and
re-read. Anything not clear such as
gaps in education or work experience should be highlighted. All time between school and jobs and between
jobs must be accounted for. Incorrect
format or grammar or misspelled words should also be highlighted. If there are blanks in the application these
should be clarified. Anything not clear
should be discussed during the interview.
My first six questions would be
open-ended. I would also use probing
questions to clarify responses and to better understand what the interviewee is
trying to tell me. Probing questions
might also be used if the person being interviewed is reluctant to talk. These questions could also go a long way in
clearing up vague or irrelevant answers.
Question
# 1: Talk about the positions you have
held in the teaching profession and about your major accomplishments in each of
these positions, elaborating specifically on the students you have taught. If you have not held a position in the
teaching profession, talk about your preparation for this position and what you
hope to accomplish.
I would hope to hear about past experiences
in the education field. The interviewee
could talk about whether or not he or she has team taught, does the person work
well with others, areas of preference, and possibly the things that the teacher
truly enjoys teaching. I would hope
that the applicant would spend a lot of time talking about strategies used to
educate the students. I would like to
know that a person I hired for a teaching position realized that we are there
to serve the all students and that the main purpose for being there is to
educate the students, not for a job or a paycheck. Additionally, the candidate will probably talk about academic
experiences as well as community and civic involvement and activities. It is with this question that the
candidate has the opportunity to talk about educational preparation as
well. If the applicant has received any
awards, such as “Teacher of the Year” or if the person has sponsored clubs, or
coached, etc. in a school setting this question provides the chance for him/her
to expound upon these. This will help
me to see if the person will minimally perform or strive for excellence.
The applicant will talk about
participating in learning activities and well as teamwork. A good teacher is always willing to try out
new instructional strategies. Some
evidence of this should be present in the discussion. I feel that a good teacher works collaboratively with
others. Hopefully, I will be able to
see if the person is willing to take part in professional development as needed
to improve teaching techniques. The
applicant could be expected to portray a willingness to change and make
adjustments to better serve the needs of the students.
Question # 2: Describe your personal beliefs and philosophy of teaching
including why you think you are qualified to be a teacher. Include what you have learned about yourself
since entering the teaching profession.
This
question is important for any teacher, whether experienced or new. The successful candidate for a job must hold
the innate belief that all students can learn, in different ways and at
different speeds, but all should be given an equal opportunity to
accomplish. I would like to hear about
the candidate’s standards for the success of the student, as well as for
himself or herself. I would look for
this person to have a positive attitude in regard to all students. I would expect to hear about the applicant’s
preferences to age groups, grade, and subject matter. I feel that the candidate’s willingness to be a team player could
be somewhat determined after hearing the answer to this question.
I would like for the person to
explain some types of learning modalities considered as the lesson plans are
developed. Since all students do not
learn in the same way, the candidate should discuss a variety of learning
experiences that will be given to the students. The candidate should express that he or she searches for
activities that have educational merit and stress that busy-work assignments
without educational merit should generally not be used. A good candidate for a teacher will talk
about inspiring the students to work hard and he or she will say that the
interests of the students always come first.
Question
# 3: Why did you enter the teaching
profession?
The
applicant should give specific examples of things that led to this career
decision. If there were mentors, or
great teachers that influenced the person’s choice, this would be an
opportunity to talk about these. If
there were either particularly positive or negative experiences in this
candidate’s own education, this forum would allow the person to describe how
these affected the career choice.
Question
# 4: What aspects of teaching do you
find most challenging?
Once
again, the candidate will be given the chance to talk about his or her own
likes and dislikes. I would expect to
hear a lot of positive information appropriate to the subject and grade level
of the job being applied for. If the
person is an experienced teacher, I would like to hear a lot of specific
examples of challenges. Once again, the
team player aspect can be expounded upon.
The candidate's personal traits and values will be better understood as
this question is answered. The person
could expound on his or her ability to handle all types of learners. He or she could express feelings and
abilities as related to state standards and tests as well as balancing life’s
lessons with academics. I would hope to
determine if a person is genuinely positive and possess the real ability to
inspire the students to learn. I feel
that after listing to this answer I would have a better awareness of the
motivation of the applicant and whether or not that person would follow through
when the difficult times arose.
Question
# 5: What are some of the things you do
less well, things that point to the need for further training and development?
This
would require a job specific answer. If
I were looking for a reading teacher, I would expect that person to reach all
readers and discuss balancing guided reading.
If I were looking for a math teacher, I would be looking for a person
who could develop analytical thinkers.
I would hope that higher order thinking would be discussed and
explained. I want the person to tell me
that recalling is the lower form of thinking and that evaluation is the
highest. I hope the person would talk
about some hands-on experiences that could be used and possibly discuss
cross-curriculum journalizing. An effective
applicant should know the topics that will be taught and possess the ability to
relate them to learners.
This should also open other
opportunities to ask probing questions such as “How would you implement a
successful reading program?” or “What math programs have you used?” This would give me a good idea as to whether
a person is a program person or are they willing to make modifications to
better serve all learners. Hopefully, I
will be able to discern whether the applicant knows his or her stuff or is a
good talker giving lip service to what I want to hear.
Question
# 6: Talk about your personal teaching
style and methodology and tell us about some innovative things you have
accomplished by giving examples of things that work well for you. Include your classroom management
techniques.
With this question, I hope to
ascertain what this candidate has that will improve my school. With a new hire, I would try to replace the
former teacher with one whose abilities exceed the predecessor.
The candidate would probably show a lot of enthusiasm
while describing things that he or she has actually used in the classroom. I would like to be informed about teaching
all students from the lowest achievers to the most gifted. I would like to hear about both extrinsic
and intrinsic rewards. Various types of
awards should be discussed. Maybe the
person will talk about High-fives, stars of the week, certificates, treasure
box prizes and newsletter recognitions.
I would like to hear that the teacher makes positive comments when a
student makes a minor achievement. I
feel that the teacher should give the student ample opportunity to achieve and
glory in that accomplishment. Respect
for one another should be discussed in the answer of this question. Giving the student the chance to develop
cognitive thinking on a higher order is important at any level of
education. The teacher might say that
when someone does a good job with a question, he or she might use the words,
“Explain how” or “Why do you think that?”
The person might ask the student to show important information in the
book, etc. Expectations set from day
one and fair consequences are established and communicated to all
students. A predictable routine should
always be in place yet there should be enough flexibility to change when the
necessity arises.
After the interview, I would hope that I really know
who this teacher is as a person.
Hopefully I would be able to visualize the classroom this person would
present. Ultimately, my goal would be
to feel good about having my child taught by any teacher that I would hire.