Welcome!

     You're sweating bullets!  You're worried!  You're anxious!  You have an interview coming up and you don't know what to do.  Well, you're at the right place.  This blog is designed just for you - a teacher candidate trying to figure out what to do and what to say to get your first teaching job.  This blog will provide you with the typical questions asked in a teacher interview (and the dynamite answers that will impress any principal), how to prepare for that all-important interview, key principles for interview success, common interview mistakes you can't afford to make, hypothetical and situation scenarios (and how to respond), questions you should ask in an interview, how to follow-up and follow-through, and a plethora of tips, ideas, and suggestions that will ensure a successful interview for you.
     This blog is all about three words - practical, practical, practical.  What you won't get is lots of "According to research...."; what you will get is lots of down-to-earth advice direct from the field.  You'll hear directly from principals - what they expect and what they want.  You'll hear directly from teacher candidates - what they experienced and what they wished they'd done.  You'll get insider information available from no other source - information you can use...right now, right away!
     Please know that I have been through many interviews in my teaching career.  I’ve experienced sweaty palms, an upset stomach, and outright nervousness.  I’ve messed up some answers and come through with other responses that really impressed the interviewers.  I’ve heard or responded to most of the questions you’ll read about in this blog.

I have also been on the other side of the desk and interviewed scores of candidates for teaching jobs.  I’ve interviewed candidates who impressed me even before they walked in the door as well as others who couldn’t speak above a whisper.  I’ve suffered through long drawn out soliloquies and been on the edge of my chair listening to mesmerizing and attention-grabbing anecdotes.  I’ve even hired (at least in my mind) some candidates long before the interview was over – they were that good!

     In other words, I’ve experienced both sides of the interview process.  Please use my experience and the information I have gathered from principals and teachers-to-be around the country to prepare for your own interview sessions.  You’ll find this advice valuable whether you are anticipating your first interview ever or whether you have been through a few along the way.  I promise you down-to-earth information and a blog filled with positive strategies and techniques that can help you land that all-important teaching position.