Professional Growth???

Have you given some thought to what you plan to do after you get your degree?  Please don’t make the fatal mistake of assuming that you have all the education you will ever need to be an effective teacher.  If you go into the interview with that attitude I can promise you that you’ll leave the interview with nothing more than a handshake and a pat on the back.  Here's a question that pops up in almost every interview.  Be ready for it.

  

What are your plans for professional growth?

     A:   I know that good teachers are those who keep learning, who continually add to their knowledge base throughout their teaching career.  I’m equally aware that my education is a continual learning process.  It doesn’t stop just because I’ve graduated and have a teaching certificate.  It means that if I am to provide the best possible education for my students, I need to provide myself with a variety of learning opportunities throughout my career.  To that end, I plan to take several graduate courses with an eye towards getting my Master’s in Reading.  I’m planning on attending several regional and state conferences so that I can begin developing a network of fellow teachers – both experienced and novice.  I’ve recently ordered some new teacher resource books recommended by one of my professors so that I can stay up-to-date on some of the new strategies for reading instruction.  I guess that if I want my students to be good learners, I’m going to have to be a model of good learning myself.

 Hint:  Design your future!  Write it down and plan to insert it somewhere into the conversation.  Trust me, you'll be asked this question and your response will indicate whether you're sufficiently prepared to assume ALL the responsibilities of a professional educator.