If You Could Change Anything...?

Every once in a while, you'll get a question designed to see how well you can think on your feet.  These questions are often asked to determine your overall attitude - positive or negative - and how that attitude might be revealed in an "off the wall" query.  Be ready for these.

If you could change anything about your teacher preparation program, what would it be?

A:   I wish we would have more field experience hours required in preparation for students teaching. At High Tuition College we were required to complete 150 hours of field experience prior to student teaching.  I’ve always felt that that simply wasn’t enough to prepare us for the demands and challenges of the student teaching experience.  So, on top of that requirement I spent a lot of time over breaks and vacations volunteering at my local elementary school.  I was a guest reader in the school library for the “Readers are Leaders” club, I helped out with the after-school tutoring program, and I coached the junior soccer team.  I wanted to obtain as many experiences with youngsters as possible – even beyond what the college required.  I knew that those experiences would help me be a better teacher in the long run.

Obviously, you don't want to bad-mouth your college or university teacher training program (the interviewer may have graduated from there, too).  Briefly mention one small aspect of the program that may not have met your expectations.  Show how you dealt with that aspect in a positive way, going above and beyond the usual requirements to learn more than was required.  This is a great chance to demonstrate how one of your strengths was used to address a problem or recurring situation.