Biggest Challenge for Teachers

Be sure you are up to date on the latest educational theories, initiatives, “hot topics,” and issues.  You will, sometime during the interview, be asked about your opinion or your experience in dealing with one of these concerns.  Here's a good example:

     What do you think is the biggest challenge teachers face today?

     A:   Teachers are challenged from all sides – the media, parents, government officials, elected leaders, and communities.  We are in the proverbial spotlight – constantly.  That’s why I think that one of the greatest challenges we face is that of assessment.  That is, are students learning to the best of their potential and are teachers providing their students with the best quality education possible.  Educational initiatives such as “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” have put educational assessment on the front burner, so to speak, of educational reform.  Are we teaching what we should be teaching and are students achieving as they should be achieving?  During my student teaching experience I was able to fully integrate assessment throughout all my lesson plans – from beginning to end.  For that, I can thank Dr. Cranshaw, who showed me how to effectively integrate assessment throughout any lesson, any unit.  I certainly don’t have all the answers regarding assessment, but I’ve received some excellent training and excellent experiences I can use throughout my career.

Be sure to demonstrate how you have addressed an element of that issue sometime in your pre-service training.  If you don’t you will be sending a very powerful message to the interviewer that you don’t stay up to date and that you are unaware of what is happening outside the classroom.  This is a mistake you can’t afford to make.

Ace Your Teacher Interview - new reviews :-)

Dear Friends:
     WOW!!  Ace Your Teacher Interview just received two new (incredible) reviews.  They're posted on Amazon.com, but I thought you might enjoy reading portions of them here.

(5 Stars)  "From creating a good first impression to how to answer expected and unexpected questions, Dr. Fredericks provides readers with proven, practical, and thoughtful strategies for acing an interview."

- Suzanne

(5 Stars)  "Absolutely the best book out there for those of us searching for teaching jobs. The answers are clear and concise."

- JC01

     WOW!!

If I hired you....

Here's a common question that offers you an opportunity to show how well-prepared you are and whether you have thought sufficiently about the future.  You can really solidify your standing with the interviewer by responding with a very concrete and very well-planned response. 

 

If I hired you today, what would you do first?

     A:   First I would obtain the entire fourth grade curriculum and all the associated textbooks.  I would try to learn as much about the program as I possibly could.  Next, I would want to interview several of the other fourth grade teachers and see what challenges they have faced over the past year and how they have addressed some of those concerns.  Third, I would pull out some of my college textbooks, or perhaps talk with one or two of my former professors, to review important information on classroom management and discipline.  Above all, I would do my homework and make sure I was ready to “hit the ground running” on the first day of classes in August.

Identify two or three specific points and why you consider them important.  Show that you have thought about this question well in advance of the interview by being succinct, direct, and focused.  The ability to plan ahead is a key factor in any teacher’s success – this question (and your response) shows that you are one who can.

 

A graduation present for you:  http://www.brpressbooks.com/teacher-interviews-why-theyre-important/

Teacher Interviews - A Review

Dear Friends:
     I just received this review of the Ace Your Teacher Interview book.  I thought you might find it as interesting as I did.

"As a professor in education at the University of Miami, I see how hard my students work to become effective educators.  They have the skills and knowledge and passion—but there is one thing missing –the information and skills needed for preparing for those all-important teacher interviews so they can finally begin their careers."

"Thanks to Dr. Anthony Fredericks’ stellar book, Ace Your Teacher Interview, the angst is over.  Ace Your Teacher Interview contains a wealth of essential information that includes everything an applicant needs to know "before," "during" and "after" the interview.   Written in an inviting, engaging way, readers will be both informed and captivated.  A look at the table of contents will have you hooked--some of my favorite chapters include, “Don’t Mess Up! 43 Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make,” “32 Questions to Ask Yourself,” and “The Single-Most Important Question You Must Always Answer!”   A page turner! (Really)"

"Based on a lifetime of experience, Fredericks’ Ace Your Teacher Interview will help candidates learn what they need to do to differentiate themselves from all the others, and have the confidence to address the hard questions.  This book is a must—and the perfect gift for the graduate!"   

Anita Meinbach, Ed.D.

Clinical Associate Professor, University of Miami
Department of Teaching and Learning
Merrick Building, # 222 D

What would you like to change?

Teachers are never "finished products."  They are always a "work in progress."  That goes for those just beginning their teaching career as much as it does for us "old dogs" who've been around for a few years.  I've always maintained that, "The best teachers are those who have as much to learn as they do to teach."

In that vein, here is a question that, in one form or another, often pops up in many interviews.  If you're not prepared for it, it will certainly throw you off.  Be ready for this one - it's a great question and how you answer it says a lot about who you are as a future educator.

     What aspect of your teaching style would you like to change?

     A:   Like many teachers I guess I have a tendency to ask far too many low-level questions.  I learned from my professors that students can become more involved in a topic when they are asked significantly more high-level questions.  “Analyzing,” “Creating,” and “Evaluating” questions provide additional thinking and problem-solving opportunities for students.  I’m working hard to make sure I include more of those kinds of questions in each and every discussion I have with students.

Never try to come across as the “perfect teacher.”  You are just beginning in this profession and the interviewer knows it.  She or he knows that you have some “rough edges” – and she or he wants to know if you are aware of that.  Take the time before the interview to list some of your minor issues or concerns and (specifically) what you are doing to alter or change them.  Show that you are always improving; that you are always trying to be a little bit better than you are.