Your Most Challenging Discipline Problem

     Q:   Tell me about your most challenging discipline problem.

     A:   That would be Derek!  In a word, Derek was unmotivated.  He could care less about history and he could care less about life in general.  For Derek, everything was boring.  In a conversation I had with him I discovered that he loved stock cars and probably knew more about stock cars than most of the people who raced them.  One day I brought in a photo of my brother’s stock car and showed it to Derek.  His face lit up like a Christmas tree!  I arranged for Derek and my brother to meet after school one day and the two of them couldn’t stop talking for hours – stock cars, stock cars, stock cars!  From then on I had his attention.  He and I worked out a simple behavior plan – he’d do a certain amount of homework or a class assignment and in return he’d earn some points.  The ultimate reward was the opportunity to work the pits at one of my brother’s races at Williams Grove Speedway.  I never saw a student change so much as Derek.  His final project for the course was on the history of stock car racing.  It was phenomenal!  Nobody had taken the time to find out what Derek was all about…but when we did he was a changed person.

            You can almost “bet the farm” that you’ll get asked one or two discipline-related questions.  Count on it!  The principal or interviewer wants to know how you handle one of the “constants” in the life of any classroom teacher.  Provide a specific example and show how you addressed the issue with specific details.  Never talk in generalities on matters of discipline; demonstrate with specific details and specific examples how you dealt with an issue. 

INSIDER TIP:      Before the interview, identify two or three specific discipline “problems” you encountered during student teaching.  Write each of those out on an index cards (don’t use actual names) and detail how you handled each one in a positive way.  Make sure that you do not over-emphasize the “negatives” of the situation, but rather the “positives” (what you learned, how the students(s) improved, etc.).  Keep those cards with you and review them periodically before any scheduled interview.

What is Your Greatest Weakness?

     Q.  What is your greatest weakness?

     A:   People sometimes tell me that I come up with too many creative ideas.  I’m always trying to think “outside the box” when I design lesson plans, units, or extended projects.  I always want to include more activities and more projects in my lessons and sometimes find my self getting impatient when I don’t have enough time to do them all.  I’m still learning how to be more patient with my creativity.

           This is one of the best questions in any interview – for both the interviewers and the respondent.  Always be ready for this one!  This is not the time to be negative and to rant and rave about all your imperfections or, even worse, the imperfections of others.  Don’t ever admit to a weakness in teaching a particular subject, or in classroom management, or disciplining students.  Select one or two personality attributes that are more general than specific.  For example, trying to do too much, being a perfectionist, running out of time, not getting to everything on a “To Do” list.  These are “imperfections” we all have and that we all wrestle with.  This is the only time you don’t want to be too specific.  Select an “innocent” weakness and frame it in positive terms.  Above all, keep your response short and sweet.

Reaction to Criticism

     Q:  Tell me about a situation that frustrated you during student teaching
     A:  I was frustrated when my college supervisor made me write out my lesson plans for the first ten weeks of student teaching.  Many of my friends only had to write complete lesson plans for the first six weeks and then they went to “block plans.”  However, in talking with my supervisor I learned that it is always advisable to over-plan – that is, write lesson plans that are more detailed and more involved early in the teaching process.  I discovered the advantage of that on two occasions – once when an assembly had to be cancelled and another when a teacher on our social studies team called in sick at the last minute.  I sure was glad to have those extended and expanded lessons – they really came in handy.  I understand now why I was asked to do a lot of over-planning early in my student teaching experience.

            This question is designed to probe how you react to criticism.  Are you someone who blames everyone else when things don’t go right?  Or, are you someone who takes advice and uses it in a positive way to become a better teacher?  This is a grand opportunity for you to show how you turned a negative into a positive.

Reality Check

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK:      “It is not always the most qualified candidate who gets the job.  It is, quite often, the best prepared candidate who gets the job.”

            Let’s face it – teaching is tough and teaching interviews are also tough.  Don’t, for a minute, think that an interview is a casual walk through the park.  Far from it!  Under the best of circumstances it is a time when two individuals meet – one is trying to sell something, the other is trying to decide if she/he wants to buy it.  And the stakes are enormous.

·      The cost of hiring a brand new teacher is estimated to be approximately $75,000 - a figure that includes salary, benefits, training, health insurance, retirement fund and other “extras” for one year

·      An average teacher will earn approximately $4.2 million dollars (in salary alone) over the course of a 35-year career.  That’s quite an investment for a school district.  As you might imagine, they want to be sure they get their money’s worth.

When you are buying a new product (a new TV, a new car, a new computer) there are typically three things you want to know:

1.      Will I like it?

2.      Will it work properly?

3.      How long will it last?

Guess what, those are the same three questions an administrator want to know about every candidate who interviews for a teaching position (Will I like her/him?  Will she/he do an outstanding job?  Does she/he have specific strengths that address our educational goals for the long term?).  Answer all three questions to the satisfaction of the interviewer and, guess what, you have a job!  Fail to answer any one of them and you’ll probably find yourself in an endless series of interviews.

First Impressions

            Your mother was absolutely right when she told you, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.”

INSIDER TIP:      There is a considerable bank of research studies which proves that interviewers form an opinion about a job candidate in the first 15 to 20 seconds of an interview.  Yes, you read that right – the first 15 to 20 seconds!

Suffice it to say it is vital…no, it is critical…that you establish a good first impression as soon as you walk in the door (even before).  The clothes you wear, the style of your hair, the amount of perfume you have on, the condition of your shoes, the firmness of your handshake, and the excitement in your voice will all (collectively) send a powerful message to an interviewer about who you are.  Mess up on any one of those initial “contacts” and you will probably mess up the crucial first impression you want an interviewer to have.

            It is quite possible you can overcome a poor first impression with a stellar interview, but why put yourself at a disadvantage the moment you walk through the door?  Give yourself every advantage, every “brownie point” you can.  Knowing that your shoes are shined, that you are making direct eye contact, that your suit was recently dry-cleaned, and that you removed that humongous nose ring from your face will give you the extra confidence you want to do an outstanding interview.

§   Be absolutely certain you are dressed professionally.  Don’t wear your “college clothes” – wear the clothes of a professional educator.  For men that means a coat and tie; for women it means a classic blouse and skirt.  Your attire should be on the conservative side, your shoes should be shined to a brilliant gloss, and your jewelry should be at a minimum.  Oh, cover those tattoos.

§   Keep a close eye on your body language.  Give the interviewer a firm handshake and look him or her in the eye in responding to every question.  Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the floor and you hands are not stuck in your pockets or smoothing back your hair.  Sit up straight in the chair and lean slightly forward.

§   Practice your delivery.  Don’t speak in a monotone - your voice delivery should be enthusiastic and confident.  Be sure to enunciate all your words and please stay away from any slang (“Yeah, my college supervisor was a totally awesome dude!”).