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

     Q:  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.

            Rule #1:  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.  Do your homework!  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.

If you are not successful in getting a full time job....

     Q:  If you are not successful in getting a full time job, what will you do?

     A:   I am committed to teaching and I’m committed to education.  Being a teacher is my top professional goal.  I believe I can make a very positive contribution to this field and I’m willing to wait for the right opportunity to make that happen.  If it’s not a full-time position then I would be equally happy to be listed on any number of substitute teaching lists.  The more opportunities I have to expand and improve my teaching abilities I see as beneficial to my long-term goals.  If I don’t get that full-time job, I’ll work harder, volunteer more, and take any opportunity I can to work with youngsters.  This is what I want to do and I’ll take advantage of every opportunity possible to do it.

            Don’t be shy!  Share your passion for teaching and your commitment to education.  It’s important the interviewer knows of your universal desire to teach – your intense and dedicated drive to make a difference in the lives of children.  That commitment must show through – just as much for a full-time teaching position as for a place on the substitute teaching list.  By demonstrating that universal desire you provide the interviewer with both reason and rationale for any and all positions in the school or in the district.

What gives you the greatest pleasure in teaching?

     Q:  What gives you the greatest pleasure in teaching?

     A:   I call it the “light bulb effect.”  It’s that time in a lesson, a unit, a whole class discussion when a student “gets it” – when that proverbial light bulb goes off over his or her head.  There’s nothing like it in the world!  It’s when that look of recognition crosses a student’s face, when a student exclaims, “Hey, this is really cool!”, or when a student jumps up and down with unmitigated excitement.  There’s a joy in the discovery and there’s an enthusiasm in the voice as students realize that they now understand something they didn’t previously.  That’s what I want to work for with all my students.  I want them all to experience that “light bulb effect” in each and every subject throughout the school year.

            Your answer should underscore your reasons for becoming a teacher.  Your response should be a validation of why you decided to enter this profession and what you will do in order to be one of the best.  Most importantly, there should be passion in your response!

Book News

Ace Your Teacher Interview was published in January 2012.  In less than 2 months it has completely sold out of its first printing.  It is now in its second printing and is being snapped up by teacher candidates all across the country.


Here are some of the reviews this book has received:

"I GOT THE JOB!  I GOT THE JOB!!  Thank you, thank you."

"This book gave me everything I needed to ace my own interview (I nailed it.).  It's the best $12.00 I ever spent."

"WOW!  I now have the skills and the confidence for a great interview.  I can't wait."

"It's all here - a practical book filled with super ideas and strategies."


Please share this post (via Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter) with your friends and colleagues.  Thanks.  A.D.F.

What steps would you take with a student who was disruptive in your classroom?

Q:  What steps would you take with a student who was disruptive in your classroom?

     A:   First, I would make sure my intervention was quiet, calm, and inconspicuous.  For example, one day I saw that Michael was not paying attention in class.  So, I used his name in part of my presentation, as follows: “As an example, let’s measure Michael’s height in centimeters.”  The disruptive student – Michael – who had been whispering to his neighbor, heard his name and was drawn back into the lesson with no disruption of the class.  I also believe that the more immediate a reprimand, the less likely a student will feel I condone his or her behavior.  And, perhaps most important, reprimands should be kept brief.  The more I talk, for example, the more I will distract from the lesson and the more I “reward” a student for inappropriate behavior.

             This is another opportunity in which a personal example or anecdote will help to illustrate your point and your philosophy.  Show the interviewer that you’ve had some first-hand experiences and that you knew how to deal with them.  Don’t even think about suggesting that the student be sent to the principal’s office.  If you do, you’re dead!

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK:      “We have had candidates carry in suitcases of dusty art and materials they spread out all over the table.  Some used it, but it was mostly overkill.”