Why do you want to be a teacher?

I’ve known I wanted to do exactly what she did—to give children tools to last for their entire
lives.

What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in teaching to each student’s passion. For instance, in one kindergarten class, my
students had trouble with punctuation. I observed that one student, Mary, suddenly got excited
about apostrophes. I fueled her passion with a big book on punctuation. Her enthusiasm was
contagious, and soon the entire class was asking bright and animated questions. Whenever
possible, I try to deliver structured lessons in an unstructured way like this.

How much do you want to know about your students in order to be most
helpful to them?
I need to know a student’s learning styles, passions, and challenges. One difficult student, Tim,
was disruptive in class. I joined him on the playground on and off. It turned out he was being
bullied after school by his brother’s friends. I spoke with Tim’s parents, and they had no idea.
Tim became my star student, and as a result, my whole class got quieter and easier to teach.

Why do you want to work for our school district?

I respect Snowy Peaks High’s belief in teaching to the whole child. Your focus on academics,
character, community, and nature fit perfectly with my own philosophy. It’s easier to teach well-
rounded students. The best lesson plan in the world can’t help a child who’s struggling in all
other areas of life.

How can you help our school/students?

I’ve talked to several of your teachers and heard about their challenges with classroom
management. My own classroom management skills are highly developed. I’ve taken 18
continuing education credits in class management from the University of Phoenix’s online
program. I was commended at my last school after fully engaging a class with over 25%
disruptive students. I used a mix of nonverbal cues, transition cues, timeouts, and several other
kernel-based strategies. I believe I can be just as effective here.
What do you find most frustrating about teaching?

I get very frustrated with bright kids who become overconfident and don’t apply themselves.
There’s nothing sadder or more common than wasted potential. At my last position, I worked
with several children who weren’t trying. I implemented a research-based program to
incorporate student ideas into the lesson plan. The addition of their thoughts created more
complete engagement. Test scores went up 15% in just two months.

Why should we hire you to teach here?

I’m well aware of your new technology initiative. We were tasked with the same challenge at my
last school. Thanks to my strong tech background, I was able to add online quizzes easily. The
students loved them, and they cut administrative processing by 25%.

How would you get your classroom ready for the first day of school?
I want my classroom to be welcoming and nurturing. I also make the ground rules obvious. A
welcome sign and labeled desks help students feel at home from day one. Engaging posters
and other visual aids help create a sense of excitement. Beyond fun, a large list of rules and
consequences at the front of the room helps the class start on the right foot.

Why do we teach (science, math, French, etc.) in school?

I’ve always believed our future depends on regular people using science in day-to-
day decisions. Science is at the core of a sense of wonder for our natural world.
That wonder can drive students to improve their learning skills. It can take them
places they never thought they’d go.

Bring a lesson plan, transcripts, and Praxis scores. Be ready to answer a question
about teaching philosophy. Be familiar with newest lingo, assessments instead of tests,
and the use of rubrics to correct assignments

How do you evaluate your students?

I evaluate students with formal and informal methods, including quizzes and tests. I also grade
in-class activities like reports, recitations, desk work, and group activities. One student, Terry,
showed a strong grasp of concepts during in-class activities, but performed poorly during
testing. Through working closely with him, I uncovered an undiagnosed vision problem. Terry
got corrective lenses and his test scores rose to match his in-class comprehension.