If One Of Your Students Told You That You Were The Worst Teacher They Have Ever Had How Would You Respond
Sample Answer: Being insulted is never fun, and that would definitely sting. I believe that I would counter their insult by letting the student know that Im sorry they feel that way, and that I am doing my best to live up to their expectations. I think that dealing with a situation like that would need to be on a case-by-case basis and that my response to the student would be tempered by the type of relationship that I had with the student and the time and place that the comment was made. I believe that remaining in control and not losing my temper is the most important thing in instances like this.
Tip: School districts want to see that a teacher is able to handle unruly or rude students, as these types of students are found in every modern classroom. The interviewer wants to see above all that you can remain calm and in control in the face of adversity. This is important for maintaining control of the classroom.
What Would You Do If You Suspected Neglect Or Abuse In The Home Of One Of Your Students
What They Want to Know: Teachers walk a delicate line as advocates for their students welfare. Think about how you would respond should you suspect a child has been subject to abuse.
I take my position as a mandated reporter very seriously. I am aware of the districts daily health check system that early childhood teachers are required to implement daily. In my previous position, we also did daily checks when the children would arrive each morning. There was one child in my previous classroom who had odd bruising on both arms and I was not sure if the bruises were from rough play with siblings or friends, or from an adult being physically abusive.
Before I said anything to anyone, I reported what I saw to the principal who guided me through the process to determine the cause of the bruising. Ultimately it was discovered that the bruises were from the childs older sibling. The way my school handled the situation enabled us to ensure the child was in a safe situation without falsely accusing or upsetting the parents.
How Will You Encourage Parents To Support Their Childrens Education
The home-school connection is imperative yet tough to maintain. Administrators lean on teachers to keep open lines of communication with parents. They even see you as a publicist for the school, reinforcing the culture, strengths, and values of the school to parents. So, answer this question with concrete ideas. Share how parents will volunteer in your classroom and how youll maintain regular contact, providing updates on both positive and negative events. Its great to also share your plan for providing resources to parents when students are struggling.
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Other Questions You May Face In Your Kindergarten Teacher Interview
- You notice that two children from your group do not talk to each other. What will you do?
- Do you have any experience working with children with special needs? Have you found it challenging?
- Imagine that you return to the classroom after visiting the loo, and one child is missing. How will you react?
- In your opinion, it is important to include parents in the education of their children?
- What do you consider the most difficult aspect of this job?
- If we hire you as our new kindergarten teacher, what goals will you set for yourself for the first year in the job?
What Can You Contribute To Our School Community/teaching Team
- PURPOSE: This is the opportunity to transition into what your contribution to the overall school culture would be. How would your presence on the teaching staff positively affect the staff culture? What will you bring to the table as a co-worker?
- TIPS: Think specifically about how you will be beneficial to the staff. Do not just think on how being an effective teacher will help, but give ways you will seek to make a positive impact on the staff.
- PREPARATION: Consider the impact you have had on other teams in the past and ways you anticipate to benefit your co-workers.
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How Do You Incorporate Social
Many states and districts have added requirements for social-emotional learning into their standards. Explain how you will not only tend to the academic needs of your students but tie in lessons that satisfy the core SEL competencies. Describe how you will help students build their self- and social-awareness skills, how you will support them in building relationships, and how you will give them the skills to make responsible decisions.
What Are The Qualities That A Kindergarten Teacher Need To Be Successful
Kindergarten is the most important year in a childs academic life. It is during this stage that youngsters receive their first official year of training and are taught to new abilities such as letter sounds, number counting, and so on. As a result, this is the year in which they will build their opinions about school and learning in general. The interviewer must determine whether you have any knowledge of the attributes necessary for success.
Sample Answer:
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Passion in their work, flexibility, creativity, patience, compassion, and a sense of humor are the key attributes that every kindergarten teacher should possess. These characteristics will help the kindergarten instructor succeed and simplify the teaching process.
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What Are Some Methods You Use To Check For Understanding As Youre Teaching
Its one thing to prepare a high-quality lesson plan, but if students are not following along, whats the use? Explain how your instruction will be responsive to students needs. Will you incorporate tech tools for assessments? Or implement exit slips summarizing what theyve learned? Do you have a quick-check method, like thumbs-up/thumbs-down, to quickly scan for understanding?
How To Make The Best Impression
Often at the end of an interview, you will be asked if you have any questions for the interviewer. This is when you become the interviewer and have the chance to ask some well-thought-out questions.
Review the list of good questions to ask during an interview for teaching jobs. It is important that you come prepared with questions in order to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position and your interest in learning more about the role, the school or the district.
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Other Kindergarten Basic Skills
- Children are expected to be able to identify and draw basic shapes like rectangle, square, triangle and circle.
- They may also be tested on number and letter recognition. While they will not be asked to do any writings, they are expected to be able to write and/or spell their names.
- For children with a long name, such as Elizabeth, parents may consider teaching them the short form, i.e. Liz. Lets check ourInterview Tips section for more interview tips.
As A Student Teacher What Was The Most Frustrating Thing You Had To Deal With
Sample Answer: Although I loved the student teaching experience and I learned a lot from the teachers that I worked with, there were some frustrating moments. Some of the teachers that I worked with were very experienced and I found their teaching styles to be in conflict with my own style that I have adopted from training in college. For me, that was probably the toughest part of the whole experience. I never had any real trouble with any of my students.
Tip: Its okay to admit frustration during the interview process. This positions you as a real person. Anyone who says that some aspect of the student teaching process was not frustrating was either very patient or a very good liar. No interviewer for any job will believe that you dont have weaknesses and are immune from frustration. So while admitting your downfalls makes you human, you dont want to focus on them.
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Questions About You As Part Of A Teaching Team And Classroom Community
Schools want to foster a sense of community within the school, especially in the classrooms. You will likely be asked questions about your ability to work as part of a team of teachers and administrators, as well as your abilities and experiences bridging the gap between the students in the classroom and their families at home.
What Are The Most Common Challenges Preschool Teachers Face
The right answer to this question varies from country to country, but one thing is common for each pre-primary school: problems with discipline. Obviously we can not control what the parents do, how they bring their children up. In each and every preschool class, we will find some children that struggle with discipline, and sometimes even children that may be ugly to their schoolmates, and do not obey the rules at all.
Problems with discipline represent probably the greatest challenge, but you can mention also other things, such as: cleaning, changing diapers, crying children, paperwork, etc. Do not forget to check:How to overcome interview nerves get rid of stress and deliver your best in an interview.
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Which Activities Clubs Or Sports Are You Willing To Sponsor If You Are Offered A Position
While this expectation may be more real for middle and secondary teachers, being the new kid on the block often comes with a conversion of your title from teacher to coach. If athletics isnt one of your strengths, you can still get an edge on your competition by sponsoring a science club, yearbook, or academic team. You might also share a special skill, like knitting or creative writing, and offer to teach it to interested students.
Interview With Trish Nodolski Pennsylvania Preschool Teacher And Program Director
We recently had the opportunity to interview Trish Nodolski, a preschool teacher and program director in Pennsylvania. Trish attended West Chester University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. She has 26 years of experience teaching three year-olds. Today, Trish wears multiple hats. She teaches a class of three year-olds as well as one geared toward Pre-K students. She is also the programs director. During our interview, we discussed techniques that teachers can use to incorporate more play into their professional lives, the strategies she uses to strike a healthy work and life balance, and her suggestions for teachers struggling to keep their creative energy levels high.
Was there a particular person or experience that motivated you to become a preschool teacher? What led you to wear two hats one of director, the other of teacher?
To be honest I did not go into college to become a teacher. I am the oldest of six children and spent a lot of time with children all my life. I was looking for something different. I started college trying to get a degree in speech pathology and quickly found that it wasnt holding my interest. Knowing I knew how to work with children I figured that I would try early childhood. I loved it and did very wellI guess you cant fight your calling!
Can you provide suggestions for teachers wanting to incorporate more play into their professional and personal lives?
Learn about how to become a teacher in Pennsylvania
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Why Did You Decide You Wanted To Work With Kids
Interviewers want to know that teaching is your passion and that you are self-motivated to succeed in this career. In your answer, describe your reasons for becoming a teacher, including how you discovered your love for teaching and dedication to advocating for young children.
Example:“When I was in second grade, I had a teacher who supported me wholeheartedly through a tough family matter that was impacting my school performance. She made me feel safe and loved, and she dedicated a bit more time in class to help me focus on my schoolwork. I never forgot how much her warmth and friendliness affected me growing up, and it made me want to be a mentor to children and support them in their personal growth.”
Describe Some Of Your Positive Guidance Strategies
Be sure the strategies you describe are developmentally appropriate and effective. It is best to share ones that you have implemented successfully, so you can use examples from your own experiences. Administrators seem to appreciate discussing guidance that reinforces positive behaviors and involves children in deciding how to work together in the classroom.
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Would You Be Interested In Leading Any After
What They Want to Know: Good schools are always looking for ways to enrich their students lives. Being willing to lead after-school activities like sports teams, clubs, or academic teams will be a strong point in your favor.
During the summer, I am the director of a theater camp offered by the art center in town. I would love to take part in any drama clubs or performances the children participate in throughout the year. Or, if there isnt a drama club, Id certainly love to start one, if thats something that the school would be interested in. While theater happens to be my personal passion, if there are any other activities that are especially in need of support and that I might be a good fit for, Id be willing to help out however I can.
How Would You Organize This Classroom
Sample answer: Personally, I try to organize the classroom around what feels best for the students. At the beginning of the school year, I start with a general template for what Im looking to achieve. Based on how I see the students interacting in the classroom, I might make some material more accessible. Or see that the classrooms efficiency needs to be improved by organizing or moving parts of the classroom material around.
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What Is Your Teaching Style Or Teaching Philosophy
Sample answer: Every student learns in their own way. Whether its hands-on learning, learning through reading, visual learning, or other. The key is to learn how students prefer to be educated and ensure each student in the classroom has exposure to that teaching style. The teaching method should transform and mold according to the student body.
In Your Opinion What Is The Most Important Part Of The Iep
Sample answer: Well, to me, an IEP is more than just a legal document or a plan. Its a map of how we might be able to support special education instruction. Because the plan is designed to meet the students unique needs, I believe the annual goals are a significant part of the IEP. And while the students progress and reporting on that are great. In addition to the services that the student is receiving, referring to the annual goals is a crucial aspect of the IEP. And it can inform how education is being presented in the classroom. Lastly, Ive found referring to those annual goals can assist conversations with parents when there might be disagreement about progress. For example, if the parents feel the student doesnt see progress.
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What About Our School District Intrigues You Why Do You Want To Work For Us
Tip: For this question, you must do a bit of legwork and research before the interview in order to tailor a custom response that will show the interviewer why you are interested in the particular school or school district, and what might have sparked this interest. If you have personal experience working with the district or school, you can include information about that.
For example, if you were hired as a substitute teacher for the district prior to getting your certification, then you could talk about that and how much you enjoyed your capacity as a substitute. You can also talk about different initiatives that the school has in place or is planning that interest you, or the extracurricular activities that the school offers that you find appealing. The interviewer in this case will be looking for something that validates why you want to work in their district.
Describe Your Daily Routine As A Preschool Teacher
Here, the interviewer manager wants to hear how a typical day of a preschool teacher looks like.
Tip #1: Mention what a preschool teacher does every day
Tip #2: Prove that you know your daily routine
Sample Answer
The daily routine of preschool teachers includes creating plans for daily activities, organizing snack and nap hours for children, supervising them to make sure they are safe all the time, guiding young learners to develop practical and artistic abilities, and maintaining clean classrooms. They also teach basic skills through storytelling and educational plays among other educational techniques, attend to the basic needs of children, read stories for their pupils, and communicate with parents.
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Why Do You Want To Become A Teacher
Sample Answer: I have always wanted to be a teacher, even as a child. The gift of teaching allows me to be in a true helping profession. After all, the things that I teach the children in my class are the fundamentals that they will need to thrive as adults. There is no higher calling or more noble occupation in my eyes. All of my heroes have been teachers. And besides, I love kids. Thats important. You must love kids if you want to teach theres no two ways around that!
Tip: When asked this question, be honest. Chances are good that you really did decide to become a teacher in order to help others and make the world a better place. Theres no canned answer that can be used here, but in general, most teachers choose their career path because they love children and want to be in a helping profession. They definitely arent in it for the money!
