Succeeding at Your Interview

A Practical Guide for Teachers

Rita S. Brause, Christine P. Donohue, Alice W. Ryan

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2002
• Print ISBN: 9780367088743
• eBook ISBN: 9781135647728
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Succeeding at Your Interview: A Practical Guide for Teachers uses an effective interactive format to present core information about interviewing for a teaching job, document a wide variety of interview processes, guide teacher candidates in developing strategies for interviewing, and increase their confidence in communicating their professional knowledge. In a spiral process, readers are asked to consider scenarios, respond to questions, contemplate the perspective offered by the authors, and modify their responses. The goal is to help teacher candidates develop and articulate a clear idea of their own professional knowledge and of the culture of the schools at which they are interviewing.

Special features:
*Eleven detailed chapters and five interview scenarios engage the reader in continuous reflective practice in the multifaceted activities integral to interviewing--beginning with organizing the job search and proceeding through the entire interview process.
*The scenarios implicitly develop knowledge and the chapters explicitly detail the information.
*Specific interview situations engage readers in articulating their professional knowledge, linking theory and practice.
*"Keep in Mind" comments, Margin Notes, and Decision Trees provide opportunities to reflect on the issues and develop personal responses.
*Sample documents, formats, questions, and responses enhance understanding of evaluation processes.
*Graphic organizers at the beginning and end of each chapter provide visual representations of the concepts and concerns addressed in each chapter, assisting the reader in identifying chapters relevant to their current needs in the job search and in synthesizing, organizing, and reviewing the information contained in the chapter.

PART A
STARTING YOUR SEARCH

The first step in starting your search is gathering information that is essential in deciding where to apply. Part A provides information in two contexts—Steve’s Scenario and Chapters 1 and 2. As you eavesdrop on Steve’s interview you will understand some of his job search techniques. Taking the “fly on the wall” view in the principal’s office, you will get a sense of the content and rhythm of Steve’s interview, a representative sample of many such interactions.

You might ask, “Where in the world do I begin?” Chapter 1 will broaden your understanding of the formal and informal ways to obtain information about schools and help you to pinpoint the places where you are likely to find job openings.

After searching advertisements and visiting job sites and Web sites, you are ready to consider your many options. Will you relocate? Do you want to work with young children or are older students more aligned with your preparation? Will you seek a position as a specialist or a generalist? Your answers to these questions will help you narrow your search as you decide where to apply.

Scenario:	Steve Border An Initial, School-Based, One-to-One Interview
Chapter 1	Gathering Information
Chapter 2	Deciding Where to Apply

SCENARIO

An Initial, School-Based, One-to-One Interview

STEVE BORDER

Candidate:	Steve Border
Interviewer:	Mr. Erickson	Principal

A graduate of large public schools, Steve is committed to working with students attending public schools in a large city. Enrolled in a graduate teacher education program in a major U.S. city, Steve is student teaching in a public elementary school cited for its innovative academic program and parental involvement. Although he has no hopes of landing a job in this setting, he expects to draw on his experiences here to find a good placement nearby.

Steve thought long and hard about where he could make the greatest contribution and where he would feel most comfortable. When choosing between public or private schools, Steve knew he wanted to work with students who attend public schools, specifically marginalized students. He also heard there were some schools with strong leadership, and then there were schools that no one seems to want to be in. Steve wants to teach in a school with a visionary leader. These early decisions in some ways narrowed the field for Steve as he pursued his teaching credential.

HOW DID STEVE GET AN INTERVIEW?

Steve has observed, volunteered, and student taught in a wide range of the schools available to residents in this city, which we call Newer City. As Steve participated in his teacher education program, he inquired about the criteria for including specific schools in the program, seeking to obtain a clearer understanding of the range of options available in the local schools. Steve wanted to get an accurate picture of the schooling situation, particularly the commitment to public education in Newer City, as he now sought to teach there. Won over by the students and faculty he worked with, as well as the wide array of low-cost resources available, Steve found living in Newer City was an attractive option.

Midway through his student teaching at the Performance School, he inquired about the possibility of a teaching position for the fall. Although neither his cooperating teacher nor the principal had any expectations of changes in the faculty or additional faculty lines, the principal, Ms. Taffel, indicated that she would see if she could find another school that might need a good new teacher. Steve impressed the principal with his resourcefulness and his dedication. Because she had informally observed him numerous times, she was in a position to recommend him to another principal. As luck would have it, Ms. Taffel located a possible school, the J. F. Kennedy School, and gave Steve the principal’s name, Mr. Erickson, and the phone number.

At lunch that day, Steve called the J. F. Kennedy School with hopes of arranging an interview. Mr. Erickson was not available so Steve left a message including both his home phone number, and the fact that Ms. Taffel had suggested he call. Later that day, there was a message on Steve’s voice mail from Mr. Erickson.

Steve returned the call the next morning at 7:30 a.m., hoping to make this contact before leaving for his student teaching responsibilities. To Steve’s surprise, Mr. Erickson answered the phone himself but indicated this was a difficult time to talk and suggested that he visit the school next Thursday. Steve was particularly pleased with this appointment, considering he had sent out 20 letters and received no response.

HOW DID STEVE PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEW?

Excited at having an interview scheduled, Steve asked his cooperating teacher, Ms. Norita, what he might be asked. Ms. Norita indicated that at her own interview, the principal, Ms. Taffel, had asked about her philosophy of teaching and particularly focused on her approaches to teaching reading and spelling. “And clearly I gave good answers,” she said, “or I wouldn’t be here now.”

“How did you know what to say?” Steve asked.

“I think you need to answer from your heart. You can try to psych out the situation and figure out what the principal wants to hear. You want to be in a school where your philosophy is consistent with the principal’s, or a place where the principal will allow you to do your own thing. I don’t believe in playing a game to get a job because then you’ll never know who you really are. As you know, I take my job seriously, and I think you do, too. So, I’d suggest that you want to be assigned to a school where your beliefs are respected and supported and where you will continue to learn. You clearly cannot learn everything in student teaching or in your teacher education program. I know that I’m constantly learning and loving it. You know that Ms. Taffel is so supportive of our looking at new programs and new ideas and she encourages us to try new ways to do things so that we can be even more effective than we are right now. I find those important qualities of my job. Perhaps you will want to co...

Table of contents

• CONTENTS
• PREFACE
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• LIST OF TABLES
• LIST OF FIGURES
• PART A STARTING YOUR SEARCH
• PART B GETTING READY TO APPLY
• PART C KNOWING THE PROCESS
• PART D PREPARING YOURSELF
• PART E REFLECTING ON YOUR JOURNEY
• EPILOGUE
• SUGGESTED READINGS
• REFERENCES
• Index