Ok #1: I know I'm probably the world's WORST blogger. Wrapping up the semester was a bit crazy, and then I basically zoned out for a couple of weeks. Forgive me.
#2. Final segment of interview tips. This one is a bit meaty, but I think there are some helpful last tips/perspectives that I know I hadn't considered before. I hope these help someone out there :) Enjoy.
What's an appropriate question to ask when called for an interview? The principals had a few responses to this:
- Don't ask too much
- You can ask about parking - i.e. is there parking available, where should you park.
- Ask the secretary's name; this shows consideration, and then you will be able to greet her by name when you arrive.
- That's about all you should ask - don't ask very much or anything else!
- What should a candidate bring to the interview? One principal mentioned that he likes candidates to have already "walked" the community - that is, explored the community a bit and have a feel for what kind of place it is. You should also have a unit or lesson plan prepared, and bring all of the necessary materials with you. Also, a copy of your resume/cover letter; the interviewers should have already seen this, but bring a few extra copies in case they need them.
- A note about portfolios/videos - All of the principals said that they don't really look at portfolios very much; you might want to bring it, and have one or two artifacts selected to share - e.g. a lesson you are particularly proud of, a letter from the children you student taught. But they will not pass around your portfolio and really look at it. Additionally, one of the principals said that she unfortunately has to throw out all of the videos she receives; she has no time to watch all of the videos she gets, and another principal added that if they're really interested in you, you'll either demo a lesson for them or they will come to your school and observe one of your lessons, if that's possible.
- Once the candidate has left the interview, what should they do? Send a thank you note!!! The principals varied on whether they preferred hand-written or e-mail; some were fine with e-mail, some preferred hand-written. I know in the business world, the only way I could guarantee someone would actually receive my note was through e-mail; but, it's different in a school setting where the principal is sure to receive his/her mail. So I guess you just have to use your intuition to infer if they have a preference, or go with whatever you're most confident with.
- Once you start working in a school, align yourself with the right people. There will be a lot of negative, jaded, bitter people. As a new teacher, do you really want to be like that? Find the positive, focused people and they will lead you the right way. The principals even said you might want to avoid the teachers' lounge - maybe eat there once or twice a week to get to know people, but know that there may be a lot of negativity there.
- Guiding motto: "If you're about the kids, you can't go wrong."
I think that FINALLY wraps up my interview tips from the Principal's Panel. I know it's so tough to get hired right now, but I think we have to stay optimistic. Hopefully these tips may help, and good luck to all interviewees!
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