Supposedly 2009 is the worst year to graduate from college since the 80s. What luck! I now can empathize with anyone who has looked for a job longer than a month, because that's where I am. Interview 6 and 7 are this week, and I'm hoping they will bring good luck.
It's funny to go to so many interviews because sometimes I wonder if I'm getting better at this game or not. And it really is a game. I swear they try to trick you. In my last interview, the principal asked me, "If you were in our shoes, what would you look for in a teacher?" Fair enough. That's a good question, and I answered it. But then he asked, "How would you be able to tell? How would you know from an interview whether or not the person was what you were looking for?" What would you say? I hesitated and then said, "I don't know." Luckily, he took over from there and didn't force an answer. Whew!
The truth is, that question targeted exactly what I've been thinking about: how well does an interview represent me as a teacher anyway?! I come in, sit down, answer questions as well as I can. But does that mean I'm a good teacher? Really teaching takes so much more: planning, assessing, multi-tasking, classroom management, the ability to understand 13-year-olds. Can you really tell if someone can do that or not from an interview? I'm glad I'm not a principal!
2 comments:
That's where the letters of recommendation and students teaching scores come in. In my experience, interviews are to make sure you are a nice, normal, agreeable, intelligent person who knows what they are talking about. I found out after I had a job that the reason I didn't get previous jobs had little to do with the interview and more to do with some other random factor that I had no control over. Anyways...hang in there. Good luck. I didn't get my first teaching job until JULY...so hang in there!
Sarah, one of the presenters at one of those conferences we went to said that really a principal wants to hire good people at a school. Teaching skills can be verified through letters of recommendation, and experience doesn't necessarily guarantee a great teacher. However, a great personality that will mesh with the other teachers and will work and collaborate, that teacher will benefit the entire school as well as the classroom. You are the best person for the job because you are "good people." Don't be afraid to say it, either. You are the best:) Good luck with interviews 6 and 7
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