As the final examinations for 2010 loom; school staff members need to spend time planning for an effective start to 2011.
School budgets have been passed and IQMS for the final quarter is on track. While we evaluate the work we have done in our classrooms and school this year; now would be a good time to focus on ways in which we can build on and improve in the weaker areas of tuition, time management and general school management.
Management teams should have received notice of any teacher who has decided to move on to another school or into the greener grass of retirement. The all-important process of interviewing staff for vacant positions must begin.
Here are my thoughts on Some Good Questions to Ask Teachers During an Interview
Interview etiquette requires that the interview begins with a few non-threatening questions designed to put the interviewee at ease. The information gleaned during the answers given to a "tell us more about yourself" question could however be more valuable if you change the question slightly.
One could rather ask the candidate to talk about her own school experience. Answers given will reveal whether the interviewee was herself a good student. Teachers need to be achievers if they are to inspire their students to achieve. If the answer includes a reference to a teacher from the past who inspired the interviewee and whet her interest in teaching, you have an idealist on your hands.
One need not fear the idealist who will enter the profession with the right aspirations - to inspire students and change lives. A word of caution, however, should you employ the idealist, she will need mentoring at times when faced with disinterested students who do not fit the "dream" or "vision". All new teachers face a reality check within the first few days or months of teaching, but if you provide the right shoulder for her to cry on, in the form of a more experienced teacher mentor, this hurdle can be overcome relatively easily.
Another gentle introductory question which may reveal important information about the candidate is the "Why did you choose teaching as a career?" question. Interviewers need to be very alert to the answers given to this question. If the interviewee responds with references to vacations and half-day employment, not only do you have a person who is headed for a rude awakening, but a possible shirker before you.
Again the idealist will reveal himself by his answers. You might even find a person who is passionate about their subject, who wishes to share this passion and knowledge with others. These candidates are generally a good bet, especially if they have a story of a bad teacher from their own past who destroyed what should have been an enjoyable subject for them;and they are determined that the children in their classes will not suffer the same fate. These candidates have thought about what teachers should not do, which is a good springboard to the very important question of what a good teacher should do.
If the candidate you are interviewing has already taught at another school, your questions must focus on how he experienced his previous teaching post and school. Interviewers need to know, for example, how the candidate worked with his previous boss. Answers here are a good indication of how he will work with and view his new boss. Be alert to very critical or judgmental answers to this question; you may be employing a negative whiner who creates an unhappy work environment for himself and those around him. If the candidate tells you that his boss was always picking on him, chances are you have a shoddy or disorganized person before you who you would soon be "picking on" if you employed him.
Answers to how an interviewee got along with his previous boss, or Principal, might also reveal the loyalist. Loyalists are what schools need to ensure that the focus of the school is always on school improvements and what is best for the institution.
The very best questions to ask during a teacher interview are those based on realistic scenarios. Paint vivid pictures of a classroom with one particularly disruptive child, for example. Listen carefully to the strategies the potential staff member will employ. You do not need staff members who are so obsessed with student behavior that they barely teach during the lesson.
You are looking for a teacher who will employ various strategies to capture and maintain the students' interest and cater for the different levels of ability and learning styles represented in a typical classroom. You are looking for the candidate who will spend time researching the reason for the disruptive student's ill-discipline. You are looking for solution-finders on your staff, not just problem identifiers.
Interviewers need to ensure that they have a subject specialist on the panel. If you are interviewing a prospective English teacher, for example, it is imperative that you assess the candidate's knowledge and skills. The head of English should pose questions pertaining to the curriculum and transfer of skills to the students. A question as straightforward as "How would you introduce poetry as a genre to an eighth grade class?" will reveal the candidate's knowledge as well as any passion for the subject he has.
Another critical area which needs probing is the method employed by the candidate regarding planning. Here one is looking to identify a creative, resourceful individual who works smart, but not necessarily too hard. In line with planning strategies, another vital area is assessment.
Questions posed need to be straightforward, such as "how and when do you assess your students' work?" Answers which point to a committed candidate will reveal an ongoing assessment strategy, clearly divided into shorter and longer assessments. Most teachers spend the first part of the vacation marking work which will count towards the next semester's marks. If this is the case, you have a forward thinking, good time manager with coping skills who is able to face the demands and pressures of the huge administrative loads attached to any teaching position before you.
Interviewers also need to ascertain the candidate's attitude towards the parents, the most important clients after the students. Ask the candidate how and when he makes contact with parents. Be on the lookout for a person who is always willing to praise solid achievements and improvements and not only highlight under -achievement or ill-discipline. Teachers who respect a child's parents and try to involve them as much as possible, are always good for an institution's PR and reputation. A candidate who sees parents as a necessary evil could cause problems in the long run.
All interview questions for teachers are posed in anticipation of answers. Before the interview process the panel needs to be very clear on what they are hoping the answers will reveal about the candidate. One is looking for a teacher who is a subject expert, who is in possession of the all-important soft skills which will enable her to develop collegial relationships, face change with courage and enthusiasm, and accept that after all, teaching is a helping profession. Interview questions should be so designed and structured as to sort out the professionals from the candidates looking for a low-pressure, half-day job. The loser will be the shirker; the winner the flexible, passionate person who was "born to be a teacher".
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