some ideas

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Home : 2005 : May : 31

some ideas
By Newbie

I know that many times principals/employers give vague questions on purpose because they want to see how you interpret them. For example, the worst one is, "Tell me about yourself." An admin. at my former school told me
that they don't want to know about your recent marriage, family, pet, etc.; they want you to take the initiative to tell them about your teaching experiences and skills. That being said, here are some ideas to help with your questions:
Why do you want to be a teacher?"
- Yeah, this one is hard for me because I just do. I've wanted it since I was 5; I don't know why...So, I don't

have any ideas for that one. I'll be looking at the other posters' ideas I usually tell principals that it is natural for me, and I just have a desire to teach (with some elaboration on my part).

"What national standards do you address in your discipline?" (Wow! I read this one in my prep for interviews book.....are they speaking generally or what?)
- I would say that I follow the state curriculum, which is aligned with national standards. I'm not sure if that's a good answer, though.

"If I were to walk into your classroom, what would I see?" (I want to say actively engaged students in an environment that motivates and stimulates them....brightly colored posters that are theme related, classroom rules that are written by the students and revised with my help, motivational posters and a large variety of books and manipulatives) (but......are they wanting to know WHAT my STUDENTS are doing or WHAT my CLASSROOM would look like?) HELP!
- This is a general question that you can interpret however you want. I think your answer is good, especially the part about actively engaged students. You might want to elaborate on that part.

"One child refuses to do his homework, what would you do?" (again, I KNOW what I have done, but what are the 'buzz' words they will be looking for)
- I don't know if there are specific words they're looking for. I would try to find out why he doesn't want to do it and then go from there.

"A parent is irate and knocks on your door, how do you solve the problem?" (any ideas or opinions on this would help).
- Calmly explain that you're in the middle of class and ask if you can schedule a time to meet together with the principal (or use your planning period). If the parent is persistent or violent, you might want to call the office.