10 Teacher Interview Questions and Answers to Master For Your Next Interview
Apr 21, 2024Season 1Episode 90
Helena Hains
Not sure what teacher interview questions and answers you should be practicing for your upcoming interview?
Here are the top 10 teacher interview questions you should be practicing with my own personal sample answers to help you confidently prepare for your upcoming interview.
These teacher interview questions and answers will help you confidently prepare for your upcoming teacher interview, and know with confidence how to stand out during your next interview from other candidates.
I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.
The Present Teacher Podcast is a resourcefor teacher interviews, classroom setup, classroom management, and time management. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.
Subscribe to The Present Teacher Podcast to get inspired by new weekly podcast episodes!
Not sure what teacher interview questions and answers you should be practicing for your upcoming interview?
Here are the top 10 teacher interview questions you should be practicing with my own personal sample answers to help you confidently prepare for your upcoming interview.
These teacher interview questions and answers will help you confidently prepare for your upcoming teacher interview, and know with confidence how to stand out during your next interview from other candidates.
I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.
The Present Teacher Podcast is a resourcefor teacher interviews, classroom setup, classroom management, and time management. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.
Subscribe to The Present Teacher Podcast to get inspired by new weekly podcast episodes!
Speaker 1:
Congratulations. You just accepted your first interview and one of the first questions you're probably thinking is what on earth do I practice? What interview questions should I be practicing? What should I be doing to prepare for my interview? Now, there has been one consistent question that I have been asked over and over again about what you should be doing for your interview, and that is what questions and answers should I be practicing for my interview? Now, about a year ago, I did a podcast episode about what teacher interview questions you should be practicing in order to prepare for your interview. Well, instead of remaking last year's content, I decided to upload last year's episode, but I want to expand it a little further. So here are the top 10 interview questions you should be practicing for your upcoming interview, plus, I give sample answers on how I would be answering those interview questions. All right, with that being said, let's dive in.
Speaker 1:
Hey, teacher Bestie, my name is Helena and I'm the creator of the Present Teacher Podcast. I'm a first-year teacher coach and in this podcast, you are going to learn everything from simple, actionable classroom management, social learning and teacher wellness strategies. You know that impact you want to make in the classroom. We're going to make it happen here. Before we dive in, I want to give you a secret formula that you're going to hear me use throughout this episode, and that is Remy. Remy is the strategy I use while answering teacher interview questions, and here's how it goes R is for restate, e is for example, m is for mission and I as in it factor. So think of the movie Ratatouille. The rat's name is Remy. So when you listen to my answers, I will always use Remy throughout those answers. So make sure to listen extra closely to see if you can pick up on examples on how to use Remy in your interview questions.
Speaker 1:
The first question that I hear a lot, or a lot of experience with, and a lot of teachers have heard too, is what inspired you to become a teacher. This is a common question in teacher interviews, and it's important to have a thoughtful and genuine answer prepared so you might talk about what inspired you when you were younger or when you were older, a personal experience that sparked your interest in education or desire to make a positive impact on young people's lives. Whatever your answer, be sure to convey your passion for teaching and your commitment to helping students succeed. This is a great opportunity to incorporate those values. So, for example, if I were to get this question or if I were to go back to this school and when I answered this question, what inspired me to become a teacher?
Speaker 1:
I talked about a specific story of my little brother and I still remember he was sitting on the couch and I he bent over and I had been practicing helping him tie his shoes. He was two years younger than me and I had helped him practice tying his shoes and finally one day got it. He tied his shoes and he looked up at me with the biggest eyes and the proudest look on his face, like and he said I did it and I did it. And that's when I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Because that light, that passion, that that pride, that excitement of learning something new was addicting. So from that point on I had my little brother play dress up and I would have him play school with me. I'd sit him down and I'd be the teacher and he was a student. So I use a story like this. But I also talked about because my current district's mission statement includes lifelong learners. So I talked about how it's important for not only me to promote lifelong learners and my students and my peers, but also in myself and how I'm driven to be the best teacher I can be, so definitely leaning on a story, the mission and values and also what makes you stand out. Mine was that I was passionate about teaching from a young age. Maybe there was a specific story you can talk about, but definitely take some time to jot down or think about what your question might be to this interview question.
Speaker 1:
Another common question you might get in your teacher interview is how do you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all your students? Differentiating instruction is a crucial aspect of being an effective teacher. In order to meet the needs of all students, it's important to understand that they have their own strengths, their own weaknesses and their own ways of learning. One way to differentiate instruction is to use a variety of teaching strategies and materials, such as visual aids, hand-on activities and technology. It's also important to opportunities for students to work in small groups, one-to-one. By tailoring instruction to meet the needs of each student, you can help them reach their full potential to achieve academic success.
Speaker 1:
So if you were, if I were to get this question, this is what I would do. I would say so pretending. How do, how do I differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students and I could talk about well. Growing up my little brother was a visual learner where I was a literary learner, and so I learned very quickly the importance of different teaching styles and different teaching modes. I also do the teach to release model, where I do we or we do you do, and I believe that's very important to differentiate instruction. That way all students are successful. I might dive into how I would throw in my credential about being ESL certified and how I can, you know, modify the lesson to tailor to that. But lean into that and specifically my school, their mission that I'm currently at was to um incorporate technology. So I would make sure that my answer includes that for this upcoming interview if I were to interview again. So again, I led off with a story, I did a um, so, like I led off with a story, I did my answer. That made me unique, and then I also had my mission statement in there. So try to hit all three. You'll start to know as a pattern in these questions when you can.
Speaker 1:
The next question how do you handle classroom management and discipline? Inside your guide there's a spot for you to start writing down your classroom management plan. It's a good idea to think about this now. That way you have a very consistent answer across the board and that way, if they try to throw any exceptions or one or two questions at you about classroom management, your answer is going to be similar and they're going to see that consistency for you. But classroom management and discipline is an important aspect of being a teacher. It's important to have a clear set of rules and expectations for behavior and to consistently enforce those rules. So when a student misbehaves, it's important to address the behavior calmly and respectfully and have your different steps. So you know.
Speaker 1:
Again, this could be like one time in the classroom If you were to answer this. I had a student who did blank and this is how I handled it. The classroom procedures are if first warning is this second, third, fourth, fifth, so in this case I would blink and this is how we would solve and make sure it doesn't happen next time. And so again, and making sure that you are hitting on you know, your math classroom management plan. What makes you stand out? For me this would probably be about how I try. I don't address behavior when both parties are not calm in a safe manner. So how we I work on regulation first, so that would probably be something I would focus on to help me stand out, and then also the what do we do next time to make sure it doesn't happen again, and then again throw in that mission statement when you can.
Speaker 1:
Another question you might get is how do you incorporate technology into your classroom? Especially after COVID, this is especially common one. They want to make sure they're getting teachers in that are common with technology or, you know, familiar with technology, and incorporating technology into lessons is becoming increasingly important. So as a teacher, it's important to stay up to date with the latest technology and find ways to integrate it into your classroom. So maybe on the side, whether it's in your guide or somewhere else, jot down some of the technology or different resources you use and then you can give an example in this question of a time you use technology and what outcome your kids got. My kids and I use quizzes. My kids and I used, you know, gimkit, whatever, and this was the result my kids loved it. They learned so much. They went from this to this. But definitely showing that you're familiar and pushing in that experience or that specific story will help you be more credible.
Speaker 1:
The next question is how do you assess student learning and adjust instruction accordingly? As a teacher, it's important to regularly assess students' learning to ensure that they are understanding the material and making progress. So this can be done in several ways. At my particular school, in teaching I was taught that three formative and one formal. So throughout your lesson and I would talk about this in my answer to this question but talk about what makes you unique and your thought process on this so how do you assess your students? I like to do three formative assessments in my lesson to drive instruction and my kids didn't pass this formative assessment. If not most of them, if 80% or more didn't get it, then I'm going to go back and reteach before we go to the next step, and I'm going to do that three times before we get to that final objective or final, you know, final formal assessment to make sure they got the lesson. So I would talk about that, but think about different ways that you like to assess and then again tie in that mission statement when you can.
Speaker 1:
Next question that is commonly asked is can you tell us about your teaching experience? This is a common question in teacher interviews and it's important to be prepared with a clear and concise answer. I would start by highlighting your relevant teaching experience, including the grade levels and subjects you taught. Be sure to mention any special certificates or trainings you have received. I've seen this one typically in the beginning, kind of like an icebreaker. Make sure to note any notable achievements or successes in your teaching career and emphasize your passion for teaching and your commitment to helping students. So if I were to answer this question, I would talk about how I was a Head Start teacher and how I wanted to continue and better myself as a teacher and be a lifelong learner. So I continued my studies and I got my master's and all that stuff. So definitely take some time to think about. Use this as kind of an icebreaker and this is kind of your permission to throw out your credentials and things that make you qualified to be a teacher.
Speaker 1:
Next question that often gets asked is how do you effectively communicate with families, whether you did it in student teaching, whether you learned about it in college, whether you want to use it your first year, whether you learned about it in college, whether you want to use it your first year, I would talk about some ways you plan on if you haven't taught already to effectively communicate with families? In my classroom we have the daily profit because I have a Harry Potter second grade classroom, so I send them a weekly daily profit. That gives them the overview. But just coming up with and talking about how you value, you know, working as a team with the families and how you plan to do that If you have experience, or student teaching experience communicating with families definitely highlighting an opportunity with that as well is great for this question. The next question and this one took me by surprise because I got asked this question during this school's interview and it threw me off, but I'm so glad they asked it which is where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Speaker 1:
So this question is often asked in interviews to gauge a candidate's long-term goals and aspirations as a teacher. It's important to have a clear vision for your professional development and growth. When I got this question, I talked about how I leaned into what made me unique and I was a younger teacher looking for my lifelong district, the one I wanted to raise my kids in, and all that. So lean into what makes you unique, your passion for teaching, and try to, if you can tailor that to where the school fits in as well. Don't veer off the path where the school isn't included, if at all possible, but just that your commitment to being a lifelong learner and your commitment to the school or the district that you work for that hires you. So that's a great way to answer this question.
Speaker 1:
The next question you might get is if you have a student who's not following directions in class, what do you do? This question is designed to assess your classroom management skills that we talked about earlier. So this would be a great time to walk through your classroom management plan and tell them because you know positive reinforcement, redirection or individualized behavior plans. Talk about what those first, second, third, fourth, fifth steps are, and be consistent, because I might, like I said, throw two or three of these at you and you want to make sure your answer is consistent, because that's going to show you're consistent in the classroom.
Speaker 1:
All right, the tenth and final question a common question and how to answer for your interview is can you give an example of a successful lesson you've taught? This is where you can refer back to your teaching portfolio, if you brought one. If not, that's okay. Maybe you're referring back to those work samples if you brought any Again, if you didn't, that's okay. But I would talk about how you did a pre-assessment and a post-assessment, whether it was in a unit, or talk about how your students were engaged. But lean in and deliver and talk about how you are unique and your unique teaching style and your answers should demonstrate also your understanding of the importance of clear objectives, engaging activities or strategies you use and effective assessments. Like I said, I assess three times, actually technically four or five, but three formative assessments throughout a lesson and it's important to emphasize the positive outcomes. What did your kids say? Where were they at before? Where were they at after? This is a great opportunity to paint the before and after done for your interviewers and interview yeah, interview committee and to talk about different engagement strategies and things you do to just connect with your kids that make you unique, give them a glimpse of what it's like being you and you're going to do amazing Not going to lie.
Speaker 1:
Listening to myself talk a year ago, I just want to take a moment and really reflect and I'm really proud of how far I've come. I know back then I was extremely nervous and you can tell my voice, but for some reason, that episode was one of the most watched episodes in 2023. And I'm so grateful that it is. If you listened to that episode, there is still a teacher interview guide and I'll make sure to link it in the description down below. But also, I changed the Land your Dream Job workshop into a mini course because I wanted to take the actionable steps within the workshop and put it into bite sized pieces. And in fact, I got so much positive feedback on that workshop that I turned it into a mini course and I'm actually raising the price at the end of the month.
Speaker 1:
So if you are still wondering, how am I going to get all of this done? If you are balancing being a full-time teacher and applying to different jobs, or you just want to boost in confidence on how you can stand up and stand out from other candidates, I'd love to see you inside of the land your dream job mini course. All right, thank you so much for joining with me for the blast from the past. Like I said, it was really fun for me to go back and reflect on how far I've come. But, as always, remember we are stronger together and I will see you in the next one.
Speaker 1:
Teacher bestie, bye. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and out of the classroom. It would mean the world to me if you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast. And if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your socials to let me know you're listening. As always, remember that we are stronger together, with all the love in the world. Helena, aka the Present Teacher, see you next time, teacher Bestie.