Supplement to Breakout Activity from Feb. 29th Meeting
Commonly Asked Questions from a General Teaching Interview

1. What was your motivation for becoming a teacher?

2. Describe an employment related situation that demonstrates your ability to work with other people.

•  discuss constructive criticism that has helped you grow

3. Describe a time when you were under a lot of pressure and how you handled it.

4. Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.

5. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

6. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and environments.

7. Tell me about a time when your work or an idea or your was criticized. How did you respond?

8. Describe a time when you were faced with a problem or stress at work or in a class that tested your coping skills. What did you do?

9. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

10. Tell me about a time when you failed to accomplish a goal that you set for yourself and how you handled that situation.

11. Describe a situation in which you were required to work under pressure and how you reacted.

12. Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to gain information to solve a problem. How did you analyze the information and come to a decision?

13. Can you relate a time when you had difficulty getting any part of a project accomplished? How did you approach this difficulty?

14. There are times in our building when we have several teachers absent for professional development and not enough substitutes to cover the classes. We rely on our teachers to help during a prep hour. How do you feel about giving up your prep hour to help in this way?

15. How do you handle the different ability levels of students? How do you help a student who is having difficulty?

16. Explain how you utilize special teaching/classroom management techniques; e.g., cooperative learning, multiple intelligences, assertive discipline, learning styles, etc.

17. Describe your experiences working with minority students.

18. Explain how you would integrate educational technology in your classroom to improve instruction.

19. How would you utilize student achievement date to prepare for instructional planning?

20. What should the principal or other district administrators expect to see when they come into your classroom?

21. Describe your ideas regarding classroom discipline.

22. What experience(s) have you had in teaming? Are you willing to team-teach? Why or why not?

23. Describe several techniques that you view as effective in motivating students toward active participation in the learning process.

24. Explain how you view parents as part of the learning community and your relationship with them.

25. What do you perceive as some of the greatest challenges/most difficult aspects of being an educator today?

26. Describe your ideas regarding classroom discipline; that is what techniques would you employ to establish respect and control in your classroom?

27. Share with us your organizational techniques for effective instruction. Specifically, what steps do you follow when designing a lesson?

28. What books/journal articles have you read in the last six months/year? In what way did it impact your professional development?

29. What extracurricular activities are of interest to you- class advisor, yearbook, coaching, student council advisor, etc.?

30. What professional conferences have you attended within the last six months/year?