thingsforteachers:

Re: Positivelypersistentteach’s call for interview questions… that season is rolling around.

When I was looking for a job, I interviewed with around ten districts for middle/high school social studies teaching positions. I created this list during that time, so that’s what most of the questions will focus on.

• Tell me about yourself/What is your education/teaching background?
• What does a typical day in your classroom look like?
• How do you incorporate state standards into your lessons?
• How have you dealt with a problem student?
• How have you handled involved parents?
• How do you check for understanding throughout a unit?
• Have you used/are familiar with the Understanding by Design method?
• How do you plan?
• How do you accommodate for students with IEPs?
• How do you accommodate for gifted students?
• Describe a lesson that did not go as planned. How did you handle it?
• How do you handle classroom management?
• What are some of your classroom rules?
• What is your favorite time period in history?
• What is a book you have read recently?
• How do you incorporate literacy into your lessons?
• (for a Civics class) What Constitutional amendment would you choose to incorporate as an ongoing “theme” in your classroom?
• How do you assess students?
• How do you handle a student who is doing “average” but you think could do better/is not living up to his or her potential?
• How do you incorporate technology into your lessons?
• Describe your best lesson.
• Why should we hire you instead of somebody else?
• What would you get involved in outside of the classroom?
• How would your students describe you?/Name 3 words your students would use to describe you.
• What do you think the 3 most important qualities in a teacher are?
• What subject do you feel most comfortable teaching?
• What subject do you feel least comfortable teaching?
• (If you have experience subbing) How did you handle classroom management as a substitute? After your experience subbing, what would you be sure to do as a teacher leaving work for a substitute?
• What was the biggest challenge you encountered student teaching?
• What was your biggest accomplishment?
• What are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?
• What areas of professional development would you personally focus on during your first year of teaching?