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The Interview Process
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10 thoughts on “The Interview Process”
Perfect timing, thank you for this.
What to say and what not to say at an interview…
I was recently turned away, “We decided to move ahead with other candidates,” after interview with 3 Spanish teachers at a school I was hoping to land a job at, and I’m left thinking about how I might have sounded either coo-coo or threatening to them. For one, when they asked me about classroom management I showed them my jGR/ ICSR rubric, and went into some detail. I wonder if they were thinking things like, “So, they just sit there and listen to you?” I probably should have answered the classroom management question saying first, “When students feel like they are learning something in class; that the classroom experience is valuable to them; that they are following along and participating and engaged, your classroom management issues are solved.” Then I could list a few things that I do to keep kids engaged; Partner Pairs / Reader’s Theater / Movie Talk / Role Playing / TPR / reading authentic texts / Choral reading / Choral translating / etc. Just list some of these fancy sounding activities and let it be. I think my in-depth description of how jGR came about and it’s representation of Krashen and ACTFL and comprehensible input, made me sound like a fanatic, and that I wouldn’t fit in their department.
Also, they asked to see some examples of student work, so I brought in a folder of my students most recent Free Writes. I bet ya that as these teachers were looking through the Free Writes, they were probably thinking, “Boy, these students’ grammar is atrocious!” Next time I’m asked to bring in student work samples I’m going to bring in some of my students’ English translations with a copy of the Spanish story attached. That’s probably safer.
Finally, one teacher asked me, “What do you do when your CI instruction doesn’t work?” I answered by giving just one example of how I did an extended dictation once with a class that wasn’t feeling it that day. I really should have listed a few things I could pull from a “teaching tool box” when the CI lies flat; SSR, various brain breaks, Look & Discuss, TPR exercises, 10 min translation session of a previous story, (I could bs a couple more). The reality is that since nothing beats good PQA and Story-Asking for SLA, that’s what I push my students to sit down and listen to everyday for as long as they can. But I realize I shouldn’t say that.
Give me an interview with an administrator any day over sitting me down with a group of foreign language teachers. It’s much easier for me to talk about how I meet standards and use data and use research-based practices with administration who usually eat this stuff up than try to figure out how I can fit-in with a clique of foreign language teachers who may or may not do CI.
Some school will be very fortunate to hire you, Sean!
well, I was told this past week that my job may be cut. But, on the bright side, the school that I have been WANTING to move to is hiring!!! Also just posted THIS week! So, please wish me luck, and any more pointers on here this week would be most appreciated!!! (oh, yeah! it’s a CI school! – that’s why I want it so bad!!!!) Thanks.
Courage, Beth. May you end up in the more friendly atmosphere.
We’re rooting for you, Beth!
What great news!!! We’re all keeping our fingers crossed for you – they would be so lucky to have you!
Hopefully they get to see you do a demo.
Oh NOOOO Sean! I crack under pressure! 🙂
I bet you’re much more impressive under pressure than you make yourself out to be!