At the @smsuemsp (Education Minnesota Student Program) meeting yesterday, the EMSP officers decided to share a little teacher candidate interview preparation with the members. HILARIOUS beginning. 😉

Several of the officers and officer-elects modeled a variety of teaching outfits, and the audience had to decide if the outfit was professional and appropriate for wearing in the classroom. Well, take a look at the picture above…what do YOU think??? 🙂

Professional Dress! Yoga pants, flip flops, blue jeans, drink t-shirts, gum chewing, cell phones, open skirts, sleeveless shirts, tattoos, khakis, suit jackets, department name tags, and lovely accessories were modeled for the audience. Right or wrong???

Once the fashion show was over, each model stepped forward and the audience was asked to share their thoughts on WHY they believed the outfit was okay or not okay to wear while teaching in their future classrooms. GREAT conversations arose from this activity!

The main message…if you want to be treated like a professional then you ought to dress like a professional. What do YOU think??? Please enlighten us with your thoughts to this in the comments below.

One Page verses Two Page Resume! Every principal is different on his/her opinion for a one page verses two page resume. Some personally want to see what the teacher candidate has accomplished. Each resume page will be carefully combed through. Others won’t read beyond page one. Yet others say one page, front and back, unless the teacher candidate has a wealth of knowledge or experiences to add.

Teacher candidates, we say do what you believe will showcase you in the best way possible. If the principal chooses not to look at the completed resume, you have no control over that. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Interview Questions! Preparing for interview questions is a tough job. Teacher candidates have no idea what will be asked. What one principal believes is important; another may have a different opinion on, and that is okay.

Wendy sent out a Tweet asking principals what they believe are important interview questions for teacher candidates to be aware of. Below are the responses she received back:

Interview Questions via Twitter Principals:

Describe an example of adversity in life that you’ve overcome.

How do you create an atmosphere of relevant and real world learning?

Most important be genuine, passionate & enthusiastic.

Technology as part of learning…integration.

Collaboration, differentiate, discipline, experience.

Be able to talk first week about culture (climate) building

What is collaboration to you? What do teams need to be successful?

What do you see as the greatest challenge facing teachers today?

Define professionalism and what it means to you.

What book are you currently reading to show you are growing as a professional?

What is something you would not compromise on?

What distinguishes you from others?

Tell me about a lesson you taught that you could sell tickets to! My favorite question for sure!

If you show up to school and your lesson plans are gone and you have a Banana, Apple, and kiwi…what do teach?

The power of story! Whenever you can answer a question with a story, do it! Don’t just give facts or buzz words.

How will you help to make us a better school?

How would you allow students to solve a real problem?

How do you incorporate student voice and choice in the classroom?

Student data and how it drives instruction.

Guided reading, differentiation, student engagement, and behavior management questions.

How will you meet the needs of diverse learners in your classroom?

Thanks to all the principals who responded. Appreciate your input!!!!!  And our teacher candidates REALLY appreciate your input.

One principal, @moritzwendy, sent us the following link to many great interview questions. Thanks to @blankenship_s for sharing all these great interview questions! Check out his blog, teacher candidates! Practice up… http://linkis.com/connectedprincipals.com/UOXJ4

Teacher candidates…we wish you all the best as you pursue that future teaching position. Minnesota has a teacher shortage going on right now so do great things and be guaranteed a job. Work hard. Go above and beyond. Be fabulous in your student teaching. We believe in you. Get that job! Make us prouder of you than we already are! Good luck to all of you!!

Stay Calm & Teach On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.