Probably the most dreaded part of getting a job…the interview! At least for me, this is the most nerve-wracking thing EVER.

Lucky for you, I have quite a bit of experience in this area. I have my principal and supervisor certifications, so my principal allows me to help him in interviews at our school. Not only do I get to attend, but I get to ask questions as well. Since I have been doing this at my school for 3 years, I have collected a TON of interview questions and tips for you.

So, let’s get into it…

TIP #1: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Practicing might feel repetitive and silly, but I promise it is worth your time. The more you practice your answers, the calmer and more confident you will sound. The best thing to do is to practice in front of other people. Have a family member or friend ask you the questions so that you can practice your answers with them. This will help you speak in front of other people and get repeated practice answering the questions. If no one is available, simply practice in front of a mirror.

USE THESE EXAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU!

TIP #2: MAKE THOSE ANSWERS PERFECT!

This tip has a couple sub-tips to go with it…

CONNECT IT TO YOUR STUDENTS

Always connect your answers back to the students! Students are the most important, and you want to make sure that the person interviewing you knows that you believe that.

• For example, if you were asked, “You had a great lesson planned, but a delayed opening was called. What do you do? How do you adjust?” My initial thought would be to answer with something about still making sure the objective is being hit, even with the shortened period. And that answer isn’t wrong but, what about our students? First thing you would want to do is make sure that everyone was able to get to school safely, see if your students were still able to eat before school, see if everyone is ok, etc.
• It is hard to think about those things when being asked about a lesson, but the individuals interviewing you will be very impressed that you thought about your students and their well-being.

HAVE GENERAL ANSWERS PREPARED

Have one general answer on hand for each topic. In my interview questions document, I have questions organized by topic: lessons, differentiation, student engagement, parents, etc. For each of these topics you should have one, very general, answer prepared so that no matter how the interviewer words their questions you can use the answer that you prepared.

• For example, almost every interviewer will ask you for an example lesson that you have taught and then some follow up questions about it. If you have one very good lesson in mind (for math and ELA) you should be able to answer any of the questions.

EYE CONTACT

Don’t forget to make eye contact. Don’t make it weird HAHA, but make sure that you make eye contact with the person interviewing you! If it is a panel, make sure that you look at each of them at different times throughout the interview!

PAUSE AND BREATHE!

PAUSE AND BREATHE. After being asked a question, it might be your first instinct to just start talking. Instead, pause and take a second to collect your thoughts. This will save you a lot of “UMMMMM”s. Picture a graphic organizer in your head and try to organize your thoughts before answering.

TIP #3: KNOW THE SCHOOL/DISTRICT

This one might seem obvious, but it is something people forget to do very often. Simply, research the school and district that you are interviewing for. You want to know things like the area the school is in, their student population, the demographics of students, what programs they offer, the curriculum that they use, etc. In addition, know the school and/or district’s mission statement. Know what they believe to be important.

TIP #4: DRESS THE PART

This is another one that can sound obvious, but often gets forgotten. Make sure you dress to impress. I am the LAST person to tell you that you MUST wear a dress or a suit. Dress comfortably, but professionally. Wearing nice pants and a blouse or a button-down shirt is just fine. Oh, and brush your hair   Even if your university is having you do mock interviews, you still want to dress the part. Principals and superintendents are ALWAYS looking.

TIP #5: BE YOURSELF!

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you are not just because you are in an interview and you desperately want the job. You want someone to hire you for YOU! Don’t be afraid to let your personality come out.

TIP #6: YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS TOO!

You can ask questions too! I would recommend waiting until the end, but you can definitely ask your own questions. Here are some examples of questions you might ask:

• When would the position start?
• Do I get a mentor teacher my first year?
• What, if anything, do you do to help first year teachers?
• Does your school have committees?

Tips For Demo Lessons

—Ask the school about the makeup of the class and the technology, or lack of, that you will have.

—If you will have a SmartBoard, prep slides to go along with your lesson to keep you and the lesson on track.

—Use timers on the slides to keep your time in check.

—Introduce yourself and give the students an opportunity to introduce themselves or have them make a quick name tag or name tent on their desk.

—Make your expectations clear at the start of the lesson – 3 easy rules to follow.

—Display the objective, or at least state it during the lesson.

—Make the lesson student led as much as possible.

—Have an exit ticket – even if it’s just calling on a few students to check for understanding at the end of the lesson.

—Practice, practice, practice!

I hope that you found these tips and the example questions helpful! If you have any questions, I would love to help you out! I would also love to know if these tips and questions help you get a job!!! Keep me updated. The best way to reach me is to DM me on Instagram or to email me at [email protected]

If you are a cooperating teacher or student teacher looking for advice, checkout this BLOG POST!

PS. Shout out to my principal for teaching me everything I know!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Winter is often known as a “sweet spot” in education. The year has been going on long enough that students understand the expectations and routines. Additionally, teachers are able to focus on new content as students have fully adjusted from summer break. However, this area does have some tough spots. For instance, many teachers have to be flexible with snow delays and closings. Furthermore, attendance may be an issue due to illnesses that spread in the winter. Thankfully, the winter resources round-up will ensure students always have rigorous and engaging lessons no matter what! 

Winter Resources Round-Up Resources 

To ensure students love the winter season in the classroom, these resources will be sure to help!

• Winter Basic Skills: Boom Cards and Google Slides 

Students love working on technology! Thus, these Boom Cards and Google Slides will engage all students while practicing essential skills. For instance, students will work on counting and identifying colors and shapes. Furthermore, they will practice identifying uppercase and lowercase letters. If using the Boom Cards, students will receive automatic feedback on whether they answered correctly or incorrectly. If incorrect, students will answer again in order to ensure they know the content! 

Be sure to check out the Identifying Shapes FREEBIE to see how incredible this resource is! 

• Identifying CVC Boom Cards

CVC words are vital to practice! On each Boom Card, students will be given three pictures. Then, they will listen to or read the CVC word. To answer, they will click on the picture that matches the word. Various CVC words are included in the winter resources round-up, including sun, run, and jet. 

• Basic Skills Worksheets

These no prep, engaging activities practice multiple math and literacy skills. There are 17 different worksheets included. Even better, the resource includes a Google Slides version! Students will practice numbers 1-10 and matching colors and shapes within the activities. Additionally, students will practice multiple lowercase and uppercase letters.

• Winter Resources: Matching Worksheets

This resource is filled with differentiation! It includes 2 levels of matching worksheets for letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. Students will become confident at these skills with the help of these worksheets. 

• Matching Counting Activity 

The winter resources round-up will ensure students become strong counters. Here, teachers will have 17 sets of number matching cards from 0-10 to use throughout the year. For instance, there will be a set for multiple seasons and holidays, including winter hats and hearts. 

• Hanukkah Mega Pack of Activities 

This resource is packed with ways to teach about Hanukkah! There is a story to teach about the holiday, vocabulary activities, and a mini-book. Furthermore, there are comprehension questions, a BINGO game, and activities centered around the dreidel and menorah. Be sure to check out the Hanukkah FREEBIES for a Word Wall and reflection sheet. 

• More Winter Resources: Happy New Year Coloring Pages  and 100th Day of School Coloring Pages

Students love to color! Thankfully, both of these resources are FREEBIES! Both sets of coloring pages will help students celebrate the new year and the 100th day of school. 

The winter resources round-up will ensure that students practice essential skills during the cold months. You may also like this blog post. Students will be ready to review previously learned content in addition to challenging themselves with new content. No matter which options are used above, students will have a blast learning! 

JOIN MY FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive freebies for blog exclusive subscribers!  

It’s that time again… Break is over, and it is time to head back to school. Before we head back, I just wanted to give you a few tips to make the transition a bit easier for you and your students!

TIP 1: DON’T ASK YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR BREAK

I know this sounds strange but hear me out. Some of our students might not have the best home lives, which makes being home on breaks tough for them. They might prefer school over home. Asking them about their break and about “all of the fun things” that they did over break might be anxiety provoking for them.
Instead of asking about their break try asking them how they feel about coming back to school and what they are looking forward to.

Use these morning check-ins to start the conversations!

TIP 2: REVIEW ROUTINES AND PROCEDURES

Treat the first few days/weeks back like it is the beginning of the school year. As much as we would like them to, our students will not remember all the routines and procedures that we worked so hard on in the beginning of the school year. It is time for a REFRESH!!

I have some great freebies for you in my free resource library that could help you with this!

TIP 3: REVIEW MATERIAL

Just like our students won’t remember our routines and procedures, they will not remember all the material we taught them. Plan on reviewing material from November/December before jumping into anything new.

TIP 4: BE PATIENT

Chances are that our students don’t want to get back into the routine of school like us. We aren’t looking forward to waking up early and doing work. Neither are they. Be extra patient with them and understand that this transition is very hard for all of them too.

TIP 5: START A NEW SYSTEM

This one is fun!! Start a new classroom management system, reward system, token board, etc. Students respond well to new, shiny things and starting a new system could be just the thing to get them motivated and ready to get to work!!

I have some great freebies for you in my free resource library that could help you with this!

I hope that you find one or more of these tips helpful. Have an amazing transition back!! WE GOT THIS!!

Coming to school is no longer just about learning core subjects and going to specials. For so many students, it is a safe place that provides love, warmth, food, and safety. Due to this, it is more important than ever that teachers develop relationships with students. When relationships are developed, students know they are cared for and supported. Ultimately, this will greatly help them focus on the content while knowing they have a caring adult providing support. In order to combine academics and relationships, checking in with students is vital! While there are many things to accomplish daily, emotional check in’s with students’  will be some of the most valuable time spent. 

Reasons Teachers Need to Use Check-Ins 

Truly, there are so many reasons why it is important to use check-ins. 

• Understand the Needs of Students 

Many times, students cannot learn if they are overly stressed, sad, or angry. Therefore, a quick check-in will allow teachers to better understand the needs of students. For instance, using this daily check-in form will be a great way to help students express their feelings.

Furthermore, it will help track any trends students may be having. For instance, are there consistent days the child comes in angry? Or, really sad? Therefore, check-ins will allow teachers to help students handle different emotions. Additionally, they can also help children get counseling or other services, if needed. For other incredible freebies, be sure to join the Engaging Early Learners email list.

• Help Students Channel their Emotions 

When children are little, they have a hard time handling all of the emotions they feel! Therefore, check-ins help children learn to articulate how they are feeling. For instance, teachers can use the FREEBIE emotion posters in order to help students identify how they feel. 

By having different pictures that display emotions printed, students can practice matching their mood to the actual emotion. Additionally, if the posters are hung up, students can consistently read common emotions. Thus, they will be in a better position to articulate how they are feeling when asked. 

Furthermore, combining the emotion posters and the daily check-in form helps children explain the reasons behind their feelings. Even better, this can be a great time for teachers to teach techniques in handling different emotions, such as deep breathing. 

Ultimately, students need time and practice at identifying emotions to describe their own. Thus, another great tool to use involves the FREE emotions task cards!

Here, students will be able to describe how someone may look when experiencing certain emotions. For example, students may have a picture of a person frowning. Then, they will use the word cards to match how that person is feeling. In this case, the person is feeling sad. Truly, students will be able to work on channeling their own emotions after being able to describe common ones. 

• Build Relationships 

When students have time to meet with the teacher one-on-one, they feel special, loved, and cared for! Thus, check-ins allow time for the teacher and student to work on building a lasting supportive relationship. Therefore, morning check in pages and emotions posters can lead into great morning meeting conversations! Even better, when students start the day with this conversation, they can begin with a ready-to-learn mindset.

 In order to ensure time in the morning is well organized, Morning Meeting Slides will bring in FUN and EXCITEMENT! Additionally, a classroom morning meeting will help everyone become supportive, caring classmates. There are over 350 editable Slides that will spice up the morning. Students will learn routine, build a classroom community, and be ready to learn with these no-prep Slides! For more suggestions on creating a morning check-in routine, come join the Engaging Early Learners on Instagram! 

Oftentimes, students may be hesitant to open up during a check-in. Do not take this to heart! This is due to the fact that students may have never had the opportunity to articulate how they are feeling. Therefore, they are unsure on what to even say! Hence, it is so important to have extra tools and resources in order to help students learn to process their feelings and emotions. Truly, any of the resources above will be incredible ways to help students feel comfortable sharing their emotions. 

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive freebies for blog exclusive subscribers!