Getting a Teacher Interview from Out-of-State: Top 5 Tips

Here’s a question via email from our EDU Edge friend Amber (aka Star Girl), an aspiring teacher preparing for the teacher interview from out-of-state:

“I’m applying out of state as I’m moving…. I’ve made close connections at my current school district and have great references but what would be some tips when applying out of state? Do I need to stand out since I can’t apply in person?… Also, some districts have completely online applications, while I filled out the application, is there anyone to stand out specifically for online applications?”

Amber- so glad you asked this question. Your situation is actually one that we are sure a lot of our readers are facing as well. We bounced this question off of our consortium of administrators around the country, crunched the numbers back at The EDU Edge world headquarters and here are the top five tips we came up with to get a teacher interview from out of state.

1. Apply for your certification in the state you are targeting- right away!
State certifications have become increasingly reciprocal. In addition, many school districts may be willing to hire you while your certification is being converted. You may not even have interest in applying to a traditional public school setting where certification is required.  All of these factors may be leading you to believe there is no reason to rush into the paperwork of applying for certification in your target state, but don’t be misled, you are much more marketable with a certification for your new state in hand.  For HR officers and school principals it let’s them know that there will be no hassles if they decide to hire you. Most will toss your vitae to the side if your certification is not in place no matter how good your education and experience appear to be.  Some charters or privates do not require certification, but if you have what is needed to get certified in your target state then do it because (even for these schools) it makes you more credible and desirable.  And one final reason to start the process now is that the transfer of certification can sometimes be a lengthy affair last from a few months up to a year or more depending upon the state.

2. Use the online applications required by school districts but also send letters of interest and vitae’s to individual principals.
The online application is a must these days.  Most districts, and some privates and charters, rely on regional digital clearinghouses these days as their source for applicants. These systems provide a certain level of consistency to applicant files and prescreening. Even if you manage to get an interview outside of these systems, some districts may still require you to file an online application to fulfill contractual obligations with their teacher union.  However, this does not mean that the old fashioned paper cover letter and vitae are useless. Depending upon your budget, it is worth sending these out to school principals in your targeted region introducing yourself.  These cover letters should be brief (no more than three short paragraphs) and sent in the spring and mid summer. While the odds are not high that you will land a job right away, there is a chance that a principal or secretary will forward it to an HR officer or save it in a file of potential candidates and pull it out at some point, particularly in a time of unexpected need. 

3. Apply for “anchor” positions.
Applying for a teacher interview from out of state has some limits.  The reality is that there are just some things you cannot do as well from a remote location. In order to get to the state in which you ultimately want to land, you may have to take a position that is not your ideal but will help you to put your anchor down. Having an anchor position will allow you to get into your new state and then more effectively conduct a search for your dream job.  So stop applying exclusively for the jobs that you want and start looking at jobs that will “work” for the time being. Whether it is the type of school (private, charter, or public), setting (suburban, rural or urban), a long commute, or even applying for positions you may be overqualified for such as teacher assistant positions (See Chapter 3 of The Insider’s Guide to The Teacher Interview to learn the increasing advantages of being a teaching assistant even if you have a teaching degree) you should start looking at situations that are not your dream job, but you could live with for a year or two. From this anchor position, you can start to make connections within the local teaching community and establish visibility. Financial flexibility certainly comes into play and is different for everyone, but taking an anchor position may be a necessary step if you are truly set on getting to a new state.

4. Use the troops already on the ground.
If you have any friends or family (particularly in the field of education) who are in the state you are targeting, use them as a part of your marketing team.  Let them know in writing that you are actively searching for a teaching position in their area and that you need their help.  Send them both a digital version of your vitae as well as a few copies printed to quality paper. Ask them to share with anyone they might know in the teaching or school administration community.  Ask them to mention your interest to as many of their friends as possible. So often it is word of mouth within the teaching community, particularly when a teacher is needed on short notice that results in a closer look by the people who do the hiring.

5. Plant as many seeds as possible, but don’t annoy.
As you have probably gathered from the points made above, the key to landing a teacher interview from out of state is about creating as much exposure as possible for your teaching candidacy with the hope that each and every seed you plant increases the chance you will get a teacher interview. You can never tell where and when these seeds will grow. The administrators in our consortium could tell you a thousand stories where incredible timing or chance resulted in these seeds taking hold in the most unlikely of places and resulting in a candidate landing a job. The one thing you do not want to do is irritate connections you may have within the teaching community or school administrators you are approaching. School administrators in particular face thousands of decisions in any given day and are stretched farther than ever. Chances are that if you sent them a vitae that they have received it and have decided whether to discard it, file it or move it on to someone else who might make use of it.  A lack of response does not mean that they did not receive your communication.  A follow-up a few months down the road might be appropriate but repeated attempts to solicit them in person, digitally, or by mail could lead them to cross you off their list and eliminate the possibility they will refer you to other openings.

Again, one of the essentials you should have going into any teacher interview is the book that has changed the teacher interview game forever, The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview written by school administrators who do the hiring, it is the essential handbook on exactly what to expect during the teacher interview.

Good luck to you Amber!  Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together. 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Top Do’s and Don’ts To Land a Teacher Interview by Connecting with the Principal

Here’s a question via Twitter from our EDU Edge friend Brittani, an aspiring teacher preparing for the teacher interview process.

“I substitute often at an elementary school that I really like and would love to land a full time teaching job at. I try to get around to all the grades to get to know all the teachers but I want to let the principal know that I am interested and she is never around. What is an appropriate way to let the principal know that I am interested?”

Thanks for bringing this issue to us Brittani.  It sounds like you are doing many of the right things already in your quest to land a full time teaching position. Whether you are a substitute teacher or a student teacher, the dilemma you face is not uncommon.  Principal’s are tough to pin down for a conversation. Unless you have been a school administrator before, it is hard to explain just how much our society in this day and age has put upon them to be superhuman. Unfortunately, much of the time they need to devote their attention to the biggest fires of the day. There have been studies to show that school administrators, ER doctors, and air traffic controllers make the greatest number of decisions in an average day (in the thousands) and are the most stressful occupations. However, this does not mean they do not care about the quality of the current people they have contributing to their school or potential future talent to add to their staff. First, please be sure you have already taken all the steps suggested in our blog post entitled, “Top Five Substitute Teaching Tips For the Successful Teacher Interview.”  It is worth noting that most of these tips are also applicable to student teachers.  Secondly, be sure you get a hold of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview which is the first book written by school administrators providing an insider’s perspective of how they go about selecting teachers for interviews and how to succeed at every step of the interview process.

If you have tackled all of these things and you still feel unsure about whether your principal knows of your interest in working in their school building, these are the things we suggest you DO:

1. Write them a handwritten note on a high quality card thanking them for the opportunity to serve in their school and expressing your interest in interviewing for a full time position should one become available.  Be sure to indicate the teachers on staff you have worked closely with and some of the initiatives for which you may have made contributions.  A positive, handwritten note with a pleasant and relaxing look to it will be well received when they are opening their mail during a quiet moment afterhours.

2. Schedule a meeting through their secretary at least a week ahead of time.  If the secretary and the principal know that you are a part of the set schedule for a day and that you are not imposing upon their stressful schedule in a sudden fashion, it will speak well of you and will be more likely to be well received.  Be sure you schedule it for no more than ten minutes so they understand it will not be time consuming. If the secretary asks the purpose of the meeting, tell them you would just like a minute of the principal’s time to reintroduce yourself and express your appreciation.

By the way, with either of these approaches, there is no need to provide a vitae right away unless they request it. Wait until another month or two passes or until the end of the school year before you drop them a copy of this as it will provide another chance to follow-up and refresh their memory.

When seeking to let a principal know of your interest in working in their building as a full time teacher, these are the things we strongly suggest that you DON’T DO:

1. Stop the principal in the hallway to tell them of your interest.  The odds are that they will be highly distracted as they are headed to another destination or worse, they could be irritated, even if subconsciously, because they have another task they are attempting to accomplish at that moment and you are delaying them.

2. Drop into the principal’s office.  You may not get past the secretary and if you do, they may be irritated you bypassed them as their job is to provide some sort of order to the principal’s daily schedule. And let’s say you do make it into see the principal. Even if it looks like they are just sitting at a computer and listening to jazz music, trust us, they are trying to get through the hundreds of emails they receive per day or using the time to accomplish paperwork that takes a good deal of thought and concentration. No matter how pleasantly they receive you, there is a chance that you may have created a negative marker in their subconscious.

3. Email them.  This one is a little debatable because email does give you an opportunity to connect with the principal on a schedule that is convenient to them and in a fashion that does not take up much of their time.  However, we lean against communicating with them by email. Principals receive so many emails each day that they become numb to this form of communication. One more piece of electronic communication is likely to add to their daily email count and may not leave much of an impression. The handwritten card or scheduled meeting offers the opportunity for a warmer and much more positive connection that email cannot provide. In addition, the card and meeting both show a greater level of commitment and thought than an email which anyone can fire off from any smartphone or ipad in a few seconds.

Good luck to you Brittani!  Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together. 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Top Five Substitute Teaching Tips For the Successful Teacher Interview

Here’s a question via Twitter from our EDU Edge friend Brittani (@brittanilynne), an aspiring teacher who is substitute teaching and preparing for the teacher interview process.

“What are some tips for substitutes to help them land a full time teaching job?”

Brittani – Thanks for contacting the EDU Edge.  First of all, congratulations on taking the right step to eventual success in landing a teaching job: substitute teaching. Our consortium of administrators has varying opinions from time to time, but one thing they are unanimous about is the need to serve as a substitute, temporary teacher, or teacher assistant if you do not get a teaching job immediately after earning your degree or if you experience a reduction in force at your school. We cannot stress enough how valuable it is to stay connected to education while you await a full time/tenure track teaching position.  If you have any doubt, The Insider’s Guide to The Teacher Interview ©2012 provides an extensive explanation of exactly why it is such an advantage to take these positions over jobs outside of education that may offer more pay or day-to-day predictability in the short term.  But for now, we’ll give you five solid tips of how to make your substitute teaching experience result in successfully landing a teacher interview and job:

1. See everyday as an interview: When you are subbing, every day and every single thing you do is an interview. Be sure you dress the part and do everything to put your best foot forward at every moment. You will be watched constantly to see how you respond to difficult situations, the effort and attention to detail you put into even the most routine of tasks.  Subbing is more than paying the bills and making connections.  It is about making an impression that will be positive and memorable to those who may eventually influence whether you are contacted or successful at a teacher interviw.  In many cases, you are going to have to show greater self-discipline, motivation and professionalism that veteran teachers. 

2. Become indispensable: School administrators and teachers find themselves under a crush of expectations from society that is stretching them thin.  A person who is ready and willing to take even one worry off their plate will be noted as someone they eventually want on their team or are willing to refer to another school that has an opening.  Being flexible and demonstrating a willingness to go above and beyond can help your personal goal of securing full-time employment.  If you are assigned a change of schedule or extra assignment at the last minute, respond with confidence and an eager attitude.  If you have free periods, check in with the administrator or coordinator who arranges subs for the school to see if they need help.  Offer to assist department members with serving on scoring teams if you are properly certified and the district allows this.  Stop down to the tutoring center and offer to assist.  Extra hands are always needed for school clubs and trips, if you are a regular substitute at the building, offer to assist in any way possible.

3. Get to know the department chair and the other teachers in your discipline:  It goes without saying that school administrators often make final decisions on who gets interviews and who gets hired.  They can also use their administrative networking to assist you with openings at other schools/school districts.  However, the teachers in the schools often know when a job is going to become available long before anyone else (ex: retirements, relocation, maternity leaves).  If the teachers in the department already know and like you, they lobby for you to get an interview. Next, who makes up the interview committees? Those same teachers. In that role, they again wind up lobbying for you to get the position. In the short term, these teachers also make requests for who they want to sub for them.  If they like the work that you do for them, it can lead to you being called back to the school to sub or serve as a long term sub in your content area on a regular basis. In teaching, being a familiar face is a plus on your side.

4. Be kind and helpful to EVERYONE: We hope your mama brought you up right and you inherently want to do this, but even those with good mamas can slip.  Don’t get caught in the trap of just being a good person when it comes to administrators or fellow teachers.  Hiring committees are often comprised of a full range of stakeholders from parents, to students to additional staff.  In addition, those making the decisions on hiring form their impression of you from sources well beyond you!  Custodians, secretaries, students and teacher assistants will all make mention of what they think of you at some point.  It may seem unfair, but a simple mention by a trusted secretary to a school administrator or even a troubled student in the discipline office about your level of courtesy, effort or care for a child can sink your opportunities for a teacher interview or reference from a school administrator for an opening in another school.

5. Do not get discouraged: The life of a substitute often differs from that of a full-time teaching position. You have to remember that sub placements will not mirror an actual teaching position. Students and colleagues view and respond to you differently. From our experience, individuals sometimes become discouraged as a result. Do not become frustrated by mistaking the substitute experience with that of a permanent, full-time teaching position.  If you can get your foot in the door, you will eventually establish credibility with your regular students, colleagues and parents.  You will arrive at a greater level of day-to-day stability, understanding exactly what your job entails and will be a trusted member of the school community.

Good luck to you Brittani!  Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together. 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Teacher Assistant/Aide Positions: Process and Timing for Hiring

Here’s a question via email from our EDU Edge friend Erin, an aspiring teacher who has recently finished student teaching and preparing for the teacher interview process:

“Hi, I’m a recent grad, and I’ve decided that instead of subbing this year, I’d rather be a teacher assistant (if I don’t get a teaching job).  For these teaching assistant positions, when do districts typically do their hiring?  Do they wait until the end of summer to schedule interviews? Thanks for any tips! –Erin”

Erin– Thanks for contacting The EDU Edge.  First, we commend you on your way of thinking.  Working as a teacher assistant or teacher aide is increasingly becoming a smart and legitimate first step into the field of teaching if you are not able to land a teaching job right out of the gate.  As we have stated in a previous Blog Post, in this tough teaching job market, while others are sitting at home twiddling their thumbs waiting for a job to come to them, YOU will be in a classroom every day with students earning wages and benefits, possibly accruing time credits in your state’s retirement system, gaining educational contacts, improving your resume and interview materials, honing your craft to become the best teacher that you can be, etc.  Good for you!  We hope you get the job of your dreams by September … but if you don’t … your way of thinking and taking these proactive steps will get you there a lot sooner.  You can also read more about the advantages and evolution of these positions in The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.

Now to your questions:  The EDU Edge administrators are all over the place on this one.  From the responses to your question that we have received, it appears that administrator’s answers vary depending on the size and location of the school district.  Large urban school districts, for example, will try to set up large scale interviews later in the summer for multiple positions that need to be filled.  While, in smaller school districts, the norm seems to be that they will post Assistant and Aide positions when they come available. 

Overall, there is a definite tendency toward hiring late in the summer.  The general train of thought is that hiring early proves to be frustrating and a loss in time for administrators who hire early on in the summer only to lose their favored candidate(s) to full-time teaching positions in other districts.  Although, this preferred strategy and timing was countered by a few administrators who stated that they have had great results locking up teacher assistants early and retaining them, these appear to be from administrators in more affluent, suburban school districts.  In general Erin, it appears that you are correct.  The preferred strategy is to wait until most full-time positions have been filled and then go find the “diamonds in the rough” at the end of the summer. Directly connected to this, our EDU Edge consortium of administrators report that they are always trying to hire teacher assistants that will:

• do a fantastic job with their school’s students and staff
• grow and develop as teachers
• eventually slide into open and available full-time teaching positionsin their schools firing on all cylinders. 

Because there is some variation to the timing of these positions being filled, to be safe, The EDU Edge recommends that you keep your nose to the papers and utilize every other available resource to stay on top of these openings.  Because of the transient nature of these positions, they can and do pop up all during the year and a position that was filled on a Friday could be open again on the following Monday.  It is wise to search daily and ensure that your credentials and application materials are on file and up-to-date in every school district you may be interested in. 

Good luck to you Erin!  Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together. 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Teacher Interview Portfolios: Top Five “Must-Haves” & “Should-Haves”

Here’s a question via Twitter from our EDU Edge friend Benjamin Fiddler @Bfiddler, an aspiring teacher preparing for the teacher interview process.

“What are the most important things to include in my teacher interview portfolio?” 

Benjamin – Thanks for contacting the EDU Edge.  First of all, “Good for you Benjamin!”  Our consortium of administrators at The EDU Edge, has the feeling recently that the teaching portfolio has become something that is considered an “add-on” during teacher interviews. We think those that have this mind set are incorrect and moreover, we strongly recommend that no one should show up for a teacher interview without a portfolio.  From our experience, we can safely predict that the other candidates who meet with the interview team and who are competing with you for the job will bring one.  Make sure you have one.  These days, interview teams and principals expect to see candidate’s portfolios and will use them as a determination of your qualifications, even if they don’t look at them extensively, or at all, during the actual interview!

Top Five “Must-Haves” in Your Teacher Interview Portfolio

1. Have your portfolio held together in some way that looks professional. We have seen actual print shop bindings, leather three ring binders, artist portfolio cases, etc. All are fine. And, be sure that your portfolio’s overall interior appearance is consistent and properly reflects the investment that the district or school would be making in you.
2. Include an educational philosophy. We know what you’re saying … “Really?” Yes … trust us … do one!  Make it personal but brief and concise!
3. Include your Resume or Curriculum Vitae.
4. Five letters of recommendation. Make sure at least three of them have directly supervised you. The golden standard of reference letters are those that have been written by individuals who have supervised and evaluated you in the classroom (see Chapter 4 of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview for a hierarchy of the best letters of recommendation to include).
5. A plan on how you will leave your portfolio with the committee and how you will be able to get it back later OR a plan to provide each committee member a hard/electronic copy. We know this portfolio is a precious thing to you, but you are going to have to trust the committee with it and pick it up in a few hours or days if necessary. This may even give you another opportunity to informally speak with the principal when you pick it up.

Top Five “Should-Haves” in Your Teacher Interview Portfolio

We have seen some amazing and creative teachers come up with interesting ideas on how to present themselves through a portfolio. The ideas and options are endless. In education, there is no set way to do a portfolio so use your imagination and adapt it to your own personality.  You can find these and many more ideas in Chapter 12 – Portfolio Advice of The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.

1. Artifacts of student work. If possible, it is impressive to include the lesson plan, task that you created for the students, and the work that your student’s produced.
2. Classroom observation documents/evaluations that you have received from an administrator. These, if you have them, can be very powerful.
3. Statement about classroom management theory and the steps that you take inside your classroom to create a safe and orderly environment.
4. Letters from parents commending the work you did with their children.
5. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!  We cannot emphasize the power of pictures enough when it comes to portfolios. During interviews, committee members are trying to get to know you and trying to envision you teaching. Don’t trust their imaginations to do so, give them pictures. Pictures bring it together for committee members and verify the reality that you are meant to work with children. For this reason we recommend photos or newspaper articles of you: teaching students in the classroom, with students on field trips, learning excursions or outside class activities, with children while you are serving in advisor roles, with your students at musical or athletic events, coaching or working with children in a coaching capacity, as a leader and role model.

Good luck to you Benjamin!  Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together. 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and try our best to help you.)

Student Teaching

Here’s a question via Twitter from our new EDU Edge friend Elle a senior at Eastern Michigan:

“I’m going to be doing my student teaching next semester … any tips?

Elle- We’re thrilled to try to help. On December 13th our EDU Edge Twitter Tip was: “We cannot stress enough … your search for the job of your dreams starts the first day of student teaching. Take every day seriously!” Your high priority for your student teaching experience is right in line with our thinking. Because our mission is to help aspiring teachers successfully navigate the interview process, let’s focus on the things you can do during your student teaching experience to optimize your MARKETABILITY when you complete your degree in education.

The reason that we feel so strongly about the connection between student teaching and landing a job is because our network of administrators works with dozens and dozens of student teachers every year. Some student teachers maximize this opportunity and some don’t. Those that come to learn, work hard, listen, reflect, and connect with the staff and students in the school, in essence, the ones that do everything they can to go above and beyond and stand out, are the ones that get hired … plain and simple. One of the greatest dangers is to conceptualize student teaching as another task to check off your list and believe once you get to an interview or an actual job you’ll show people what you are made of and define your style. Moreover, we know that your student teaching experience is sooooo important because there are a lot of important “firsts” during this experience. How you handle them when they happen to you (trust us … they will) and how you build upon them matters when it comes time to apply for a job and be successful in the teaching interview.

First #1 – During your student teaching experience, you get your first opportunity to put into practice (with real children for multiple weeks) all the coursework and ideas that you have spent learning in your education program. This is the first time that you will (on a daily basis) build lessons, put them into action, feel the thrill of having spent hours planning a lesson and have it succeed with students learning and enjoying what you have created. It will also be the first time you feel the internal disappointment when one of those well planned lessons falls flat. This is the first time you will really feel a taste of the pressure that comes with being THE teacher. During this journey you begin shaping who you are as a teacher and what you bring to the profession.

First #2 – During your student teaching experience, you will have your first opportunity to develop contacts and get letters of recommendation. Principals are not going to read the letter from the pizza joint you worked at during the summer. At this point in your career you have very limited references that really mean anything to a potential employer. Consequently, your cooperating teacher and your college advisor’s recommendation COUNT! The educational community is a close-knit and people talk. If your cooperating teacher thinks you are stellar, she will let those in other districts know … the same goes for the principal and your college advisor. Their opinion of you and what they say about you matters. Do yourself a favor and do everything possible to ensure that these individuals see you for what you want to be- someone who will do everything they can to become a master teacher and will make a difference in the lives of their students. You want and need their recommendations to reflect this positive outlook (see our comments in Chapter 4 – Resume Advice in The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview audiobook ©2011 – theEDUedge.com).

First #3 – Teacher Interview Portfolio. You get to put First #1 and First #2 into First #3 – your first complete teacher interview portfolio. During student teaching you will be designing lessons and assessments that will actually be implemented with students. When you do, think about your portfolio! Think about your future interview! What we mean is create great lessons, assessment, and tasks. Then take pictures of your students in action in the classroom (with appropriate school and parental permission of course). Keep copies of the lessons, the assessments, and examples of student work. Reflect on what worked and what didn’t work and put in writing what you would do differently in the future. When student teaching is over, you will have beautiful artifacts to add to your portfolio. Visual representations where individuals on interview teams can actually see you as a teacher and see the work that you have done inside the classroom with students goes a long way in the hiring process (see our comments in Chapter 12 – Portfolio Advice in The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview audiobook ©2012 – theEDUedge.com)

Finally, during your student teaching experience you are constructing and framing your answers to future interview questions. You are dealing with difficult students, implementing successful lessons, giving different types of assessments, dealing with and managing parent communication, etc, etc, etc. All of these will give you a base from which to grow as a professional and most importantly a reference point on how to tackle the difficult questions that interview teams will throw at you (see Chapter 8 on how to master hundreds of interview questions through our ‘Umbrella Approach’tm). Keep a written or audio journal each night of the prominent students, events, successes and failures of your experience. Review these prior to each interview experience. Not only is it a great way to grow and reflect from your student teaching experience, when you get interview questions that ask you to reflect upon situations you have encountered in the past, you will not need to hesitate, search your memory or wander in order to find an applicable experience.

Good luck to you Elle! Good luck to all of you following the EDU Edge. Please come back after your student teaching experience and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

 (Please feel free to contact us with additional questions. We’ll do our best to respond. The EDU Edge community is growing on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook. You can email us at info@theEDUedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Teacher Recruitment Days

Here’s a question from our new EDU Edge friend (Alex) in New York… “Teacher Recruitment Days are coming up in the spring – What are the most important ways to make a great impression at a job fair or teacher recruitment day?”

Alex- You are right on the mark so far as wanting to make an impression.  The main goal at a recruitment day is to be noticed and remembered.  You want the recruiters to: (1) see you as someone they would want to hire and (2) to remember you when and if a position were to come up.  Most of the school administrators who are a part of The EDU Edge consortium have served at recruitment days as representatives for our districts.  We believe the best way to make the right impression and be remembered is to appear knowledgeable about teaching and learning and enthusiastic to make a difference in children’s lives. Knowing what school leaders are looking for in interviews or at Teacher Recruitment Days is important (see Chapter 1 – What Schools and Districts are Looking For in The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview ©2012.)

Secondly, while Teacher Recruitment Days are more casual than actual interviews, candidates tend to be asked similar questions to those asked in actual formal committee interview settings.  The EDU Edge finds that administrators from all over the country report the same thing.  Consequently, it is wise to prepare for the same questions you would expect in a more traditional interview setting.  Preparation is key to mastering the interview, key to making a good impression, and key to showing off your knowledge about teaching and learning (see Chapter 8 on how to master hundreds of interview questions through the ‘Umbrella Approach’^tm).

Finally, Alex- smile, smile, smile … let your personality show … and be yourself.  It is so important to go to your recruitment day with a positive, optimistic outlook.  Before the recruitment day, take some time to be a bit reflective. You need to think, really think, about why you want to be a teacher. Let those reasons, emotions, and your passion for children show.  Recruiters are looking for teachers to inspire minds and teachers who will do great things for their kids.  Show them that you will be that special teacher they are looking for and at the same time demonstrate that you know your craft on the technical end.  If these two facets come across during a recruitment day interview, you are going to perform well on your score sheet and get a call back for additional interviews, even if it is a few months down the line when a position comes open and the admins head to their recruitment day files.

Good luck to you Alex!  Please come back after the teacher recruitment day and let us know what worked and what needs work so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Top 4 Books on Classroom Management: Secondary Teacher Interview Prep

Last week we answered an EDU friend about our Top 3 Books on Classroom Management for Elementary Student Teachers / New Teachers.  Those postings have been read by hundreds and quickly the Secondary Education folks were wondering about our Secondary Recommendations.  This blog post is for EDU friend Katie via Twitter (@kates89).  Again, we are thrilled that you all are asking these types of questions because reading professional literature is crucial to becoming a great teacher and highly correlated to success during your teacher interview.

Below are The EDU Edge recommended Top 4 Books on Classroom Management for for candidates preparing for a teacher interview in secondary education:

• ©2009 The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong – The EDU Edge believes that Harry’s First Days of School remains an informative and readable primer for new teachers in classroom management.  If you’re looking for a beginner “how to” book … this is the one!
• ©2008 Discipline With Dignity: New Challenges, New Solutions by R. Curwin, A. Mendler, and B. Mendler – The EDU Edge believes this to be a must read for new secondary teachers.  It is not just a book of strategies but will help you create a system of prevention and intervention.
• ©2008 The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills by – J. Saphier, M. Haley-Speca, & R. Gower – This is a practical guide for new practitioners working to broaden their teaching skills, the book combines theory with practice.
• ©2003 Classroom Management That Works: Research-based Strategies for Every Teacher by R. Marzano, J. Marzano, & D. Pickering

And don’t forget to read the essential interview handbook for anyone headed into teaching, ©2012 The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.  In this book we tell you exactly what to expect when you go in front of an interview committee.  It really will give you the edge over other candidates.

Good luck to you Katie!  And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives.  We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Top 5 Books on Instruction: Secondary Teacher Interview Prep

Last week we responded to an EDU Edge friend regarding our Top 5 Books on Instruction for Elementary Student Teachers / New Teachers.  Those postings have been read by hundreds and quickly the Secondary Education folks were wondering about our Secondary recommendations.  This blog post is for EDU Edge friend Katie via Twitter (@kates89).  Again, we are thrilled that you are asking these types of questions because reading professional literature is crucial to becoming a great teacher and highly correlated to success during your teacher interview.

Here are The EDU Edge’s Top 5 Books on Instruction for candidates preparing for a teacher interview in secondary education:

• ©2006 Inspiring Active Learning: A Complete Handbook for today’s Teachers by M. Harmin and M. Toth – This book answers new teachers fundamental teaching questions and gives over 250 practical strategies on how to transform your classroom into communities of active and responsible learners.
• ©2002 Working on the Work by Philip Schlechty – This book shows teachers how to improve the quality of the work that students are asked to do and then shows them how to properly reflect on the work that students produce.
• ©2001 Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Marzano, Pickering and Pollock– This book promotes teaching strategies that have positive effects on student learning: Identifying similarities and differences, Summarizing and note taking, Reinforcing effort and providing recognition, Homework and Practice, Nonlinguistic representations, Cooperative learning, Setting objectives and providing feedback, Generating and testing hypotheses.
• ©2001 How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson – This book provides practical examples to begin to differentiate instruction in your classroom. Strategies include curriculum compacting, “sidebar” investigations, entry points, graphic organizers, contracts, and portfolios.
• ©1997  Kagan Cooperative Learning by Spencer Kagan – This is a must have resource for the new teacher.  Use of sound cooperative learning structures not only is good instruction but it IS classroom management.

And don’t forget to read the essential interview handbook for anyone headed into teaching, ©2012 The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.  In this book we tell you exactly what to expect when you go in front of an interview committee.  It really will give you the edge over other candidates.

Good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives.  We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Top 3 Books on Classroom Management for Elementary Teacher Interview Prep

EDU Edge friend (Beth @bmariefoster) asked via Twitter … “What books do you recommend for student teachers / new teachers on classroom management? 

Below are The EDU Edge recommended Top 3 Books on Classroom Management for young people (like yourself) doing their student teaching or in their first year or so as an Elementary Education teacher:

• ©2009 The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong – The EDU Edge believes that Harry’s First Days of School remains an informative and readable primer for new teachers in classroom management.
• ©2002 Teaching Children to Care – Classroom Management for Ethical & Academic Growth, K-8 by Ruth Sidney Charney – The EDU Edge believes that this is a quality work about classroom management that will show teachers how to turn their vision of respectful, friendly, academically rigorous classrooms into a reality.
• ©2006 The Daily Five by Boushey and Moser – This is more of a pragmatic text that provides detail on specific instructional and classroom management structures that can be used in the classroom everyday….easy reading and provides the “practice” that comes from the “theory.

And don’t forget to read the essential interview handbook for anyone headed into teaching, ©2012 The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview.  In this book we tell you exactly what to expect when you go in front of an interview committee.  It really will give you the edge over other candidates.

Good luck to you Beth!  And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives.  We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

 

Top 5 Books on Instruction for Elementary Teacher Interview Prep

Question from an EDU Edge friend (Beth @bmariefoster) via Twitter … “What books do you recommend for student teachers / new teachers on instruction?

Beth – Thanks for contacting The EDU Edge.  We are thrilled that you are asking these type of questions because reading professional literature is crucial to becoming a great teacher and highly correlated to your success during your interview for full-time teaching positions, which The EDU Edge specializes in.  We are a little biased but we think that the next book you should read is The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher’s Interview by Bill Kresse and Mike Vallely.  This is the essential interview handbook for any teaching candidate. OK … now after that shameless plug … let’s answer your question.

Below are The EDU Edge recommended Top 5 Books on Instruction for young people (like yourself) doing their student teaching or in their first year or so as an Elementary Education teacher.

• ©2002  Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller – A wonderful and insightful book that takes the proficient reader research and brings it to life in the elementary classroom.
• ©2011  The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades PreK-8, Second Edition by Fountas and Pinnell – This is not so much a teaching instruction manual, but rather a detailed description of connecting assessment to instruction using research based classroom practice at all reading levels Pre-K to 8th grade.
• ©2004  The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They’re All Hard Parts) by Katie Wood Ray – Most teachers find it very informative and helpful in setting up a writing workshop in their classroom.  This is typically not taught in pre-service education courses or at least not in any detail.
• ©2008  Better Answers – Written Performance That Looks Good and Sounds Smart by Ardith Davis Cole – An easy-to-implement, step-by-step protocol for helping students focus upon acquiring the basic literacy skills to meet state standards in the English language arts of writing.
• ©1997  Kagan Cooperative Learning by Spencer Kagan – This is a must have resource for the new teacher.  Use of sound cooperative learning structures not only is good instruction but it IS classroom management.

Good luck to you Beth!  And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge.  Please come back and let us know if you enjoyed these books and if our advice benefited you and your goal of becoming a full time teacher that makes a difference in your students’ lives.  We want to know because we want to grow and learn with you along the way.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com.  Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome.  We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Teacher Interview Question Trap

Beware The 300 Teacher Interview Question Trap

Here’s a question via email from our new EDU Edge friend Amanda, a senior at the University of Rochester in New York

“I’ve Googled ‘Teacher Interview Questions’ and there are all these sites that have hundreds of questions … Really? I feel very overwhelmed when I think of trying to prepare for hundreds of questions. Help!”

Amanda – we know exactly what you are feeling. Personally, we remember vividly being an undergrad going to our College Career Center and getting a photocopied list of dozens and dozens of questions only to find that, in an actual interview, they didn’t ask any of the questions we had prepared for or “thought” they would ask. In a perfect world, some little elf would hand deliver each of us the list of questions the interview team was going to ask the night before the interview so that we would be prepared …but that is not likely to happen.

Here’s the deal.  In The Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview (a publication of The EDU Edge) you will find hundreds and hundreds of questions that have been asked in interviews around the country . To be honest Amanda, we’ve never counted them before until you sent us the email, but we have over 300 questions listed ourselves. But, unlike those in your Google search, we know from personal experience that having a list of 300 questions in your hand is basically USELESS because the actual interview team that you encounter during the interview is only going to have time for around 6-10 questions. Even worse, are those Google searches who claim that they know the “Top Questions” asked in teacher interviews. We do not give a great deal of weight to this because while there are certainly trends and questions that are asked more often than others, no one can predict the answers YOU will encounter in YOUR specific interview, for YOUR specific job, in YOUR specific school.

YOU and YOUR interview is what matters most to us … we want to help YOU succeed! Consequently,  The EDU Edge has gathered questions asked by interview teams all over the country. After studying literally thousands of questions, we have been able to identify commonalities and patterns that have allowed us to divide them into twelve domains. Each of these domains is addressed by what we have called an “Umbrella’ Question” that we feel covers the domain. We believe and have seen from experience helping aspiring teachers just like you that if you write out, prepare, and practice for these 12 Umbrella Questions, you will be able to use them as a springboard for other answers to similar questions in the domain. We feel very confident that by mastering responses to these twelve umbrella questions, you will have responses ready for any question an interview committee might throw at you.

Please understand … our “Umbrella Questions” are not the “Top Twelve” questions that are asked during teaching interviews. They are the twelve questions that, when practiced, will best prepare you for any question that may be thrown at you during the interview. We not only believe, we know from personal experience helping aspiring teachers just like you, that practicing and preparing for these twelve questions will give you the edge in the interview (see Chapter 8 – Interview Questions: The EDU EDGE ‘Umbrella Approach’).

Good luck to you Amanda! Good luck to all of you following the EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how you make out so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

Teacher Interview Cover Letters

Cover Letter Question from @deyoungb – Brian D – “Besides proper spelling and grammar, what do people who do hiring look for in cover letters?

Brian – Thanks for contacting The EDU edge. Many candidates feel the need to write an extensive narrative with their entire background and educational philosophy in their cover letter. When our administrators who are a part of The EDU Edge consortium screen applications for our schools, often times we’ll see cover letters spanning more than one page. Here’s an Insider TIP: From our experience in hiring teachers, the reality is that cover letters rarely get read in their entirety. Schools and districts usually have thirty to forty application packets to sift through, if not hundreds. When you write an extensive cover letter you are opening yourself up to the possibility of saying the wrong thing, grammatical errors (as you correctly stated), or obscuring the most important information you want to relay.

 

Our advice is to keep it short, to the point, and to focus your energy on the more important aspects of getting the job i.e. a quality resume, building your instructional knowledge, preparing for interview questions, building contacts and references, designing a strong, robust portfolio, etc (see Chapter 3 of ‘The Insider’s Guide to The Teacher Interview’ – How to Get an Interview).

 

Having said that, here are some bread and butter basics when writing a cover letter:

• Letter should be on high-quality, lighter color, 8 ½” x 11” paper.
• Send the original letter with name signed in blue. (This was once frowned upon in correspondence etiquette circles, but in the age of computers and photocopiers has become an acceptable way of showing the letter was individually signed by you)
• Use perfect grammar. (As you correctly stated!)
• Make sure that there are no typos or misspelled words.
• Never use impersonal greetings i.e. To Whom It May concern, Dear Madam, Dear Sir, etc. Call the school and find out the person and the person’s title to whom the letter should be addressed.
• Keep the cover letter short; one page, with about three paragraphs, including your opening.
• Be sure your letter is specific to the position, district, and building you are applying to.

Among other things that we suggest and discuss in Chapter 4 – Cover Letters and Resumes, we recommend that you express the following in your cover letter:

 

· Your interest in the position.

· A very brief summary of your education or experiences.

· Why you would be a good fit for the open position.

· How they can get in touch with you at a moment’s notice.

 

Good luck to you Brian! And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

 

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,

The EDU Edge

 

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theeduedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

How Important is GPA in Getting a Teaching Job?

GPA Question from a new EDU Edge friend (Mark) in Alabama … “I am at the end of my junior year and haven’t really applied myself. Is my poor GPA going to hurt me when looking for a teaching position?”

Mark – Thanks for contacting the EDU Edge.  We would love to make you feel better by telling you that your GPA will not affect your job search, but one of the reasons we have been successful in coaching teaching candidates is by providing the ‘straightforward insider scoop’. Unfortunately, a low GPA will affect two aspects of your job search: (1) how your resume is constructed and (2) how a school district reviewer reacts to your resume in the initial screening process. Let’s take a look at each.

First, when you build your resume or curriculum vitae, you will have the choice of listing experience or education first. For most people like you (right out of college with little teaching experience) the choice will be to list your educational background. In Chapter 3 of the Insider’s Guide to the Teacher Interview – Cover Letter and Resume Advice, (a publication of The EDU Edge) the authors recommend that that you should almost always list your GPA if you are right out of school. The reasoning is simple and straightforward, if you do not list it, employers assume it was disastrous.  With very few exceptions, the missing GPA is a door closer.  This is just the way it is!

Mark, the good news is that even with a poor GPA, sometimes you can show strength in your area of study by listing the GPA specific to your major alongside your overall GPA. You stated that you are in the end of your junior year. Most of the time you are taking a high concentration of electives specific to your major during this time. Soooo hit the books and get that GPA within your major up!

Remember, if you are searching for a position during your senior year, you are going to have to contend with the GPA you have earned to this point. However, senior year provides you with two entire semesters to raise your GPA. It will help you out even if you do not land a teaching job right out of your undergraduate program. It will also improve your chances of getting into the graduate program of your choice. Do not give up the ship! Keep battling for the highest possible GPA right until graduation. It may mean you have to make some sacrifices you were not making previously amidst you friends letting loose during senior year, but this self-discipline will likely help to avoid years of unemployment or jobs you do not like.

The second reason your low GPA will affect you has to do with the initial screening process that occurs when your resume is being viewed by a district employee assigned to rank and rate resumes and application materials. A low GPA will stick in the reviewer’s mind or disqualify you altogether. For this reason we recommend that if you are still in school, please, please do anything you can to keep your GPA up. It may seem like there is no connection between your GPA and the ability to inspire young minds, but employers use this as a telltale sign of your intellectual ability and work ethic. Whether it is fair or not, in education circles, there is an unspoken assumption that in order to lead students, you need to have been a relatively successful student yourself. Do not underestimate the power of the GPA when it comes to applying for teaching positions.

Good luck to you Mark! Get as focused as possible on your classes and program. Get those grades up before your college career is over and you move on to student teaching. And, good luck to all of you following The EDU Edge. Please come back and let us know how it went so we can all learn together.

Yours in a Partnership in Learning,
The EDU Edge

(Please feel free to contact us with additional questions … we’re on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and you can email us at info@theEDUedge.com. Tell us what interview obstacles you’re dealing with and trying to overcome. We’ll do our best to respond and we welcome dialogue from others going through the same process.)

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