Teacher interview questions
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?
