Résumé Writing and Interviewing
Resources to Help You Prepare
Résumé Check List
and Sample
Interview Questions
Brought to you by PAGE, Georgia’s largest professional educators’ association.
770-216-8555 ● Toll-free 800-334-6861
www.pageinc.org
Cover Letter Handbook for Teachers
Table of Contents
Effective Cover Letters .......................................................................................................................................... 1
Guidelines ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Cover Letter Format for Teachers ......................................................................................................................... 2
Sample Cover Letters ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Cover Letter Guidelines for Educational Leadership Students ......................................................................... 5
EFFECTIVE COVER LETTERS
A well written business style cover letter should accompany every resume being sent to a prospective
employer. Think of the cover letter as a promotional advertisement of your candidacy. The first
impression of you as a candidate will be based on your ability to express yourself and stimulate interest
in your background and qualifications. A cover letter’s goal is to highlight your knowledge, skills and
related experience and establish yourself as a viable candidate. Your cover letter should show how your
qualifications meet the needs of the school and its students. This is your opportunity to distinguish
yourself from the other candidates (background in the arts, ability to coach, fluency in a language, etc.)
There are two basic types of cover letters: application (responses to available openings) and broadcast
(general inquiry about available openings). Letters should be addressed to a specific individual. Try to
find the name and title of the school district contact before writing. Hiring officials are often listed in
directories, available by phoning the school district, or by checking online information about the
district. Make sure you have the correct spelling of the person’s name. If you cannot obtain a name,
address the letter “Dear Administrator”.
The first tip in writing a cover letter is to review information about the job and the school and attempt
to address key points relating specifically to that position, school and district. Next, consider your own
qualification and select those that most closely fit the requirements of the position. What are your
strongest selling points? What makes you especially qualified for that position?
Cover letters should never be more than one page and should not repeat your entire resume.
GUIDELINES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Since most cover letters get only a minute or two of consideration, you must grab the reader’s
interest immediately!
Always customize your letter for each position.
Appearances count so pay attention to format. Proofread and have someone else proofread!
Mistakes could cause your immediate rejection.
Use the same contact information heading for resume and cover letter.
Avoid beginning too many sentences with “I”.
Use professional language without too much jargon.
Demonstrate your abilities with specific examples. Show how your qualifications meet the
needs of the school. Highlight relevant experiences, appropriate training and specific
qualifications.
Use your own words; you do not want your cover letter to sound like it was copied from a book
or the internet.
1
COVER LETTER FORMAT FOR TEACHERS
Name
Your present street address
City, State Zip Code
Telephone
email
Date
Contact Person’s Name
Title
School or District
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Administrator (or Mr., Ms., or Dr. if you know the person’s name):
First sentence/paragraph: State why you are writing: specify the position for which you are applying
and whether you saw an advertisement or heard about the position or school through a referral or
by reputation.
Second paragraph: Begin with a sentence that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. Briefly
summarize why you are qualified for the position – use examples and specific accomplishments to
show how your skills and experience, strengths and accomplishments will address the school’s and
the students’ needs. Do not reiterate what is on your resume. However, you can elaborate on
something in your resume and how it impacted the students. Highlight any special skills that make
you a more valuable candidate, i.e. your desire to coach a sport, your theater/drama experience,
your interest in music or art, etc. If you are a graduate of the school, student taught or was a TA at
the school, mention it in the first sentence of this paragraph.
Third paragraph (optional): Use this paragraph to reveal more of yourself. If you are a career
changer, tell how skills developed during your previous experience will be an asset to you as a
teacher (i.e. communication, management, follow through, organization). You can also state why
you decided to teach.
Last paragraph: Express your sincere commitment to education and teaching children. Close the
letter with a request for an interview and include your telephone number if you do not use your
resume heading. Conclude by thanking the reader.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Your full name, typed
2
SAMPLE COVER LETTERS
Sample cover letter for recent graduate
STEPHANIE ROBINSON
2900 Purchase Street
Purchase, NY 10577
914-323-0000 [email protected]
April 20, 2009
Ms. Sara Jones
Director of Human Resources
Summerville School District
Summerville, NY 11111
Dear Ms. Jones:
I am interested in applying for the elementary teaching position posted on the OLAS website.
In addition to completing an undergraduate degree this year, I served as a tutor in an after-school
program at a local homeless shelter, where I helped students complete homework assignments and
broaden their understanding by connecting to the world outside their community. As a student teacher,
I created lessons that engaged all learners by applying a variety of teaching methods and utilizing
SMARTboard technology. I formed cooperative learning groups, organized individualized projects,
created learning centers and implemented learning style research in every lesson. Alternative
assessment methods, such as portfolios, rubrics and performance assessments, in combination with
traditional tests, enabled me to evaluate the students individually and comprehensively. In both my
student teaching and tutoring experiences, I met with parents to keep them apprised of their child’s
accomplishments and areas needing extra attention.
Classroom computers present unique opportunities to help each child achieve success. In a staff
development workshop I attended called Problem-Based Learning, I learned to pose open-ended
questions that children could research over the internet. In addition, I have studied and continue to
monitor educational software and websites that address the diverse abilities and interests of children.
I am passionate about teaching children and forge relationships with them that help build a sense of
confidence and enable them to grow as learners. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you
to discuss how my skills and experience can meet the needs of your students. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Robinson
3
Sample cover letter for a career changer
Thomas Nelson
1111 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577
914-323-0000 [email protected]
July 29, 2009
Dr. Rosalie Collins
Human Resources Director
Hamburg High School
2233 Division Street
Hamburg, NY 12456
Dear Dr. Collins:
I am interested in the secondary English teaching position for the 2009-2010 academic year. I am
well qualified for this position, possessing New York State certification for English Language Arts (512), a B.A. in English, and a Master of Arts in Teaching, Literacy (5-12).
My experiences as a substitute, tutor, and student teacher have afforded me the opportunity to
interact with diverse student populations and engage them in learning. Using teaching methods that
coincide with the Universal Design for Learning, including providing high-interest learning material,
multiple means of assessment and instruction, as well as the careful modeling and scaffolding of
new skills, I strive to ensure that every student achieves excellence.
In addition to believing that every student deserves and is capable of achieving success, I am
passionate about preparing students for the globalized world that they will undoubtedly face as they
grow to be adults. My lessons utilize any and all technology that is available, giving my students an
education in common technological uses including professional writing and presentations, internet
research, web design, and proper communication. Students are also encouraged to use and create
podcasts, web quests, and other similar activities as part of their authentic learning experience,
which engages them in the subject matter and teaches valuable real world skills.
Through my previous experience in retail sales and management, I understand the importance of
motivation and possess excellent listening and time management skills. In training my sales staff, I
created a cohesive team of people from very different backgrounds, modifying my training style to
suit the needs of each individual. I participated as a tutor through a program at my company,
volunteering each week as a teacher’s assistant in a local public school. It was this experience that
inspired me to re-evaluate my career and return to school to become a teacher.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience to further discuss my qualifications as
a secondary English teacher in your district. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Thomas Nelson
4
COVER LETTER GUIDELINES FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP STUDENTS
Your cover letter should
• Be one to one-and-a-half pages in length with short, clear paragraphs
• Single space within paragraphs; double space between paragraphs
• Describe you, not your previous employer
• Outline the realization of the district’s goals
• Show that you have done your homework (know district/school and its needs)
• Be error free – spelling, punctuation, grammar must be perfect
• Be positive, void of anything negative (districts want positive leadership)
• Clearly describe YOU and give the district the opportunity to assess the match between you and the
position
• Highlight (but not repeat) information in resume that is germane to the position and the district’s needs
In drafting the cover letter, you must assess your knowledge, disposition, skill and match to the position and
district. The letter will be the first impression the district has of you and should bring out the highlights of
your resume and your knowledge of the district and position. It is an opportunity to explain and expand your
resume with a sample of your writing, philosophy and vision, and to establish how these conform to the
needs and expectations of the district/school. The cover letter should contain the following four sections.
Paragraph One
• Begin by stating the position for which you are applying
• Include that you are aware of the duties and responsibilities of the position
• State whether you meet all of the qualifications – if you do not, specify which qualifications you do not
meet or indicate when they will be met
Paragraph Two
• Highlight the knowledge, skill and experience that you will bring to the district
• Intent should be to inform the district about what you can offer them for the future as opposed to what
you have accomplished for someone else in the past. Example: state that you bring two years of
experience in administering a primary reading program, instead of stating that you ran the Distar Program
for the XYZ District
• Summarize your resume – might include the highest degree attained, total number of years in education,
relevant training or experience, etc.
• Can include further explanation and/or additional information not included in your resume – information
about your background, the types of students with whom you have worked, evaluations, successes with
particular students, other relevant information.
Paragraph Three – Your Match with the District
• Show how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the current and future needs of the school/district
• Become knowledgeable about the history, current issues and future demands of the district
• Analyze the needs of the district and position in light of your experience and abilities – this is the
opportunity to show that you are the right match
Paragraph Four – Thankful and Bold Conclusion
• Offer a thank you for the time and effort the district took to review your application materials
• Request an opportunity to meet to further discuss your qualifications
Source:
School Leader Internship: Developing, Mentoring and Evaluating Your Leadership Experiences (Martin, Wright, Danzig,
Flanary & Brown, 2005)
5
Quick Résumé Checklist
Sources: 2006 AAEE Job Search Handbook, bestsampleresume.com, exampleresumes.org
Adapted by Reanee Ellis, Ph.D. and Valerie Suessmith
Check
√
Indicators
Have I limited my résumé to one or two pages?
(If you have more than one page, add continued at the bottom of the
first page, and put basic contact information – name, address, email
address - in the upper left corner and page 2 in the upper right corner.)
Is the résumé printed on white or ivory paper?
Is the type black?
Is the font readable?
• Palatino
• Bookman
• Times
• Courier
• Arial
Is the font size appropriate? No smaller than 10 points –
12 points suggested unless it is a heading.
Did I resist the urge to mix typefaces?
Have I underlined too much? This often does not scan
well.
Did I avoid italic type?
Are my indentations even?
Have I overused ALL CAPS?
Have I reserved bold for headings?
Are my “bullets” consistent?
• If a bullet contains more than one line, does the
second line begin directly underneath the first?
Have I used a “ragged right” layout and avoided
hyphens?
Is the layout esthetically pleasing? Framed in white space
of at least 1” borders on all sides?
Are my abbreviations consistent (i.e. IL or Illinois)?
Does the reader understand my abbreviations and
acronyms?
Does each position description contain the same
information in the same order? (position title, employer,
city and state, dates)
Are the most important positions described more fully
than lesser positions?
Have I started sentences with action verbs?
Have I used the word “I”? This should be avoided.
Am I concise? Have I eliminated meaningless phrases
such as “duties included” and “responsibilities were”?
Is my verb usage consistent (past tense) and are my
sentences parallel?
Have I asked someone to proof my résumé? Good
grammar and spelling are essential!
Notes
Good resume websites:
Each gives examples specific to teaching profession.
http://www.bestsampleresume.com/teachers-resumes.html
http://www.exampleresumes.org/teacher-resume.html
Sample Interview Questions:
Students and Student Engagement:
 There are some people who say students are volunteers. How do you react to the
statement, and how might it affect how you teach and design your lessons?
 You arrive at school the week before classes start. In your mailbox you find your
rosters, Sp.Ed. forms, test scores, and information on how to access Infinite Campus.
o What do you do to start learning about your customers (students)?
 When preparing a lesson and getting to know your customers (students), what qualities
must be present in your lesson design? What is your process in designing a lesson?
 If a lesson was not engaging for your customers (students), how would you
redesign/readapt mid-lesson for your customer?
OR
 If you realize your customers (students) are not engaged in a lesson how would you
adapt and re-group mid-lesson to engage your customers (students)?
Teacher’s Role:
What personal or professional experiences lead you or shape you in the profession of
teaching?
What is a teacher leader? Define your role as a teacher leader at this school.
What are some of the core values that shape your belief system and prepare you to be
successful in teaching, learning, and leading?
Explain the importance of relationships with colleagues and administrators. How does
this impact your ability to design and use protocols to assess student engagement?
What is your experience in working with the areas of co-teaching and differentiated
instruction? How do you begin the design process for theses customers?
TKES Question Bank
Summary
Overview
TKES Standards
Assessed
Additional
Competencies
Assessed
Estimated Time
Principals can use this bank to select TKES-aligned questions to incorporate into
their teacher hiring interviews.
Each of the TKES standards is accompanied by several questions a principal or
hiring team can use during the interview process. There are also questions that
allow a principal to gauge school fit and extracurricular leadership.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Professional Knowledge
Instructional Uses
Instructional Strategies
Differentiated instruction
Assessment Uses
Assessment Strategies
Positive Learning Environment
Academically Challenging Environment
Professionalism
Communication
1. School Fit
2. Extracurricular Leadership
Will vary
TKES Aligned Question Bank
Standard
Professional Knowledge
The teacher demonstrates an
understanding of the curriculum,
subject content, pedagogical
knowledge, and the needs of students
by providing relevant learning
experiences.
Questions
•
What makes you passionate about teaching {X-enter subject area}?
•
Discuss what qualifications make you an expert in {X-enter subject
area}?
•
Georgia educators receive guidance on their scope and sequence
from a curriculum map. If you had full autonomy to develop the
curriculum map for your students, describe any key concepts/skills
that you would include?
• Follow-up: Why did you sequence concepts in that way?
•
What would be your content specific year-end goal for your
students? Mid-year goals?
• Follow-up: Who would you communicate your goal(s) to and
why?
•
What is your teaching philosophy? How is it evident in your
classroom?
Alternate route questions
•
•
Instructional Planning
The teacher plans using state and
local school district curricula and
standards, effective strategies,
resources, and data to address the
differentiated needs of all students.
What experiences have you had that will make you a strong
[subject area] teacher.
What makes you an expert in [subject area] and why do you think
you will be successful teaching [subject area]?
•
Please walk me through all the elements you consider when
planning your lessons?
o Follow-up: What tools have you used, or plan to use, that
will direct your lesson planning? Give specific examples.
•
How do you plan to ensure that you reach all of the students in
your classroom?
•
What specific sources of data do you reference when planning
your lessons?
•
When planning lessons, how do you select content that is
personally relevant to your students?
•
How do you incorporate student input when planning?
•
What’s one specific objective that you are excited to teach this
year? What activities might you use in that day’s lesson to provide
your students with the practice necessary to master that
objective?
•
What are your goals for your students and what challenges do
you foresee that may prevent you from hitting these goals?
o Follow-up: How could you plan to best avoid some of
these pitfalls?
•
Tell me about a time when you didn’t plan your teaching
effectively. What did you learn from this?
•
How does instructional planning affect student outcomes?
•
What are the elements of a good long term plan?
Alternate Route Questions
Instructional Strategies
The teacher promotes student
learning by using research-based
instructional strategies relevant to
the content to engage students in
active learning and to facilitate the
students’ acquisition of key
knowledge and skills.
•
Explain a big project you have completed and how you
planned/organized tasks to complete the project on time.
a. How would you approach planning a unit plan as a teacher? In
other words, what are the key things you would think about
to create your plan?
•
Please provide an example of how you have helped students
connect current lessons to prior knowledge or real-life
experiences.
•
Tell me about a time that you ensured that your students
understood how a particular objective or activity related to their
overall course goals?
•
When teaching a lesson, how do you explain or demonstrate
concepts in a way that actively involves students in the learning
process?
•
Describe how you incorporate resources, other than the textbook,
into your lessons.
•
During a lesson, how do you use check-for-understanding
strategies to strengthen your lesson in the moment?
o Follow-up: If students do not understand the material,
how would you change your approach?
•
Tell me about a time when you have had to present an objective
that was not interesting to your students. How did you engage
students in learning this material?
•
What is one fundamental concept that is crucial for your students
to understand? Can you explain that concept to me as you would
to your students?
•
Tell me about a time that you effectively engaged students in
learning through using real world examples or interdisciplinary
connections.
•
Tell me about a time that you successfully developed higher order
thinking in your students.
Alternate route questions
• Describe a time you have had to give a presentation on a topic
that wasn’t very engaging. How did you make it interesting for the
audience?
Differentiated Instruction
The teacher challenges and supports
each student’s learning by providing
appropriate content and developing
skills which address individual
learning differences.
•
Describe a time you taught someone something they didn’t know.
What and how did you teach them? How were you sure they
understood?
•
What strategies help you identify the learning levels of all
students in your classroom?
•
Provide an example of a lesson in which you adapted activities
for audio, visual, and kinetic learners.
•
When teaching a lesson, how do you ensure the material being
covered is reachable for students at every level of learning?
•
What does differentiated instruction look like in your classroom?
Please give specific examples.
•
Provide an example of a concept and how you would teach it to
students on different academic levels.
•
Tell me about a time you stretched the thinking of a high
performing student.
•
Describe what you feel is the ideal balance between teacherdirected instruction and student-centered learning.
•
Tell me about a time you made a difficult concept or project
accessible, yet challenging, to a low performing student.
•
Tell me about a time when a student, even after remediation,
could not understand a concept. How did you address this
student?
o Follow-up: What did you do to ensure he/she was
successful at mastering the objective?
•
I’m a novice when it comes to [subject area]. Can you explain a
basic concept to me in such a way that I understand?
o Possible follow-up: Say I didn’t understand that; could
you explain it to me again in a different way?
Alternate Route Questions
• Describe a time you have been misunderstood when
explaining a concept. How did you explain it differently so that
it was understood?
Assessment Strategies
The teacher systematically chooses a
variety of diagnostic, formative, and
summative assessment strategies
and instruments that are valid and
appropriate for the content and
student population.
•
In detail, outline the different methods of assessment you
used to assess your last group of students. How did these
assessments impact how you delivered instruction?
•
Describe how you have used both formal and informal
assessments in your instructional lessons. Provide specific
examples.
•
Can you walk me through the process you undergo when
developing your assessments?
•
What would serve as a signal that a student needs more
rigorous assignments?
•
Tell me about a creative approach you used to assess students
in the past. Was this method effective? Why or why not?
•
What’s one objective that you plan to use in your class this
year? How would you assess your students to determine if
they had mastered this objective?
Alternate Route Questions:
• How has your professional performance on a project or task
been assessed in the past? Do you feel that this was an
effective way to assess your performance? Why or why not?
o What elements would you consider when designing
assessments for your students?
Assessment Uses
The teacher systematically gathers,
analyzes, and uses relevant data to
measure student progress, to inform
instructional content and delivery
methods, and to provide timely and
constructive feedback to both
students and parents.
•
When you get a new group of students, what resources do you
use to determine where to begin your instruction with them?
•
How do you use student data and other information to drive your
lessons?
•
How do you monitor progress towards your end of year goals?
How have your students monitored their own progress?
•
Excluding report cards, how are students and parents made
aware of student progress in your class?
•
In the middle of delivering a lesson, you realize most of your
students are not mastering the objective. What would you do
next?
•
During a lesson, what check-for-understanding strategies do you
typically use? Why these strategies?
•
After grading mid-semester exams, you realize your students’
progress is significantly off track. Describe what your immediate
next steps would be.
•
With your last group of students, how did you determine when to
scaffold material for them?
•
What are all the strategies you use to determine if your students
are on track, both short and long term?
•
How do you use data to track mid-year and end-of-year success?
How does this affect your planning?
•
How do you know your goals have been met? How would your
students know?
Alternate route questions
• When setting goals or managing a project, how do you determine
that you are on target to be successful?
Positive Learning Environment
The teacher provides a wellmanaged, safe, and orderly
environment that is conducive to
learning and encourages respect for
all.
•
Tell me about any set classroom routines or procedures that
would be implemented in your classroom.
o Follow-up: How do you get students to buy-in/comply
with the routines and procedures that you present?
•
What are your classroom rules?
o Follow-up: How do you communicate and enforce
these rules consistently?
•
How do you reward students for positive behavior?
•
Explain how you build relationships with students.
•
How do you promote respect for student diversity?
•
Describe the physical layout of your classroom and why you
choose to organize your classroom this way.
Alternate route questions
• Tell me about a time that you’ve had to create rules and
routines to be successful with something. Ideally, this would
be a group situation.
•
Academically Challenging
Environment
The teacher creates a studentcentered, academic environment in
which teaching and learning occur at
high levels and students are self-
Tell me about your experience working with diverse
populations or with a group who had opinions very different
from your own.
•
A lesson you are teaching takes less time than expected. How do
you spend the remaining class time?
•
In evaluating your lesson plan format, how should time be
distributed to each section?
directed learners.
•
After discovering the majority of your students did not complete a
mandated homework assignment, how would you address the
class?
o Follow-up: What would you say to address this with your
class?
•
How do you challenge students to respond beyond simple recall?
o Follow-up: What if you try that and it does not work?
What would you do next?
•
During a student conference, you learn this student is
discouraged from taking another exam because he/she failed the
last test horribly. What, explicitly, would you say to this student?
•
Tell me about a time when you stretched the thinking of a high
performing student.
•
If you were to ask a student [insert subject-area specific question that
a teacher might ask a student (e.g. what’s the square root of 4?, what is
the first person “I” form of the verb jugar?)] and the student were to
respond with [insert a correct but basic answer (e.g. 2, juego)], how
would you stretch or extend their thinking in that moment?
•
Please discuss the different techniques/strategies you have used
to engage unmotivated students.
Alternate route questions
• Describe a time when you were successful stretching
someone’s thinking on a topic. What strategies did you use?
•
Professionalism
The teacher exhibits a commitment
to professional ethics and the
school’s mission, participates in
professional growth opportunities to
support student learning, and
contributes to the profession.
Describe a time you encouraged someone that was
unmotivated. How did you motivate them? Did their
performance/attitude change?
•
Tell me about a specific instance when you have had an
encounter with a difficult parent.
o Follow-up: How did you respond in the moment? In
hindsight, is there anything you would have done
differently?
•
Reflecting on your own teaching ability, what are your areas of
strength? Areas of weakness?
o Follow-up: How would you go about improving in your
development areas?
•
After the district levels staff personnel to align with student
enrollment, our school has to make shifts in the schedule to
accommodate these changes. As a result, you now have to teach
a section of both x grade and x grade. How do you address this
change?
•
At your last school assignment, were there other activities you
participated in other than teaching your students?
•
How would you look to serve as a support to other teachers or
staff in this position?
•
What strategies have you used in the past to improve yourself as
a teacher?
Alternate route questions
• Based on past experiences, what strengths do you think you will
bring to a classroom? What weaknesses?
o Follow-up: What would you do to improve those
weaknesses?
•
Communication
The teacher communicates
effectively with students, parents or
guardians, district and school
personnel, and other stakeholders in
ways that enhance student learning.
Aside from teaching, in what other ways would you hope to be
involved within our school (i.e. coaching, sponsoring clubs,
tutoring, etc.)?
o Follow-up: What previous experience do you have that
would make you well-suited for an additional role within
the school?
•
Describe the strategies you used to ensure that the parents of
your last group of students were aware of their child’s
progress.
•
How do you create a climate of collaboration and accessibility
for your students and parents?
•
Imagine that you have three students: one who showed
tremendous gains on a standard, one who showed losses on a
standard, and one who consistently falls asleep in class. Who
would you communicate each of these developments to and
what means of communication would you use for each (e.g.
phone call, letter home, etc.)?
•
Tell me about a time that you had a disagreement with a
principal, administrator or past manager. How did you address
the situation?
Alternate route questions
• Tell me about a project you worked on in which you had to
keep people informed. How did you accomplish this?
School Fit
•
Tell me about a time you have needed to provide critical
feedback to a supervisor/authority figure. Were you able to
provide that feedback? If so, how was the feedback provided?
What was the outcome?
•
Why, specifically, do you want to teach here?
•
What challenges do you think you might face in this school
that you might not face in other schools?
o Follow-up: What experiences have equipped you for these
challenges?
•
[Principal should list a few of the challenges at the school].
Given these challenges, how should we adjust the expectations
for our students as compared to those for students in other
schools?
•
[Principal should list a few of the specific highlights or
challenges of the school]. Given the nature of our school, why
do you think you would be a good fit to teach here?
o Follow-up: What would you most need to improve on in
order to be successful here?
•
[Principal should list a few of the positives and very real
challenges of the school]. We believe in school fit, not just
whether a teacher fits the school but whether the school fits
the teacher. Knowing the very real challenges that you would
face here, is this a school that you would want to work in and
see yourself thriving in? Please explain.
•
Please describe how much you, as a teacher, are responsible
for the success of your students? Why?
o Follow-up: How does this change if the students have
behavior problems and their parents and administration
are uninvolved?
Extracurricular Leadership
•
Give specific examples of how you have incorporated
technology into past lessons.
•
We ask all teachers to incorporate [insert specific school
requirement (e.g. technology, group work)] into their lessons.
Describe, in detail, how you have used or would plan to use
this in your lessons?
•
Our school is big on {insert specific type of collaboration (e.g.
team, grade level, content)} collaboration. Provide an instance
where you have had to collaborate with team members in a
similar way.
•
Tell me about a time you successfully used collaboration to
improve student outcomes?
•
Tell me about a time when you and a team member had a
disagreement. What happened ultimately?
o Were you satisfied with result?
• Why do you want to be the coach/sponsor of …?
• What strategies would you use to recruit students to
the team/club?
• How do you plan to engage and motivate the students
once on the team/club?
• Can you provide an outline of your team/club calendar
for the school year?
o How does a typical week look?
• How does student involvement in extracurriculars
support their academic learning?
• Tell me about a time when a member/player was
failing academically. How did you address this issue?
• If in the middle of the season your team is not doing
well, how would adjust your coaching strategies?
• Specifically, how do you plan to build teamwork within
the club/team? How would you build leadership?
• How do you plant to invest parents in the club/team?