School Teacher Interview Questions And Answers

This will be among the first common teacher interview questions at almost every in-person. Just give a brief background in about three sentences. Tell them what colleges you graduated from, what you're certified to teach, what your teaching & working experiences are, and why you'd love the job.

If you interview in the United States, school administrators love to talk about state, local, or national standards! Reassure your interviewer that everything you do ties into standards. Be sure the lesson plans in your portfolio have the state standards typed right on them. When they ask about them, pull out your lesson and show them the close ties between your teaching and the standards.

There are standardized assessments at almost every grade level. Be sure you know the names of the tests. Talk about your experiences preparing students. You'll get bonus points if you know and describe the format of the test because that will prove your familiarity.

You use lots of positive reinforcement. You are firm, but you don't yell. You have appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior. You have your classroom rules posted clearly on the walls. You set common routines that students follow. You adhere to the school's discipline guidelines. Also, emphasize that you suspect discipline problems will be minimal because your lessons are very interesting and engaging to students. Don't tell the interviewer that you "send kids to the principal's office" whenever there is a problem. You should be able to handle most discipline problems on your own. Only students who have committed very serious behavior problems should be sent to the office.

An IEP is an "individualized education plan." Students with special needs will be given an IEP, or a list of things that you must do when teaching the child. An IEP might include anything from "additional time for testing" to "needs all test questions read aloud" to "needs to use braille textbook." How do you ensure you're meeting the needs of a student with an IEP? First, read the IEP carefully. If you have questions, consult a special education teacher, counselor, or other staff member who can help you. Then, you just make sure you follow the requirements on the IEP word for word. When necessary, you may be asked to attend a meeting in which you can make suggestions for updating the IEP. Your goal, and the goal of the IEP, is to make sure the student has whatever he or she needs to be successful in your class.

This question will come up at almost every elementary school interview. It's fairly common in the middle school and high school as well. You might have a weekly parent newsletter that you send home each week. For grades 3 and up, you may require students to have an assignment book that has to be signed each night. This way, parents know what assignments are given and when projects are due. When there are discipline problems you call home and talk to parents. It's important to have an open-door policy and invite parents to share their concerns at any time.

Be prepared to list the textbooks you have studied, professors you have studied under, especially if it was someone well known, and any specific additional training. Bring along some notes in case you are given the opportunity to elaborate; have the details handy. Of course, your resume will list the exact university/college and any other courses or programs you have attended, as well as any related job experience.

Present the style you hope to work with, or have already used in teaching. Specify the unique aspects, and how it proved successful. Have a lesson plan neatly and clearly written; you can leave it with the interviewer. Discuss your methods of motivating students to listen, take notes, complete homework and study for tests. A clearly defined student's obligations policy, parental contact system, and extra credit projects will impress the interviewer as well.

Discuss your disciplinary plans or what worked for your classes in the past. How did/will you begin the class on the first day of the year? Maintain order on a daily basis? Ensure class work and homework are completed? Motivate students to study and perform well on tests? Be as specific, yet brief, as possible.

I completed by graduation from ABC college. Post-graduation, I pursued a degree in education and completed the degree in the given EFC time frame. I have also taken a special course that enables me to interact better with children as well as young adults in university.

Every child is different and therefore the way to teach them varies as well. Of course, they are all in one class, so there must be some uniformity. When order needs to be restored, I must consider well - and quickly. Some children realize their mistake even with a single admonishment while others require more serious measures to understand the unsuitability of their activities. In general, there is not too much time to reason with children in class, as it disturbs the tempo of the class. I may try to speak with children during recess or after class if explanations are in order. Therefore, while it is of utmost importance to have a clear disciplinary plan, I realize I may have to be creative and flexible in some cases.

As a teacher, I would say that patience is my biggest strength, and this strength has allowed me to be very successful in my profession. I also think that my cool and calm manner leaves an impact on the children, which makes me approachable, while my knowledge on the subject generates an automatic interest for the children. I believe calmness begets calmness; children imitate what they see.

Methods of disciplining children depend on many factors - type of child, type of the offense that has been committed, time of day, time of previous offense and more. Sometimes, the fear of discipline is enough for a child. Such a child does not require more discipline per se. Others need a heavier hand. I try to work with positive as much as possible, but if pressed to bring discipline into the picture, I would first begin with assigning after-school work to the child and increase it as the seriousness of the act increases. If a few such assignments do not help and I think that things are getting out of hand, I would call the parents and inform them of the scenario in school, and work on a plan. If necessary, we would consult the principal.

☛ Be prepared to explain your teaching profile and everything that is related to your education, background experience and teaching philosophies.
☛ Speak clearly about your teaching beliefs.
☛ Prepare and review your answers to these frequently asked teacher interview questions.
☛ As it is easy for an interviewer to recognize an unprepared candidate by reading his body language, practice answering the basic questions a few times before the interview.

By having a set of classroom rules and consistently following your own guidelines - a clear set of behavioral expectations with clear consequences - you have a good chance of controlling the class. Give examples of rules and consequences. Simultaneously, present yourself as a good listener and adapter, flexible to individual students' needs. If possible, give an example of where you had to work around your rule for a difficult student.

Your goal is to work in the child's best interest, together with the parents. In general, you report as often as required and welcome parents' contribution. Complaints and problems that have not been resolved are addressed to the school principal if necessary.

Communication can be any possible way - text, email, phone or a note home. When parents object to teaching method, it is best to have a principal explain and defend the teacher. Parents are not usually as knowledgeable as they think.

If a child is caught cheating or continuously disturbs, this would be a difficult call to make. I would first look over all the child's work and make a list of his/her good qualities and accomplishments. After reporting that pleasantness, I would factually describe the problem, making sure not to exaggerate. End with another nice comment, and listen to parents. Next I would try to work out a plan with them, or interest them in the plan I worked out. Close with a nice comment about how easy it was to speak with them, or some such compliment and wish them well.

You should explain the cutting edge teaching principles you utilize to meet your teaching goals and objectives for enhancing students' skills such as - reading, social skills, technical skills etc. prepare and rehearse your remarks. Speak professionally.

I feel I must play an important role in the child's development of social competence and friendship skills. I will do my best to help these children develop peer friendships. My responsibilities involve not only imparting academic skills but social skills as well. Some methods are setting up study-buddies, team projects, etc.

What I most enjoy in teaching is hearing my students explain, in their own words, what they learned in a particular lesson and watching them enjoy participating in a lesson. When you observe my class, you will see that I get my students engaged in our discussions and activities. You will see that my students actively participate in each lesson. I make sure that all of them have a chance to speak, express their thoughts, and share them with the class. I enjoy how their faces brighten every time I recognize their efforts to learn by saying, "Very good," "That's a great idea," "Good job," and other encouraging phrases. At the end of the lesson, you will hear the students explain what they learned. Most of all, you'll know that I enjoy teaching because the children in my class look happy.

My teaching is unique in the sense that while teaching approach is holistic, it is also inclusive and individualized. It is holistic because I not only share knowledge with my students, but I also elicit knowledge from them. For instance, when I was teaching mathematics, I didn't simply teach formulas and methods of solving mathematical problems. I also explained to my students the value of understanding numbers and the great things we can use math for, such as the ability to think logically. I include all students in my lessons. For those who have difficulty, I use cooperative learning, peer tutors, and re-teaching techniques. I attend to the individual needs of the students by modifying assignments. For example, when I had a group of gifted children in my class, I
regularly gave them special assignments to work on that would stimulate higher level thinking skills and had them present their work to the class.

I am the type of teacher who shares with my peers the classroom experiences that I have had, whether good or bad. I do this because I believe that this the best way for me
and other teachers to improve our teaching. In this way, I get to share with them the best of my skills and, in return, they share with me the best of their skills. I also find
that this is a very good way to learn how to handle situations that are difficult or unusual. The feeling of not being alone, but being part of a team of teachers, is what I can bring to the school. This will help build morale and a great working environment. 




A gifted student in the midst of the regular students can be a challenge in terms of addressing his or her particular needs and capabilities. What I will do is to modify his
work assignments in expectation or length to fit his abilities. His tasks will require a higher level of understanding compared to the regular students. During class discussions, I can direct questions to him or her that require higher-level thinking skills. I also would
encourage the gifted student to take a leadership role in group work so that his classmates can emulate and be inspired by him.



My master teacher would say that I am incredibly energetic in teaching because I love what I do! She would say that I am the type of person who also goes the extra mile to help my students learn and comprehend their lessons regardless of their abilities. She would say that I also try to teach values that are important in life, including the value of 
discipline.