Preschool Teacher Interview Questions And Answers

No human being is without their strengths and weaknesses. In your response, begin and end with your strengths. Do not overly emphasize your weaknesses, and mentioning one or two should suffice. If it is something that would possibly interfere with your work, explain how you compensate. Focus on your positive attributes and how they help you perform well.

One of the students that I was teaching seemed to go into an epileptic fit all of a sudden. Thankfully, I had read his file just that morning because he was a newly admitted student and I knew exactly what emergency procedures to follow, and did the needful.

It’s typical for interviewers to make this request at the start of the meeting. They want to know what you consider important enough to mention. It is difficult to know just how much to say, because you want to highlight all your abilities and experiences but avoid rambling on. Definitely prepare this answer beforehand, so that you are not randomly recalling résumé bullet points on the spot and debating which ones to bring up. Restate your name, your certification, and the school you attended. Talk about the teaching experiences you consider important and relevant (student teaching counts!), and end with a short sentence about the reasons you want to teach in this particular school.

This is a tough one since the way of disciplining classrooms or students vary according to each teacher. It’s important that you stay apprised of on-going discourses regarding effective classroom disciplining in order to keep your teaching methods up to date. But the most important reason for having an answer in a case like this is to answer the question without offending anyone but also showing your effective teaching ability. The interviewer is asking this question to get a sense of who you are as a teacher, and whether or not you are prepared when it comes to disciplining students. Knowing the school district’s mission statement or discipline philosophy in advance will help you to answer this question best, so that you do not say anything out of line, but you must also remain honest to your own goals as a teacher. A good balance of these two elements will be the best answer. Try to provide a real scenario where you had to exercise discipline and it had an effective result. Explain why you felt that this course of action was best, and how it worked out for the student(s).

As a preschool teacher, you must be prepared for children that will misbehave. Explain to the interviewer how you would handle such a situation.

"Preschoolers are on the learning curve of distinguishing between right and wrong so I feel as though light reprimandation is adequate. As their teacher, it is my job to inform and help guide them. If a behavioral problem does arise, I typically put the child in time out. It's extremely crucial that parents are on board with my route of disciplinary action . Also, time out gives the child the opportunity to calm down and reflect on his or her misbehavior. After about five or so minutes, I would have a one-on-one discussion with the child about why they were removed from the group and how to make a better choice next time around."

Group work is essential for learning cooperation and collaboration. How do you incorporate group work into your activities? Discuss a couple of projects you instigated such as a hands-on art activity that involved the preschoolers working together in groups.

The interviewer is probably not looking for the play-by-play of how you would organize your preschooler's day, but rather a brief overview of the types of activities you would provide the students. For example, I believe that the preschool day should have a balance of indoor and outdoor, quiet and noisy, and small group, individual and large group activities. I would like to open the day with a large group activity to discuss the plan for the day and then move on to small group centers. I would plan for at least two outdoor playtimes each day, weather permitting, and close with another quiet large group activity before dismissal. I think it's most important to be flexible about schedules as a preschool teacher, though. If the children are engaged in an activity, I would have no problem continuing it and reworking the daily schedule to allow for these things.

You may be surprised to hear this question in an interview, but it is something a director or principal will be concerned about. Often, the director is unable to be involved in the day to day happenings of every classroom in the school and may be unaware of an irate parent situation. Answer honestly, and take this opportunity to show off your professionalism. For example, "I would ask the parent to speak privately, either by leaving the room or asking them to call me at the end of the day, as I wouldn't want the children to see me having a heated discussion with a parent. I would do my best to answer the parent's questions and explain any situation they may have an issue with. As a last resort, I would speak to the director or assistant director if I were having trouble communicating with the parent."

Discuss how you speak to the children involved, explore the reason for the bad behavior, show them the difference between right and wrong, guide and help the children towards appropriate behavior. Detail the types of discipline you use. Support why you use these methods.

"I prefer to use time out with preschool children. It gives the child time to cool off and reflect on what he or she has done. After a couple of minutes of being removed from the group I discuss the misbehavior with the child and provide guidance for selecting the right response or behavior the next time"

This is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of child development :

"Children who behave aggressively at this age are often unable to verbalize their feelings because they lack the language skills."

It is important to be prepared for preschool interview questions like this.

"Children this age can so easily become distracted and I have found this a challenge. I have become less frustrated with this aspect as I have gained more experience and found effective ways to encourage concentration and focus such as involving the children more in the activity, asking them questions and seeking suggestions from them."

This is a challenging question overall since it asks for you to be honest about something that you may not be comfortable with. But it’s important to answer it honestly because it’s a realistic question. Conflicts may arise but there’s always a way to resolve them. Be reasonable when you answer this question. Don’t get angry or defensive. Provide the scenario as objectively as possible and reflect on both sides of the argument. Be clear as to what happened step by step. Explain your side as well as the other position’s side. Explain how the situation was resolved. What the interviewer is looking for here is whether or not you’re a team player, and whether you have a reasonable state of mind. As long as you answer it providing the full picture and circumstances, you should be in the clear. Don’t discuss any major conflicts that might’ve led to enormous problems in your past.

Your answer should reflect the culture of the community in which you are interviewing. Find out the home languages spoken, the economic status of most families, and the kinds of family involvement encouraged by the school or program. Knowing these details, you can shape a response that demonstrates respect for the families. Would it make more sense to use email or to send letters home? Would it be beneficial to create a class website? Is there a teacher portal available? Be sure to mention that you chose a method because you are aware of the community demographics!

I do not think of what is considered bad behavior as adversity. It is alright for children to question and be stubborn at times. I take it in stride and make sure that I respond with positivity.

Any job in this world requires either a skill set or an academic degree or both. Ensure that you answer this question in a factual and concise manner. The answers that you provide may be referenced and checked; present accordingly.

As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed being around children. I am an ambitious individual and have the flare of ensuring children’s personal, social and cognitive development. These factors are behind my interest in working as a preschool teacher.

While my experience isn’t too vast in this area, I have handled a couple of students with physical and mental disabilities over the course of my career – and have done well in adjusting them!

This is a loaded question! Of all your qualifications, state the ones that put you over the top. Although you need to maintain a professional demeanor throughout the interview, this question calls for your personal views on early childhood education and how you see yourself contributing to the program. When preparing for the interview, consider the following: Why did you choose the field of early childhood education? How dedicated are you to the young children you teach? How has the field affected your thinking, previous jobs, and life experiences? This is the last message you will share with interviewers, so be sure to give an answer that represents you as a unique individual.

Being a preschool teacher requires a true love for the field and working with kids. The interviewer is ensuring these are traits you possess.

"Growing up I was the oldest of six brothers and sisters. Helping my mother to care for them gave me the skills to be a nurturer. I worked as a babysitter and in various child care centers before I became a teacher. I always found myself drawn to similar jobs. I developed a passion for working with kids and found I was quite skilled at it."

Preschool education is not just about teaching letters and numbers but also about instilling values and characteristics such as a love of learning, curiosity, discipline, teamwork, independence, communication and socialization skills.

This is a personal question that you need to think about in-depth before your job interview. Possible examples include:

"I strongly believe it is important for preschoolers to be in an environment that is both consistent and secure. A nurturing and supportive school environment makes the child feel safe and instills confidence. I believe learning and development are optimized when a child is secure and comfortable."

"I believe that a mixture of structured activities and free and creative play allow for optimal learning and fun. Each child is an unique individual and should be allowed to learn at his or her own pace. Activities should be centered on establishing self-esteem and confidence"

This is often a big question for preschool directors. They often have hundreds of parents to keep happy, and having teachers that are able to take the reins and plan parent luncheons, family days and other activities will help them tremendously. If you have any prior experience planning family days or parent activities, be sure to take this opportunity to toot your own horn! For example, "At my last job, I planned the school's annual Apple Fest. It was a Saturday afternoon affair for the whole family with games, prizes and food. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it because we were able to connect with a lot of the families in a way that isn't always possible during the school day."

Most likely as a preschool teacher you will be working with students from ages three to five. The interviewer wants to make sure your curriculum will be relevant to the entire range of age groups.

"The most important thing I keep in mind when working with children of different age groups is to keep each child engaged and mentally stimulated. Everyone must have equal attention because often if a child feels neglected they will start to act out. All students physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs should be met and further developed. I make sure to keep a diverse curriculum that is specified and beneficial to each age. I develop cross-age activities as well."

Be sure the strategies you describe are developmentally appropriate and effective. It is best to share ones that you have implemented successfully, so you can use examples from your own experiences. Administrators seem to appreciate discussing guidance that reinforces positive behaviors and involves children in deciding how to work together in the classroom.

I am patient and flexible – two attributes that are core ingredients that should be present in a preschool teacher. Since I am a trained preschool teacher, I am well-aware of creating and using age-appropriate teaching materials, evaluating student performances and providing them with a safe and nurturing environment to thrive in. Additionally, I am proficient in handling in-class problems before they become crises.

Education is not just teaching the written word, but it is also molding an entire generation into forward thinking, practical individuals. Also, values are the most important aspects that one can give to the young generation.
Therefore, you should be careful and answer the question with an answer that would send across the point that you focus on the discipline and values that a preschool teacher can impart to children. This is the time to arouse in the children interest in learning and socializing appropriately, while introducing them to rules and regulations.