Job Interviewer

I had a great experience during the interview process. I really Thought that it was a great activity that Dr. Smirnova should continue in all of her classes. It is a simple reminder of how prepared you are to answer these question. I really learned that when it comes to my philosophy statement I need to OWN it and be fully prepared to say it and give a quick explaination for why that is apart of my philosophy. I do believe in my philosophy, infact I do own it, but i have to show the person interviewing that I feel this way. I need to show confidence when talking about my philosophy and as short and sweet as possible explain it. I also learned that I have the ability to use all of the things that I have gained throughout this semester, my years at the mount, my experiences, my observations, and fieldwork to come up with great lessons on the spot. To give great explainations for what I would do if I were put in specific scenerios. Even though I know some methods of teaching I do now know I really need to go through many of the methods and strategies I have learned so that I can impress the interviewer and show that I truly do know what it takes to be a GREAT teacher.

I have learned you never know what to expect, I read through my text book throughout the weekend to refresh my memory on the learning cycle, the types of lessons, and so much more. But regardless of how prepared I felt nothing truly can prepare you for what will occur in an interview. You just need to come in with confidence, a great personality, and use all of the knowledge that was gained throughout your time at the Mount to prove you are the best candidate.

I really liked all of the questions. Some were very direct about what you would do in a scenerio, I was able to answer these more easily. These questions were like, what would you do if children were working in groups and they were not getting along and some students were not doing any work and others were taking on a lot of the work. I immediatetly thought of the best solution, JIGSAW! The questions that I found enlightening were the questions about color and music. I really gave the best answer I could, I said blue and classical. However listening to the responses of my peers was a great eye opener of how I need to view these types of questions in the future. The answer of tie tide and the music would be based on the activity or time of day. Some of my peers really thought about this and gave excellent answers, answers that inspired me! It is funny to think the question about music and color was harder for me to answer, but it was. When I had to use knowledge that i have gained throughout the years I had no problem. When it came to something your not taught, something that is more opinion and creative I struggled.

How wasnt this a valuable experience? With all of the teachers looking for jobs you neeeeeed to stand out amongst the rest. The more practice you get interviewing, the better off you are. This has made me aware of the preparations I need to take. It makes me aware that I need to go to interviewing seminars and get better prepared for my future endevours.

I could use this kind of role playing in the future. It really gets the students thinking, its also a fun and engaging activity. I think my students would enjoy this. I think something like at the end of the unit have students pretend to be specific people we have learned about and dress up and get interviewed by their peers. They must really get to know the people they will be becoming and it makes it funner to learn all the facts. :)