Common Interview Questions in Education If You Want To A Job In Teaching, Be Prepared To Answer These Questions

Before my job interviews, I took some time to ponder and prepare my answers to these common interview questions. I even wrote out my answers and studied them, so that the language and explanations came naturally to me during my time under the interview spotlight.

Interview Knowledge Is Power

This exercise helped me to feel confident and as relaxed as possible while I looked for my first job in teaching.

Lo and behold, the interviewers did, in fact, ask me many of these questions. So, my preparation efforts definitely paid off!

Brainstorm The Best Answers

It's also a good idea to brainstorm possible questions related to your specific situation. For example, if you are interviewing at a Title I school, they might ask you, "What do you know about Title I?" Think of everything now, so that your brain can be on automatic pilot in the interview.

Be prepared to answer the following interview questions:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What type of reading program did you use in student teaching?
• If I walked into your classroom during reading time, what would I see?
• Tell me what you know about the 4-block Literacy Model.
• What is your personal educational philosophy?
• If you could design the ideal classroom for the elementary grades what would it look like?
• Which subject area do you believe is your strength, which is your weakest? What steps will you take to improve in this area?
• What are the most important or worthwhile qualifications of a good teacher?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
• Describe your student teaching successes and failures?
• Describe a good lesson, explain why it was good.
• How would you go about planning a lesson?
• How would you individualize a curriculum for students at various levels?
• How would you identify special needs of students?
• What methods do you use for classroom management? Describe one difficult incident with a student, and how you handled it.
• How would you handle difficult parents?
• Give me an example of a rule or procedure in your classroom?
• What methods have you used or would you use to assess student learning?
• What does being "at-risk" for school failure mean?
• What are some of the factors/conditions that might put a child at-risk?
• What experience have you had incorporating computers in a classroom?
• What grade level would you be most comfortable teaching?
• Are you a team player? If so, please give me an example.
• What was the last educational book you read?