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Educator Interview Questions

About you

  • Tell me about yourself.

  • What are 2 of your strengths?

  • What are 2 of your weaknesses?

  • What are three things you want to change about yourself?

  • How do you handle conflict?

  • Explain your leadership/research/volunteer experiences.

  • What extracurricular activities are you engaged in?

  • Which of your college courses interested you the most?

  • What interests you outside Educating?

  • What do you do in your spare time?

  • Why did you choose the undergraduate school you went to, and if you could, would you do anything differently?

  • What course was most academically challenging for you?

  • What life experiences have made you a better person?

Classroom Management

  • Tell us about a time a student challenged your authority. How did you handle it?

  • How do you adapt lesson plans for students with special needs or different learning styles?

  • What are the rules of your classroom? How do you communicate and reinforce them?

  • What strategies do you use to maintain order and create a productive classroom environment?

  • What discipline strategies have you found to be successful?

  • Provide an example of a time that you had to make an ethical decision. What was the situation and what did you do?

Teaching Philosophy

  • How would you describe your teaching style, particularly in terms of classroom management and student engagement?

  • What techniques do you use to keep students actively involved and motivated during a lesson? Can you provide an example of a lesson where you successfully kept students engaged?

  • Imagine that some of your students have finished their assignments early. How would you deal with the free time they have?

  • How have you worked with students who perform below grade level?

  • Imagine that a student is consistently late to your class. How would you handle the situation?

  • Describe how you like to implement technology in your lessons. Can you share an example of a lesson where you effectively integrated technology?

  • What is your educational philosophy?

  • How do you create a positive learning environment?

  • How do you foster curiosity?

  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Motivation and professional identity

  • What courses have you taken that have been especially helpful in preparing you to teach?

  • How do you stay current with educational trends and new teaching strategies?

  • What are the biggest challenges facing education today?

  • How do you think critically about the field?

  • Why did you become a teacher?

  • What motivates you about teaching?

Experience and problem solving

  • Explain a difficult situation you have encountered in the classroom, what you learned from it, and what you would do differently now.

  • If I were to observe your classes, what would I see you and your students doing on a typical day?

  • How have you/would you respond to someone who was verbally hostile towards you?

  • How do you engage parents in the education of their children?

  • Describe the test and quiz formats you like to give.

    • Why do you prefer these formats?

    • How do you ensure that these formats are fair and measure student learning effectively?

  • Share a memory that shows how you handle job- specific challenges.

  • Why should our school district hire you?

Interview reminders & tips

The day before your interview:

  • Review your resume, cover letter, and the job description

  • Research district information such as mission statement, values, current events, etc.

  • Prepare a list of questions to ask interviewers.

  • Plan ahead to arrive on time for in-person interview or prepare appropriate backgTround for virtual interview.

  • Lay out professional outfit.

The day of your interview:

  • Dress professional

  • Have copies of your resume and cover letter ready to share.

  • Arrive 15 mins early (if in-person), or join video call 5 mins early (if virtual).

  • Turn off or silence your cell phone.

  • Take some deep breaths.

  • Rock your interview.

  • Ask questions at the end and thank everyone for their time.

The day after your interview:

  • Send a follow-up email thanking the interviewer(s) for their time and re-express your desire for the job.