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08 November 2004: Job Posting: Unreasonable Diligence and Paperwork Required (4 of 5)
But, should you be diligent enough to complete your application, and lucky enough to have it not be lost, then you are rewarded with an interview.
My first teaching interview was on the phone. I had zero experience. Not even student teaching. I was enrolled in an intern program and would be going to school while I was teaching. The interview went like this, “I have two fifth grade openings. Would you like one?” Wow. The principal’s commitment to bringing dedicated, innovative, effective teachers to his school was unwavering. Now, to be fair, that is what he got, more or less, but he certainly had no way of knowing that from my application.
My second interview was twenty minutes, in person. We talked about curriculum I had used and touched on my philosophies, but I landed the job when I answered the principal’s questions: Has there ever been a student you just couldn’t reach? What did you do to try? I felt silly tearing up as I nodded and told her about Janae and the hours of meetings, the endless list of classroom strategies, and the lack of desired results.
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