As many of you know I teach a course on classroom management at Manatee Community College as part of their Alternative Certification Program…

At the end of each semester (2 now) we hold a teacher interview discussion panel.

The panel is made up of myself and four administrators (1 elementary, 2 middle school, and 1 high school).

We each spend about 15-20 minutes talking (and answering questions), giving our insight into how to get the interview, what questions will be asked, and how to answer them…

I can’t help, but think what an advantage these students have…they actually get to pick the brains of administrators in their own county prior to go on any interviews!

I thought I would share some of what the administrators discussed yesterday morning:
(This is right from the horse’s mouth)

• Definitely hand-deliver your resume. They may very well interview you on the spot. Two of the administrators admitted that they let their secretaries know if they are in need of a certain position and if someone comes in to drop of their resume they should be contacted immediately.

• If you are subbing to get your foot in the door remember…everyday is a job interview…dress the part, become part of the school community, and make contacts!

• Make as many contacts as you can. A phone call from a teacher or another administrator…even if they don’t know them…will often get you the interview.

• Research the school and the district!!! The administrators want to know that you have done your homework. You should know everything you possibly can about that school/district. Know the mission statement and any major current initiatives that are underway in the district.

• Research the people conducting the interview. Just as much as they want a quality teacher they want someone that they can work well with…they are looking for a relationship…a good fit!

• They will Google you! Therefore, make sure to Google yourself and see what comes up.

• Get rid of your MySpace account.

• Have a professional email address…Don’t make silly mistakes like having an email such as sexylove69@aol.

• Even the high school administrators want to know how you will get parents involved. The high school admin expects you to call home to parents also!

• Be prepared to explain how you cover something that you are NOT interested in. Many teachers prepare for the question, “Take me through one of your favorite lessons”, but these admins always ask, “How would you teach something that you do not want to cover but must.” This is a great question, because the reality is you will not enjoy teaching every part of your curriculum.

Following the discussion panel we split up into break-out sessions for another hour or so based on grade level where we discussed the most common questions and how to answer them.

This really was a great experience for everyone involved…hope you can take something away from my brief overview of the day.

Take care,
Adam

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If you’re serious about getting a teaching job and want an unfair advantage over the competition then read Your Basic Guide to Acing ANY Teacher Interview @ http://www.TeacherInterviewTips.com/

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This week our 8th grade students had their major research paper due for their language arts class.

As usual there were a few students who try to take the easy way out…

Unfortunately, plagiarism and cheating has become much easier with the technology that students have access to these days. All too often teachers have students hand in papers that are copied and pasted directly from websites. These are fairly easy to catch as all you have to do is type in a few lines into Google and the paper usually pops right up.

However, some are more difficult for teachers to catch than others. Here is a website with links to various anti-plagiarism resources that will hopefully make it easier for teachers to determine whether or not the student’s work is his own:
http://hargrave.drh.net/academics/teaching/antiplag.html

Hope you find it helpful.

–Adam

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Here is a quick tip teachers can use to fill up down-time and also help students reinforce and review important material…it can be done with any grade level/any subject area.

1. Teacher picks a topic.
2. One student gives one sentence about the topic.
3. The next student also provides a sentence about the topic,
but must first repeat the previous sentence(s).
4. Teacher continues calling on students to see how far the
students can get in the game…then starts over with another
topic.

For example, the teacher may choose the topic…”George Washington.” Next, one student states, “Washington was the first U.S. President.” The following student repeats the first sentence then adds his own…”George Washington was the first U.S. President. George Washington was a general in the American Revolution.”

The activity continues until students can’t go any further. Again, this is a fun way teachers can fill “down-time” at the end of a class while at the same time reinforce and review important content.

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I am sure many of you have heard the statistic that 50% of teachers quite within their first 5 years.

The sad fact is that many teachers start out with great intentions, but all too quickly are faced with teacher burnout.

This is really not surprising…well it is not surprising if you are teacher or know what teachers actually go through.

While yes, teachers get a great deal of time off…weekends, holidays, summers…the fact is much of that time teachers spend working. Just because we are not at school with our students does not mean we are not working.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way a teacher can get done in a day all of what is expected of them. There is no way I can get all my lesson planning and grading done within the one 45-minute planning period I have each school day. Especially when you throw in faculty meetings, department meetings, team meetings, parent meeting etc.

This leads teachers to bring their work home with them on a regular basis.

Once a new school year has started it is very rare that I take an entire weekend off from doing any school work, but that is exactly what teachers need to do to avoid teacher burnout…take some time OFF from teaching.

I think it is important for teachers to take time off…time away from the job when you are not thinking about students, grading, lesson plans, teaching etc….this will help teachers avoid teacher burnout.

I suggest actually going away for a weekend and not bringing ANY schoolwork with you.

Yes, of course, taking time off from teaching can be done without going away for the weekend, but personally I find it difficult to NOT do any school work when I am home and near my computer. By going away for the weekend I am really able to separate myself from teaching…at least for a couple of days and when I come back I am refreshed and ready to teach again.

There is so much work teachers do outside of their contractual day…and many don’t realize what goes into each and every lesson…I put on six performances a day and the students in the sixth class deserve just as good a performance as the students in the first class.

I am not complaining here by any means…I love teaching…however, I have seen many, many teachers burn out. Like I said, 50% of teachers quit within their first 5 years.

There are ways to avoid teacher burnout and for me getting away for a weekend here and there works wonders for me…and my students.

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