Common Teacher Interview Questions

Common Teacher Interview Questions

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Why do you want to be a teacher?

“You have to know who you are as an individual and as an educator, and you have to know what you can bring to the school,” says Calvin Brown, Senior Recruiter at Alignstaffing, an education staffing firm. This question gets to the heart of that passion and self-awareness. How to answer Rule #1: Don’t say, “Summer

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Why do you want to be a teacher?

vacations!” But seriously—this one should be easy to answer. There’s probably something that made you want to get into education. Maybe you enjoy teaching your friends new things, are a facts wizard bursting with knowledge, or love connecting with children. Focus not just on what you like about teaching but also on what you can bring to the table.

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Why do you want to be a teacher?

For example, you might say: “I really admired my third grade teacher, Mrs. Kim, and even after I left her class I still returned to her for advice and guidance over the years. It’s that sense of warmth and acceptance she provided me that inspired me to become a teacher. I want to be that person others can lean on as they navigate the rough waters of growing up.”

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What’s your teaching style or philosophy?

Interviewers want to see that you really want to help students develop inside and outside school—not just push them toward some academic result. Basically, you care about people and their success, and you’ve thought about what that success looks like and how you’ll help students achieve it. How to answer You’ll want to be honest about 

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What’s your teaching style or philosophy?

your specific style and mindset when it comes to teaching. But also consider what this school’s philosophy is like, and try to emphasize where your values naturally overlap. For example, you might talk about how you take a community approach to education, which means “knowing that you’re one piece of this person’s journey,” says

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What’s your teaching style or philosophy?

Mary Findley, Senior Teacher Success Manager at Skillshare and a former Teach for America Core Member and elementary school teacher. You could answer with: “I believe when students are challenged with realistic goals and given the support they need not to just get the answers right but to be able to use those lessons to solve future 

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What’s your teaching style or philosophy?

problems on their own, everyone comes out on top. I think that as a teacher, it’s my job to support my students through the lessons I give, but also through the various challenges they may face at school, and to partner with them as well as other support systems to help them feel motivated, comfortable, and happy in the classroom.”

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

Students don’t all learn or behave the same way, which may make it a challenge to have them all in one classroom at the same time. Difficulties with students can look like many different things, from falling grades to disrupting lessons. So interviewers want to know that you’re up to the task of helping students with the varied obstacles they may face.

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

How to answer A good answer delves into figuring out the cause of a student’s behavior, as that’s often the most important step.  “When students are disengaged, it’s either because the content’s too challenging, it’s too easy, or there could be some outside-of-school factors,” Findley says. Your response should show that 

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

“you’re meeting the student where they’re at and building on their strengths,” Findley says. It should also emphasize that you’re “collaboratively discussing” solutions with the student rather than ordering them around. If you have an example story to tell, that’s a great way to state your case. Just make sure your story is well structured to 

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

You could say: “For me, the first step would be to pull them aside and talk about the issue privately. My main questions would get at the root cause of this student’s behavior.  Once I know that, I try to work with them to come up with a solution. I used this strategy in my last classroom, where I had a student who couldn’t seem to stay in his seat during lessons

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

and I found out that sitting still too long made him feel confined and nervous. We talked about how his behavior affected the rest of the class, and we agreed that when he was feeling really anxious he could raise his hand and I’d let him take a lap around the classroom, but only when it was appropriate. I also decided to make some of my lessons

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How would you handle a student you found difficult to teach?

more active and hands-on so that other students could benefit from getting out of their seats every once in a while.”

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How do you motivate students?

Interviewers want to see how you influence students to do what you need them to do. Findley adds that this is an especially important thing to vet for when hiring remote teachers, because motivating others over video requires a lot more creativity than when you’re teaching in person. How to answer Motivating your class is really

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How do you motivate students?

about having a personalized approach, Findley says.  You’ll want to show that you can engage a classroom, as well as take into consideration various students’ needs and drivers. Brown adds, “You have to know your students, you have to know their strong points [and] their weak points.” So make sure that your answer shows an individualized approach.

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How do you motivate students?

Take this sample answer: “Positive reinforcement is super important to keep a student motivated, so one thing I like to do is throw out rewards or bonuses when they perform especially well.  This could be candy, or a star, or a sticker, or even just a compliment—whatever I can tell students enjoy receiving, and it’s different for everyone. I never

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How do you motivate students?

want students to feel left out or favored, so I always try to be fair and consistent with everyone. But it’s those little moments of recognition I think that keep them happy and excited to learn.”

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How do you like to communicate and build relationships with parents?

Part of being a teacher is working with parents and guardians—i.e., the people who influence how your students learn and behave in the classroom just as much as (if not more than) you do. Building trust with the adults in your students’ lives can often help you build stronger relationships with the students themselves and create some consistency between school and home.

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How do you like to communicate and build relationships with parents?

How to answer “I’m looking to see that a candidate will take every opportunity to interact with parents in person,” Brown says. “Ultimately, I’m looking for candidates that believe parent collaboration is key to a student’s success, and they will take the time to maintain an ongoing, open conversation.”

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How do you like to communicate and build relationships with parents?

To show you take building relationships with family members seriously, you could say: “I think it’s really important to get to know the important family members in each student’s life.  Which is why at the beginning of the school year I like to have individual meetings with each student’s family. I’ll also send out a survey to get a better 

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How do you like to communicate and build relationships with parents?

understanding of the student’s home life, needs, and family dynamics. Then, throughout the year, I build on that foundation by touching base to share positive updates and small wins in addition to discussing any challenges the student might be facing academically or behaviorally.”

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What are you learning right now?

This question is about showing that you’re curious and believe in continuous learning—qualities that are important in a teacher as well as for a teacher to pass on to students. In other words, Findley says, the interviewer’s asking: “What are some personal interests? How are you developing yourself both within your professional career [and] personal development as well?”

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What are you learning right now?

How to answer Hopefully, you’re doing something to help yourself grow—it doesn’t have to be extensive or even career-related! Maybe you’re reading a series of books about a topic, taking a class, or practicing a new skill. Use this activity to show that you have an “always learning” mindset and an appreciation for continuing to get better at something.

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What are you learning right now?

Here’s what that sounds like: “I used to speak Italian in college, so I’ve recently picked up Duolingo to try to reteach myself some of the basics. I’d love to continue to become more fluent so I can travel to Italy and talk with locals!”

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Tell me about a time when you worked with a team to solve a problem

Parents and students aren’t the only people you’ll be interacting with. You’ll frequently need to partner with aides, school staff, and other teachers to help students succeed, so your interviewer wants to know that you can work with just about anyone. How to answer Telling a story about a team situation where things didn’t 

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Tell me about a time when you worked with a team to solve a problem

go perfectly is a great way to show you can communicate and collaborate with others even when times are tough. “But don’t emphasize the conflict—emphasize how you got through the conflict to have something that was effective,” Swartz says. “Even if you’re not a teacher with experience, you can still highlight how you go about your work by giving past examples” from another context.

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Tell me about a time when you worked with a team to solve a problem

For example, you could reply: “In my last role as a project coordinator, I had to partner with our account managers to meet a really tight deadline set by a client.  We were all a little frazzled because the project required a lot of revisions, but we put our heads together and divided the work, even staying late a couple days to make sure we finished 

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Tell me about a time when you worked with a team to solve a problem

on time. I definitely don’t think we could have accomplished it without working together, and I believe the same is true as a teacher working with other staff—you can’t go it alone if you’re going to successfully foster a learning environment that works for all students and supports them as individuals.”

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Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult challenge

Brown says that with either of these questions, the interviewer wants to hear: “When you come across things that are obstacles, how do you overcome them?”  In other words, the interviewer wants to see that you can solve problems in an intentional way. Brown also emphasizes that accomplishments and challenges often come hand 

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Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult challenge

in hand. So answering this question shows “that drive for achievement” that interviewers want to see in teachers. How to answer Pick a story where you had to stretch yourself a bit, but ultimately got to a successful outcome. Remember to also talk about your problem solving process in addition to the results.

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Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult challenge

Maybe you could say: “When I was in retail, I dealt with one particularly difficult customer who wasn’t satisfied with their purchase. Most of my team was struggling to connect with them, but I was determined to set things right.  So I was patient and took the time to really listen to their complaints without guessing what the problem was or 

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Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult challenge

assuming what the solution should be. That not only helped me understand the root of their issue, but helped them see I was going to work with them. In the end, we came up with a solution that seemed like a good compromise for the customer. They left the store in a lot better of a mood than when they entered, and turning someone’s day around felt truly great.”

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