Tomorrow I have a job interview at a charter school. Sounds like a good position for me, as it is not all “direct care”. It is a special ed liason type teacher. The kids are included by the sounds of it, and are mostly ld and bd/ed. I have actually interviewed there before and since my certification wasn’t really completed they didn’t hire me. So I know what they will ask.
One thing they are going to ask my opinion on inclusion. I tend to think that if it is done well it can go well and if not it can be disasterous. I doubt that is a good way of wording it. Any ideas?
I think they will ask for specifics— ie what I might do under certain circumstances. I have some ideas re: technology, some simple things like moving a kid up front or writing his/her assignments down on paper, etc.
What should I say about pulling out for reading instruction, if they need it?
Any other ideas?
—des
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
I would talk about how you will support regular ed. teachers to successfully include students— I think a lot of times when inclusion fails it is because the teachers don’t know how to do it, and no one is there to help them even if they are willing.
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
I’d have to be honest and say that for skills like reading & math, in my hallowed/humble opinion, teaching kids at their level — which means with other kids at the same level— works best.
It’s important to do this in a way that doesn’t have kids feeling like they’re the crows & buzzards while everybody else are the peacocks & … oh, tarantulas… — but even more important is creating an overall atmosphere that isn’t focused on ranking and competition, but rather on mutual support. You want *everybody* on your team to play better; you’re on the same team. Any compettition (I’m not against competition) should be done with a higher goal than having one student feel good because another student didn’t do as well as s/he did. (If they can’t act that way, they aren’t ready to do competitive things; that’s usually enough to motivate the competitive kiddos to at least pretend to relax, and be better ‘sports’).
(I find that in an interview, if I can get in a few words about philosophy behind what I’m saying, it’s effective. Sometimes it’s effective at ruling out a job, though, so if you’re not necessarily looking for a perfect fit, but something you can earn and learn from at least for a while, you might want to be a little more vague; I might say something like that while in my experience, splitting skills teaching by level was effective and could be done wtihout making students feel ranked or belittled, that I was certianly interested in seeing other approaches and learning how they could work, as well.)
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
Well it all might be moot. My certification will lapse (I looked at the date), I have to take the NTE. The next test date is July 17, and I won’t hear for a month after that. Though I expect I wouldn’t have trouble passing the tests. Someone suggested I just tell them that I am waiting for the certification to be updated. It is sorta true!
Anyway though the interview went pretty well. He absolutely believes in remediation, was interested in my OG certification. I talked a bit about prevention of reading problems and Dibels, which he very much was interested in. I do believe he was interested but then it all may be moot.
—des
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
NO! It is NOT moot unless you let it be!
Yes, be honest and tell him that you are *in process* of renewing your certificate. Then get on track for that obnoxious NTE, **right away** (who knows when something else may come up and you need the certificate?).
A huge number of new teachers are hired every year with their teaching certificates pending — with all the hoops they make you jump through (alas none having to do with actually knowing how to teach reading and arithmetic) more and more education grads are still working on certification when they are hired. And then lots of uncertified people are hired on “temporary” or “emergency” (ie cheap) certificates.
As long as you have a valid certificate now and you do register for that test in good faith, there is nothing to stop them hiring you. Don’t even think it. Just say the renewal is in progress, with confidence.
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
Yup!!!
Moot is a four-letter word — be assertive and confident and eager and enthusiastic and all that stuff — you never have to take a job if it’s offered, but it’s hard to make a choice if they don’t offer. You want options, anyway — do the silly test and hoop jumping. (And in the meantime, send me a jpg :-))
Re: Help with job interview anyone??
Hi,
Yep, I have decided to this. I’m faxing a copy of the certificate along with a note re the above. (Hey Sue, re the jpg, can’t find too much. I have some nice sign pix though that I did for a work handbook. I’ll copy them today.)
Just got on the NTE webpage and got the test bulletin and am signing up tonight.
Thanks guys.
—des
I would say that inclusion is appropriate for most of the day, with the exception for pull-out if the child needs remediation in reading, writing, or math. You cannot remediate if there is no pull-out, and I would not be interested in that kind of job.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Janis