Possible Interview Questions

Be direct to the point with your answers. Don’t use fillers such as “um” or “like.”

1. Describe yourself/ Tell me something about yourself.

Name, age
From where
Current teaching position, what subject(s), average class size
How long have you been teaching?
Degree(s), majors
Strength as a teacher

Sample: I am ______. I have been teaching in the public schools for 23 YEARS as a
High School Math teacher. I have taught ….(what kind of Math: Algebra , Geometry,
Financial Literacy, Trigonometry). I completed a bachelor’s degree in _____ major
in_____, and master’s degree in _____major in _______. I see myself as someone who is a
leader, very hands-on and creative. I am also a risk taker, and would like to
experience and learn other cultures through my teaching profession.

2. Why are you interested in teaching in our school district?

Sample: I believe your school district is a good district with strong support for
teachers. I personally know a fellow teacher in your district that receives various
professional development trainings every year. I myself wanted that so I can grow
professionally and personally.

3. Describe the process you would use in planning to teach children with
different disabilities:

Sample: I will first look into their Individualized Education Program and look at
their specific learning needs. I will design lessons to address their IEP goals and
objectives. I will monitor their progress by giving them assessments. I will use
strategies like differentiation to ensure all students’ needs are met.

Follow up questions would be - Give an example of differentiation strategies:

Sample: I can give struggling students alternate assignments like a shortened

version of a story focusing on comprehension, while other students can work on the
longer version focusing on comprehension and analysis of plot.
 4. Describe what good classroom management means to you.

Sample: Good classroom management means having clear classroom procedures,

expectations and consequences and following it through. In my current teaching…..
I also make sure I include parents. Communicating with parents about students’
success and concerns is very important ….

5. Describe how you access and evaluate students’ progress.

Sample: I will provide formative and summative assessments to know their

progress. Formative assessments such as asking them questions to check their
reading comprehension in class, and summative assessments such as testing them
on skills they have learned within a unit lesson.

6. What does professional conduct mean to you relative to staff, students and
patrons?

Sample: Professionalism means following protocols……

Sample: Professionalism when it comes to students means setting learning

expectations, reaching out to their families, understanding them not just my
students but as well as their learning needs, implementing their IEPs, monitoring
their progress alike.

7. What are your greatest strengths/ special skills and knowledge would you
bring to the school district?

Sample: I think I have good leadership skills. In my school, I am the grade level
leader, reading coordinator, adapt a school program coordinator, I also lead the
school band and lyre. I know how to build good relationship with my students and
parents.

8. If we enter your classroom, what would we see inside?

Sample: If you would visit my classroom, you would see learning centers, word
walls, visible learning goals and expectations, student binders, and organization
system. You will also see students who are actively involve in their own learning.

9. How would you deal with difficult parents?

Sample: Parents are important to the success of my students. I will make sure I
maintain open communication with them; I will listen to their concerns and I will try
my best to address their concerns. We will both come up with solutions to issues at
hand.

10. Do you have questions…?

Samples:
 How does professional development work at the school?
 Outside of teaching, what am I also responsible for? Like lesson planning
expectations, team commitments, preps, and lunch duties.
 How would you describe the culture of the school?
 What are the students like?
 What are some challenges the staff has faced this year, within the school
itself as well as within the school district?
 What is the average class size?

11. What do you know about IEP accommodations and modifications?

Sample:

Accommodations mean providing extra support to students to make the curriculum

accessible for them. For example, giving the student extra time to complete
assignment or providing the student 1:1 support especially in reading
comprehension activities.

Modifications, on the other hand, could mean changing an assignment in terms of

the length of the assignment or providing the student an alternate assignment to
meet the current learning needs of the student. For example, I can provide a student
an adapted version of a short story, but still not losing the main focus on
comprehension of plot elements of the story.

12. Tell us about a time that you had to adapt your approach to a student who
continuously presented you with difficult situations.

Sample:

Having a diverse group of students in our classroom, a teacher should acknowledge

the individual differences. which includes a student who continuously gives us with
difficult situations. A teacher should spare time to talk to that learner and find out the
very root of the problem or give him a separate activity that he is more interested of
doing to keep him busy. By that he is enjoying at the same learning takes place as well.
 13. Describe the instructional methods you use besides lecturing. How do you
determine which teaching approach to utilize?

Sample:

Aside from lecturing approach, I likewise make use of a learner-centered approach.

Since we are dealing with students, the focus of instruction is from the teacher to the
learners. This shift offers the best experience for the learners, because it allows
them to engage with the teacher, the content, and other learners.

14. How do you motivate your students to the extent their academic involvement
leaves little room for disruptive behaviour?

Sample:

I motivate my students to the extent that their academic involvement leaves little
room for disruptive behaviour. By letting them engage to different activities that
befit their learning capabilities and by employing a star reward system or giving
praise to students for a job well done, that would help boost their self-esteem.

15. What or who has influenced you the most in life and how has that influenced
your becoming a teacher?

Sample:

The person who has great influenced in me of why I become a teacher now was my
college english teacher. Aside from her intelligence it was her dedication and
passion that she possessed that really made me admired her. She was always willing
to extend help to students who are struggling academically for a free tutorial.
Willing to work even beyond her working- hour time.

16. How do you plan to assess your students?

Sample:

Assessment is a very important tool to determine student’s progress. This could be

done through formative, summative, and performance assessment.
 17. Describe an unsuccessful lesson that you taught. Why was it unsuccessful?

Sample:

Lessons must be mastered by the teacher before stepping into the classroom. But
this could become unsuccessful lesson if students failed to understand and get what
you want to convey to them. And also, after the lesson discussion the test results
were very low.

18. Tell us the components of a quality lesson plan. Specifically, discuss your
strategies to engage all students in an activity-based lesson.

Sample:

The component of a good lesson plan contains the following:

- should have interesting materials
- objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time
bounded
- background knowledge
- direct instruction
- student practice
- closure
- demonstration of learning ( quick assessment )

19. Give two examples of things you have done in previous jobs that demonstrate
your willingness to work hard.

Sample:

Way back, if we had school activities and we were not able to finish the supposed
preparations within the work time schedule. I made it to a point to extend my
working hours even without overtime pay.