These are answers to some of the questions I've been asked while looking for a teaching job.

Q: Tell me about yourself and how you're prepared to work as a teacher.
A: I've been placed in three different progressive public alternative schools.  Two of them are parent participation schools, and my own daughters attend one of them.  I am experienced working with parents and am ready to use them for small group instruction.  I also have 12 years corporate experience managing cross-discipline, multi-level teams, which gave me people management skills.  Finally, my credential program was unique in that it placed me in a school for the whole 16 months.  Many teachers leave the profession in the first year, largely because they didn't know exactly what working in a school would be like.  I've eaten lunch in the staff room for more than a year.  I'm not going in blind: I know many of the challenges and the amount of work involved in teaching.  I'm very eager to join these ranks. 

Q: What does your literacy program look like?
A: I use best practices like Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, Reader's Theater, Guided Reading, and Writing Across the Curriculum when building a literacy program.  Reading and writing are foundational skills and literate students are more likely to succeed across the curriculum.  I assess the students to determine their level of mastery, and then accelerate them through the next levels.  For example, if a first grader is trying to separate words into distinct sounds and blends, I might use an Elkonin box with manipulatives to help her visualize each sound as a letter. 

Q: How would you handle a difficult or upset parent?
A: In my experience, every parent wants the best for their child.  In that way, we are united, so I would start with that common ground.  I'd state how important it is to me that their child's needs are met.  I'd try to find out the underlying concern.  For example, if a parent is upset that his child isn't challenged in math, I'd make a case for depth of understanding.  Perhaps the student can easily state all of his math facts - but the work we're doing is helping to apply the concept to real life circumstances.  I'd encourage the parent to see how our lessons focus on real understanding, rather than memorization alone.

Q: How do you motivate a student?
A: My focus is on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.  I try to make learning engaging and relevant, thus keeping the students motivated to participate.  However, there are times a student just isn't motivated.  I'd treat that on a case-by-case basis.  Uncovering the reasons for lack of participation can be done by discussing it with the student, parent, previous teachers.  Once the reason is discovered, I can work with the student to help keep that from hindering their learning.