Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses

This section of my portfolio is a simulation of an interview. I provide answers to some

commonly asked interview questions. The Screencast provides an audio version of the answers I

have provided below. My answers highlight my knowledge in subject matter, best teaching

practices, pedagogy, and that I will be a caring education. My answers below will provide you

with evidence that I will be an excellent teacher.

Question One: Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to
choose a career in education?

I am currently a flight attendant at WestJet airlines, and through my job as a cabin crew member

I was given the opportunity to teach in the Flight Services Program at Seneca College. It was

during my time at Seneca that ultimately lead to my decision to change careers and pursue my

dream of being an educator. As soon as I stepped into the classroom and started my first lecture,

I knew that this is what I was meant to do. During my time at Seneca I learned how to use

technology in the classroom as the program was fully technology based, I learned how to plan

lessons, teach, reflect, and assess. I was able to provide my students with my knowledge of

flying and was able to make connections from the curriculum to my own personal, real life

experiences. I built relationships with my students, and learned how to modify and accommodate

instruction. I have flown with serval of my previous students and I take pride in the fact that I

was able to help them in their pursuit to beginning their careers.

As a flight attendant at Westjet, when we were being interviewed our HR department told

us that they hire for personality and train for skill. The personality needed to be a flight attendant

is similar to that of being a teacher. A flight attendant must be flexible, adaptable, quick thinking,

tough skinned, warm, and friendly. They skills I have learned flying can be transferred to the
classroom as being a cabin crew member has taught me a lot about being an educator, as every

day I maintain cultural responsiveness. Being in the airline industry my job is to relate

respectively to all guests onboard the plane and their different cultures. One of the ways I do this

is my learning how to say hello, thank you, and goodbye in several different languages. I look up

how to say these three things in the language that is most prominent to the destination I am flying

to because by doing this I can in some way communicate with most people on board to make

them feel that they truly are a guest on the plane. In a similar way when I teach I want to

continually maintain cultural responsiveness so that all my students will feel included in all

aspects of learning. As a cabin crew member, I have to sustain a level of professionalism and use

professional judgement, as guests on board turn to me to answer their questions and make

decisions. Throughout my flights I need to be able to make these decisions and answer questions

by using my professional judgement. Teaching is similar in that I also need to use professional

judgement daily in everything I do from planning, teaching, to assessing, I need to remain a

professional, and help my students to the best of my ability. I believe at the forefront of both

careers is ensuring that personal safety is a priority. When I am flying safety is the number one

priority, every decision I make has safety as at the number one goal for all of the guests onboard

the plane. I have to maintain situational awareness at all times to make sure that I am doing

everything I can to keep everyone safe. As an educator, safety is also a number one priority as I

strive to make my classroom one students feel they are in a safe environment, physically and

mentally. I will ensure that everything I do from the placement of the teacher’s desk, to

classroom management, that I will maintain situational awareness in order to make certain my

students are safe at all times.

Throughout my time at Medaille College I have been fortunate enough to take courses that have

provided me with an invaluable skill set and a wealth of knowledge in the field of education. As

a teacher candidate I know I will be an excellent classroom teacher as I have learned how to

thoroughly how to create a lesson plan and instruct. My lesson plans show my competence in

both New York and Ontario curriculum standards and include two types of assessments

formative and summative. All of my lesson plans include learning accommodations for

instruction and assessments that I will utilize in my teaching career to challenge my students at

all different learning levels. I will have a classroom that is rich in literature that has characters

with a wide range of nationalities; this is one of the ways I will maintain culturally

responsiveness in my classroom. I also have a strong commitment to professional development

which can be seen through my dedication to life-long learning. My resume reflects that I taught

at Seneca College and during my time there I participated in personal development courses on a

regular bases in order to improve my knowledge and skills in the field of education. During my

time at Medaille, I also participated in a professional development lecture. I attended a lecture

from the National Teach of the Year, and learned more knowledge within the field of education.

I will be an excellent colleague because I love to collaborate. During my time at Medaille

I collaborated with colleagues while making lesson plans. I worked with two colleagues and we

each created one section of a learning segment. My colleagues and I met and brainstormed what

we wanted to teach, how it would look through a three-day learning segment, what our central

focus was, and how we could ensure learner growth. We were in constant contact with each other

to make sure there was proper flow within the learning segment and that everything we wanted

to cover in the learning segment was done in a way that scaffolded information to the students.
Collaboration connects to INTASC Standard 10(n) as it shows my ability to work with other

adults and that I have developed skills in collaborative interaction.

Question Three: Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate
it with other curriculum areas, address the CCLS, technology, student engagement and
motivation? What were the results of the lesson?

I taught a science lesson on whether object sink or float. I had my students create an object out of

popsicle sticks and straws and make predictions to see whether their object would sink or float.

This lesson was connected to the visual arts curriculum as it asked that students to use elements

of design in art works to communicate ideas, and personal understandings. The students created

objects and used their personal understanding of buoyancy to determine whether their object

would sink or float when placed in water. The lesson was very successful with students

remaining interested and engaged throughout. The lesson contained differentiated learning

techniques so it catered to all types of learners which helped maintain students’ interest.

Question Four: How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as
an educator in our district/board/school?

One of the biggest trends in education right now is student-centred learning. The

curriculum in my classroom will be student-centered and I will build on my students’ prior

knowledge to create more effective learning. Having a student-centred curriculum means that I

will facilitate student’s wonderings and students will then essentially choose how they will learn,

what they learn, and how they will assess their own learning. Student-centered learning

incorporates students interests as learning is personalized. Student-centred learning is based on

Jean Piaget’s constructivism learning theory as he theorized that learning is an active process,
and learning occurs when students are actively involved in the process of knowledge

construction. It is important for my classroom to have a student-centred learning environment as

it will provide students will high levels of engagement as they will be learning what they want to

learn in a way that individually best suits them by building on what they already know.

Question Five: Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?

I should be hired instead of other applicants as my ultimate goal is to teach in an

elementary classroom, and once in my classroom I will do whatever it takes to become an

exceptional teacher. I went back to school as a mature student, and have had other jobs that have

provided me with different skill sets and enabled me to have more life experience. Once I am

hired I will continue to take courses to continue to grow and will constantly reflect and improve.

I am well rounded, and not only will I excel in the classroom, I will also be a great coach, and

mentor for student athletes. I am certified in first aid, and CPR-C, and will also have my

student’s safety in the forefront of my mind. As a former NCAA athlete, I know what it takes to

put in countless hours of hard work, to be driven, to have discipline, focus, commitment, time

management, adaptability, and determination, and I will transfer these attributes to the classroom

to become the best teacher I can be.

Conclusion

Section six was done using Screecast-o-Matic and I presented an interview simulation where I

answered questions that might be asked in a job interview. As my video shows, I was able to

make connections to my portfolio artifacts, standards, teacher skills, strategies, and professional

dispositions. I posted my work and video on my Weebly website which highlights my

share with you my accomplishments and my journey from my time at Medaille. I am so grateful

for my experiences and I know that I have been taught by the best, and will use what I have

learned as I enter my next transition into the classroom. Thank you for taking the time to read my

portfolio.