Because Interviews are scary, part IV

It's almost March, the welcoming of the beginning of spring (at least in CA; I know places like Minnesota still have a ways to go), more rain (hopefully), STAR testing, and the distribution of pink slips. The teaching job market is increasingly dire. A nasty rumor is going around that everyone who has been with SCUSD for less than 8 years are going to get cut.

But there will always be students. And wherever there are students, there will be teachers. I'm lucky enough to be "footloose and fancy free," as one of my professors say, and am willing to go wherever the jobs are.

Let's just hope I actually get a job.

Assessment:

How do you measure student success?

In as many different ways as possible. Portfolios kept over a period of time, improvement, effort, and attitude towards school, teachers, and peers. Test scores are useful as well, but are only one type of measurement of success. Participation is also another factor to consider. Success means one has goals they want to achieve. I would find out what goals students have, then assess if they have met them, how they have met them, and how meeting their goals will further advance their education.

What would you do to improve student achievement?

I believe many student achievement issues stem from low self confidence (which is different from self-esteem - a person can have a big ego without being confident in themselves and their competence) and high self consciousness (i.e. being afraid of what other people might think). I want student to believe they can achieve by analyzing their own weaknesses and strengths as well as coming up with strategies to showcase the latter while improving the former. I also want students to be willing to try anything, even with the high chance of failure. This can be accomplished by creating a safe, caring learning environment where students know they will not be openly humiliated. And on the off chance that it does happen, I want my students to know that the incidence shows more about the character of the humiliator than the humiliated.

How do you know whether your curriculum is appropriately matched to your student’s needs?

If the lessons from the curriculum are too easy, too hard, or not culturally responsive to the class. Also, if students are having trouble applying or synthesizing those lessons would also be a clue that the curriculum is inappropriate.