Teacher interview questions

One of my most valuable experiences this summer with my mentor principal has been participating in all of the summer interviews that are required to fill our school's staffing requirements.  All told so far, I have participated in four days worth of interviews. 

After the first day, I remember being enamored by one candidate's competence--she clearly knew her stuff, and I was convinced she would be an amazing teacher.  My principal, on the other hand, expressed reservations.  There were little clues in the wording of some of her responses that caught my principal's attention.  Like phrases that indicated a pride that she was able to do her job better than others.  Then on the second day of interviewing, we met a candidate that just lit up the room with enthusiasm.  Every teacher on the interview panel was energized by her.  I then realized that in today's world of public education, it's not enough to be adept in the classroom--a superior teacher is able to elevate the quality of teaching among her peers as well.  It is the power of collaboration, a key buzzword in education today. 

As a little bonus, here is a sampling of some of the questions that we used in our interview: 

• Can you briefly describe your level of familiarity with our school district's learning targets (in your subject area)?  
• In any subject area that you have taught, describe how you have used learning targets or state standards to guide your instruction.  
• How would you address a gap in knowledge that you have noticed between students who have access to a variety of technology in their own home, and those who do not?  
• Could you give us an example of how you have collaborated with members of a grade level team to improve learning in your classroom?  
• Could you give us an example of an instance where you worked effectively with a parent to improve his or her child's classroom achievement or behavior?