When it comes to landing that teacher job, you want to make sure you are well prepared for your teaching interview. That is why it is so important to practice commonly asked teacher interview questions beforehand.

The more you are prepared, the more confidence you will have in your interview. Those interviewing you will be able to feel that confidence.

So let’s get started with some teacher interview questions elementary teachers should know about.

Teacher Interview Questions

1. Tell us about yourself.

This is usually the first interview question they start off with. It seems like a simple question, but you need to think about it beforehand and be prepared. This is where you can share things about you that matches the school you are being interviewed at. Those that are interviewing you want to see you have done your research about the school and how you will fit in there.

2. Why would you be a good fit to our school?

As you tell about yourself, you shared a bit about how you are a good fit, but here is how you can be really direct about it. What is the school’s motto? How does your teaching philosophy fit with their motto. Share that.

3. What does classroom management look like in your classroom?

For this question, I like to break it down into two parts. I like to share how I create positive relationships with students and a positive culture in the classroom. I share that I create a Classroom Agreement to get my students involved in the our classroom rules and values. Read more about how to create a Classroom Agreement in your classroom in this blog post here.

I also share my Classroom Behavior Management Plan. I share how I motivate students and reward positive behavior as a whole class, small group, and individually. Read more about how I use these in this blog post here.

Find all the tools I use for classroom management here. 

I make sure I have my plan written out and in my teacher interview portfolio. Then in the interview I can pull it out and show visuals as well.

Another tip with this classroom management is to tell stories and give examples. How were you able to build a relationship with a difficult child? How did a classroom management strategy you use transform your classroom’s behavior? Share these. Stories stick with people and help you be remembered.

Find the teacher interview portfolio template I use here.

4. How do you plan to communicate with parents?

With this teacher interview question, schools want to know how you will get parents involved in your classroom and how you will let parents in on your classroom learning. I share how I send home a weekly newsletter letting parents know what we are working on in ELA and Math for the week. I share how I get parents involved in centers, art projects, and class parties. 

I share how I use apps like ClassDojo to be able to message with parents easily. I also share how I like to call parents or schedule a meeting when needed because there can be miscommunication in written text or emails.

I like to include my parent communication plan inside my Teacher Interview Portfolio. Then it helps me map out my thoughts. Plus, you can include samples of newsletters you have sent home to parents. Find the Teacher Interview Portfolio I use here.

5. How do you plan to teach to each student’s unique needs?

It’s no surprise that students have different needs. Share how you differentiate in your classroom. How do you know what your students’ learning needs are? What did you do because of that? This is a great opportunity to share an experience where you helped a student and how they saw success. Remember, stories stick!

I also like to write out my differentiation plan in my Teacher Interview Portfolio. In mine, I talk about pretests and using that data for ELA and Math centers.

6. How have you collaborated with other teachers?

Share a story about how you have worked with other teachers in your team. Did you share lesson plans? Did you get help on how to help individual students? Share a story!

7. How do you plan to use technology in your classroom?

Schools are using more and more technology in the classroom. Share how you used Kahoot! In a really fun lesson. Or share how you used Epic.com for a research project for your students.

Share what you learned from distance learning and technology. It’s a great opportunity to show the skills you learned during this time.

8. What is your biggest strength in teaching?

This is really when you want to brag in your interview. Share your strength. Why is it your strength? Share a story to prove it is your strength. 

9. What is your biggest weakness in teaching?

In teaching there is always something we can work on. Share one of those and your plan to get better at it. Or what you have done to overcome that weakness?

My one piece of advice is to not say classroom management is your weakness. No principal interviewing you wants to hear that. Pick another thing you are working on.

My hope is that you will be your best, confident self as you are interviewing for teaching positions. For me, I always get a little intimidated in an interview setting and teacher interview questions. Something that has helped me is writing out my answers to common teacher interview questions and include pages in my Teaching Interview Portfolio.

Easily get prepared for teaching interviews here with my Teacher Interview Portfolio. 

For more interesting tips read this blog post here: Teacher Interview Tips to Land You The Job

 

Did you know I love to help teachers give math instruction to their students in a fun and meaningful way?

No more repetitiveness with math fact practice for students.

No more tears over the anxiety timed tests give.

I’m sharing all of my best tips for teaching math facts in a way that sticks in my free workbook for 1st and 2nd grade teachers.

Download my free workbook, The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency here.