pretend interview

So I have to do a pretend/practice job interview esque thing tomorrow and I thought I would write out my answers to the questions on here for some reason.

First question: Tell me about how you manage a classroom...

I think it is crucial to spend a considerable amount of time establishing classroom routines early in the school year. This pays off greatly later in the year, as you will have to spend less time clarifying where you put your Math workbook when you are finished throughout the year.

My cooperating teacher and I worked hard this past year to establish things like where to put worksheets and other classwork when students are finished and establishing that when students finish any type of assignment, they are to "make a smart choice".

By establishing these routines and protocol early, we save students' time from having to ask "what do I do with this when I'm done" or "what do we do when we are done" and save ourselves as teacher the aggravation of being asked those same questions over and over again by students.

Second Question: "Tell me about how you meet the needs of all kids in the classroom..."

I think it is very important to be in tune with all of your students and get to know them as people first. Knowing them as people can give you a better understanding of what they need

I take opportunities to pay attention to students' individual interests and engage them in conversation about those interests. For instance, in a recent math lesson, we were discussing map scale. I went around and surveyed students about where/if they had traveled far for Thanksgiving. I used some of these responses as examples for measuring distance using scale on a map. One of the students was one who is not normally very engaged in Math class. He perked right up and showed interest that day. I believe that this is because I showed that I cared about him as a person and wanted to tap into that in order to engage him.

By making efforts to get to know the individual students and their interests, I believe I can have a better understanding of their individual needs and can use this information to better meet those needs.

now to record it. woo.