I have an interview on Friday. Tips?

Discussion in 'Job Seekers' started by bros, Apr 21, 2014.

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  1. Lurker

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    May 22, 2014

    I don't understand what a seizure has to do with your job search? Why not make a new new thread? Frankly, why are you telling us this personal information? I also find it funny as the pity train is grinding to a halt, this "happens". I also find it funny you're posting about it the same day.

    Honestly, bros, the fact that you're telling totally strangers this happened, which imo is debatable in the first place with the timing considered, says a lot about you and why you're not where you're supposed to be in your life. This is what I was talking about many moons ago when I claimed you have attention seeking behavior and you denied it.
     
  2. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    May 22, 2014

    Bros...so sorry you didn't get to walk today...I can't imagine as a parent how stressful this situation must ave been. I do hope you are feeling better this evening.
     
  3. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 22, 2014

    Feeling better than I was this morning!

    Would you like a copy of my discharge papers? :p

    Yeah, it took my dad like an hour to get to the hospital - the graduation was at the Prudential Center, and they packed all of the cars in like sardines, took like 20 minutes to get my dad's car out. My mom wasn't there because she was at a mandatory class for work - no way to get out of it unless she wanted to repeat all eight weeks of the class, which she can't do because of a state requirement. Then my dad had to find the hospital, which was apparently pretty difficult - since we aren't that familiar with Newark.
     
  4. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    May 22, 2014

    Not fond of Newark hospitals..not that you had much choice.:(
    St Mikes?

    What's next on your plate after you recover from this episode?
     
  5. bros

    bros Phenom

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    Yeah, it was St. Mikes. They kept trying to take me for a chest x-ray for no reason (They claimed it is standard procedure for a patient who has a seizure, even if they have a diagnosis of epilepsy). That was the point where my dad said "Yeah, we're just going to leave and see his primary care at home now that he's stable." I prefer Newark Beth Israel - much better hospital - at least from my limited experiences with Newark hospitals (and it's part of the Barnabas Health Care System.

    I'll call the local district about getting an interview for subbing so I can do that next year and apply for jobs as I see them.

    Maybe i'll see if I can visit the kids I student taught sometime. They'd like that.
     
  6. greendream

    greendream Cohort

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    May 23, 2014

    You seem to have a high degree of personal animosity here. I've never seen others interrogated on this board when they have a health issue. :confused:
     
  7. teach1

    teach1 Companion

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    Frankly, I think this comment is inappropriate and rude.... Trying to shame Bros for talking about personal information with strangers. I've only been on this board a short while and I have seen many, many personal posts. Also, I'm disgusted that you are trying to claim he is lying about a seizure.
     
  8. olivecoffee

    olivecoffee Companion

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    May 23, 2014

    I also think this comment was inappropriate and rude. There's nothing wrong with giving Bros constructive criticism or honest opinions, such as ones other posters have written (myself included), but I think that you're out of line.

    Bros, I'm so sorry you didn't get to walk. I can only imagine how scary it must've been for you and your dad. I'm glad you're feeling better, though!
     
  9. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    May 23, 2014

    Lurker..you haven't been around all that long...your post was a bit rough..while those of us who 'know' bros question many of his choices, and who have serios oncerns about his career plans, we always wish the best for him and for the students with whom he is involved.
     
  10. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 24, 2014

    I wasn't expecting a seizure to happen then, but I knew I was due for one - gone way too long without one happening. It wasn't that scary for me, except for the second or two before I lost consciousness. Once I regained consciousness, I was fine and attempting to manage the situation, informing the professor at my side that I had had a seizure and that I was epileptic. They prevented me from getting up after I regained consciousness, which was probably for the best, as they didn't want to risk me falling down.

    I just realized I forgot to call my local school district today about getting an interview for subbing next year. ****. Been a bit more forgetful than normal today, but that tends to happen a bit after a seizure like the one I had.

    I slept for 12 hours, which was nice. Didn't even get that feeling you get when you sleep a while and you feel like you slept for longer than you should've - you feel tired, but not really, because you slept so long. I felt like I had slept for just the right amount of time.

    Though I should probably get to bed now - getting up at 10 tomorrow, I should get ~8 hours of sleep like my neurologist wants (he'd prefer 9-10 hours a night, but he said 8 is fine).
     
  11. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    May 25, 2014

    It's been a month since your interview, bros. any word?
     
  12. Pi-R-Squared

    Pi-R-Squared Connoisseur

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    May 25, 2014

    Eeek... I don't even wanna think what would happen if you had a loss-of-consciousness seizure in front of class!! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
     
  13. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 26, 2014

    Nope. Nothing in the board meeting minutes either, so i'm guessing they aren't going to call me back/are having candidates do demo lessons around now (as for the BoE meeting they have next week, they don't have anything listed in the agenda about the position I interviewed for)

    Hopefully it wouldn't last too long. But I don't have them often.

    Number of seizures I have had: Roughly 25-30
    Number of seizures that had a loss of consciousness: 6
    • I had a set of three seizures, one after the other in October 1996, that lasted a total of 1 hr 45 minutes.
    • May 2006 I had a very very minor loss of consciousness - about 10 seconds
    • June 2007 I had a loss of consciousness, about 10-30 seconds, hit head on the floor
    • May 2014 Loss of consciousness lasting 1-2 minutes

    So I don't have them very often. The May 2006 one was because I built up a tolerance to the low dosage of medication I was on.

    I was on the same dosage from August/October 2007 until Thursday without any loss of consciousness, so it is not a major concern. If I can limit them to every 7-10 years, i'll be happy with that.

    My seizures usually happen either early in the day (before 10 am) or in the late afternoon (after 4 pm)

    Lack of Sleep has been explored as a possible trigger during EEGs, but to no effect. My brain is just peculiar.
     
  14. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    May 26, 2014

    Bros, in the epilepsy thread you said you 'have seizures every 12-15 months'. While certainly teachers with epilepsy can be as effective as any other educator, do you ever consider that this condition in addition to your other health issues and required supports/modifications will be a concern to a school community? It's going to take a very open minded administration and board to see beyond these concerns. It's going to take you presenting a compelling package of who you are as an effective educator to push them into considering the positive possibilities in hiring you, rather than dwelling on the concerns. Limiting your school choices to only those to which you can financially afford the commute adds to the difficulty. As always, I wish you well...but I worry for you as well. :love:
     
  15. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 26, 2014

    I do have seizures every 12-15 months (excepting the period between November 1996 and December 2004 where I had none and the period of June through August 2005, where I had them about twice a week due to a poor reaction to the new medication I was put on), but loss of consciousness episodes are incredibly rare for me.

    Most of my episodes are 10-30 seconds of "lights" in my eyes, then i'm good.

    In a classroom, I would probably keep my emergency medications with the school nurse, as they are both Schedule IV drugs. I would probably keep a pill or two of my daily meds with me, as after a non-loss of consciousness episode, I am to take a pill of Keppra.
     
  16. gr3teacher

    gr3teacher Phenom

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    The fact that it has been this long from your interview and you haven't heard anything tells me that it's probably a closed door for you at this time, though I know that's probably not what you want to hear.
     
  17. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 26, 2014

    Yeah, I wasn't thinking I was the perfect fit for that position anyway.
     
  18. gr3teacher

    gr3teacher Phenom

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    I think the fact that you recognize this shows a lot of growth, just from the time you started student teaching.
     
  19. swansong1

    swansong1 Virtuoso

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    Chalk it up to a good interview experience.
     
  20. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 26, 2014

    Honestly, my favorite time out of all of the experiences I have had - which included observing 2nd grade inclusion & pull out, 3rd grade resource pull out, observing/teaching fourth grade gen ed, observing/teaching fifth grade language arts pull-out resource and social studies inclusion, and student teaching Kindergarten - was probably the Kindergarten, as the kids were just so... interesting and amazing to be with and around day-in day-out. However, since my motor skills are so poor with no chance of improvement, that is not the best fit for me physically. There were pros and cons to each of my experiences - in the fifth grade, I was able to engage in some... intelligent conversation (for lack of better phrasing) with the students while giving a lesson, but they lacked that... spark inside the younger students.

    I think something like third or fourth grade would be a good fit for me.

    yep
     
  21. gr3teacher

    gr3teacher Phenom

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    Keep in mind that in third grade, you'll still have issues with motor skills. It doesn't happen as often as with the younger students, but I do still have kids ask for help opening milk cartons, chip/snack bags, and to unstick zippers, etc. If students learn cursive (required in Virginia still), it's usually in 3rd grade, also.
     
  22. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    5th graders aren't lacking in spark...no grade is...and there are great, grade level intelligent conversations to have at any age...you have to know how to reach them....how would you answer an interview question about engaging kids/finding their spark?

    I teach grade three...it's not easy bros...common core, PARCC, new 4- point teacher evals, SGOs, SGPs in grade 4 and above ( can you speak to all of these in an interview? )...all that plus diverse classrooms, parents, admin expectations on top of an adversary governor, budgets, tough contract negotiations....I'm not quite sure you know what you're up against, bros.:sorry:
     
  23. bros

    bros Phenom

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    May 27, 2014

    I can open milk cartons and snack bags. Unsticking zippers can be a bit of a challenge for me - because that requires some fine movements that can be difficult for me.

    In my lessons, I tend to teach with multisensory instruction in mind, as I know it is the best way for many students to learn, and it is how I learn best. I engage students through my use of technology in the classroom - using a variety of activities in lessons to engage - if I am teaching a fifth grade social studies lesson on the American Revolution, I might show a short video of a tour of a local park that has a house that existed during the Revolutionary War.

    Common Core is pretty easy. I understand that.

    I was taught nothing about PARCC, SGOs, or SGPs in any of my classes (or student teaching, I only was told that the teachers were administering SGO tests, I was not allowed to observe or look at what was done) - and four point evaluations were only touched upon by professors - basically we were told the names and that they might be implemented sometime (as you can tell, I was told about them a few years ago)

    I know that PARCC is some kind of test that some districts around me are going to be piloting/have been piloting. I know that SGOs are student growth objectives that are tied into the evaluations and test how a student progresses from the beginning to the end of the year.

    I have no idea what SGPs are, but I have a feeling they are similar to SGOs, but they deal with standardized testing/testing results/progress.
     
  24. heatherewf

    heatherewf Rookie

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    May 27, 2014

    bros - I don't mean to speak for gr3teacher but I don't think she meant that those are the only specific motor skill issues you'd encounter with third grade. She was using those examples to highlight the fact that third grade students will need some assistance with fine motor skills, which could include the issues she listed but could also include writing. Just something to think about - if you're targeting yourself towards third grade, how will you manage the fine motor needs? Not just what gr3teacher listed.

    Also, just FYI but if you're leaning more towards grades 3-5, you definitely need to become familiar with PARCC. You can take practice PARCC tests online. I'd suggest doing that as soon as you can. It'll give you background knowledge for interviews.
     
  25. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    What is it that you find 'easy' about common core?

    Also, SGOs, SGPs, 4- point evaluation systems like Marshall and Danielson were new to experienced NJ teachers this year...not sure how much you heard about it a few years ago, but you may want to be prepared to answer questions such as how you would develop an SGO, how you would define growth on an SGO, etc.NJ teachers in grades 4 and up typically have one SGO plus their SGP (student growth percentile) factored into their eval while grades 3 and below set two SGOs (typically one each in ELA/math)
     
  26. dgpiaffeteach

    dgpiaffeteach Aficionado

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    We have been hearing about SLOs for at least two years now but we're only now implementing them because of our contract. It was also a political thing so it was in talks for awhile.
     
  27. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    in my area of NJ it had nothing to do with contracts and everything to do with state legislation...writing SGOs was a bit of a learning curve in most districts. Some admins were very micro managerial in these, others allowed for more flexibility. Now as the school year is ending, teachers are scheduled for year end reviews with their admins and going over their eval rubrics, SGO results and anticipating how state test schools factored into their SGPs will affect their overall 'rating'. There are some who are very satisfied with the outcomes, others not so much. In any case, hearing about them and living with them are very different things and while new teachers haven't possibly had the chance to have gone through the process, one should be knowledgeable about the standards by which educators are being evaluated and how to best market themselves as highly effective educators given these new changes, responsibilities and expectations.
     
  28. dgpiaffeteach

    dgpiaffeteach Aficionado

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    Ours was both. It's state legislation but we don't have to enact them until our contract is up. Some schools have been doing it for at least two years. Others are just starting.

    I'd imagine if it was done by state legislation that bros' profs would know about it, especially given their prevalence among different states. When I was in school, our profs would discuss major changes in other states that may occur here. It was there way of staying informed.

    Teachers will always be at a disadvantage doing something for the first time. You just hope the support is there to help.
     
  29. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    Like common core, different states roll out new initiatives in varied ways. I'm giving insight to bros on our state given that we are both from NJ and what was already a tight, competitive market has become even more so.
     
  30. dgpiaffeteach

    dgpiaffeteach Aficionado

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    I understand your perspective on NJ. I just found it strange when you said he couldn't have known much about your SGOs before this year. Many districts have been using Danielson for years. It's commonly taught here. Just pointing out that he may actually know a bit about them.

    Of course he won't know as much as someone who's experienced them. That's part of being a new teacher.
     
  31. bros

    bros Phenom

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    Writing lessons that integrate into common core standards comes easy to me.

    the most we heard about them in my classes were "SGO means Student Growth Objective"
     
  32. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    Your confidence in your abilities to write lesson plans is admirable. Teaching the common core with the required rigor and the expectation that all will achieve mastery is another matter altogether.
     
  33. gr3teacher

    gr3teacher Phenom

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    I don't come from a common core state... but I find this difficult to imagine. Reading the CCSS, they seem like fairly generic standards. Looking at them, I don't see how my teaching would change at all if Virginia adopted them tomorrow. I mean, there'd be concepts I'd drop, and concepts I'd add (Virginia SOLs have measuring angles as a fifth grade standard, not a fourth grade standard, while the CCSS has adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators in fifth grade, not fourth, as an example), but I'm not seeing where the standards themselves require teaching that much more rigorous than was already expected.
     
  34. bros

    bros Phenom

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    Would you like to see lessons that I have written?

    Honestly, I think that's where new teachers have a bit of an advantage - they aren't used to years or decades of teaching under the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

    Teachers coming out now are familiar with the common core.
     
  35. swansong1

    swansong1 Virtuoso

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    I don't know a single teacher who would say they are bad at writing lesson plans.

    It's the actual teaching, assessing, and follow through of the lesson that gets many new teachers in trouble.
     
  36. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    In my district we laid the new standards over our old standards...discarded what no longer belonged and included some we felt were still crucial. In my grade, the greater focus on nonfiction was a change as well as some math concepts...by middle school , especially by 8th grade the standards are quite rigorous (and I'm in a high performing district saying this)....again, it's not so much the standards, it's the way they've been rolled out, the anticipated PAARC assessments and the expectation that all kids will master the standards....one can think they 'know' the standards because they've discussed them in a college class and written sample lessons...it's quite another to teach them to a roomful of 20 varied learners with the pressure of your evaluation balancing in the mix...if you've looked at sample PAARC questions or taken an online pilot of the types of anticipated questions, it's clear that expectations of learners and teachers are very different in ways beyond that one might think by simply reading the curriculum standards
    No bros, I don't want to see your lesson plans. :huh:Your professors found them adequate enough to pass you. You might, however, want to include a few lesson samples in your portfolio (did you make one yet? ). And, bros, NO ONE is 'used to years or decades of teaching under the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards'...but veteran teachers in NJ ARE USED TO new content EVERY YEAR as standards for each content area have been revised on a rotating basis every 4-5 years. Veteran teachers know how to be flexible and adaptive to changes in Ed philosophy, standards, testing, eval systems...there's value in hooking into a seasoned mentor as a newbie..they can help guide you through the rough spots...and there will be many. Don't be fooled into thinking this is easy or that you somehow have an advantage over those who have been teaching the new standards for a year, who have successfully taught varied learners for years using varied materials and standards to guide them, who know what's developmentally appropriate for kids and who know that teaching is so much more than whats written in a lesson plan...

    :thumb::thumb::thumb:

    Some fail also because they are unconsciously unskilled, thinking one knows it all because they read about it or discussed it in a class...I can read a book on how to change my carburetor, I could summarize what I read and could probably write a detailed summary of how to do this using citations from the manual, but trust me, I know nothing about car repair and could not ever claim that changing out a carburetor was 'easy' just because I could do all of the above.
     
  37. gr3teacher

    gr3teacher Phenom

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    I've seen the practice PARCC questions. I'm not seeing how they would make my life dramatically different. The questions seem more tedious than rigorous.

    The expectation that all students will meet the standards hasn't changed, and it's no more realistic now than it was when NCLB passed.
     
  38. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

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    Not realistic. And definitely not 'easy'.:rolleyes:
     
  39. LouiseB

    LouiseB Cohort

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    I'm not in a common core state but I do understand that everything needs to fit with whatever standards your state/district uses. I believe what is being implied in this thread is that bros thinks it will be easy to teach using the common core because he had classes at college and taught some lessons along the way. I don't believe that bros really knows what it is like to teach common core all the time or do anything in the classroom all on his own....period. I also realize that most new teachers would not have this experience either. I also find it interesting that he is putting down teachers who have been teaching for a while because they are finding it difficult to switch to common core. Believe me, classroom experience goes a long way in teaching children.

    However, from what we have heard about bros' student teaching experience, I believe that he will probably find it very difficult to teach any grade because he has NOT had any experience of being all on his own in a classroom without someone supervising or being in the room. My worry for students in his own class may be that he has anxiety attacks or something along that way among other issues. I believe that there are many situations in a teaching day which could cause frustration and anxiety for a new teacher as well as an experienced teacher! I just want bros to truly understand that. (I believe that bros will come back and say that he has had experience in the classroom. My question is was it all day? was it all by yourself?)

    Do I wish for bros to fail? Absolutely not. I always want new teachers to do well and succeed. I'm just not sure that bros is really realistic about being the teacher in a classroom and truly understands that teaching is really NOT all about the lessons and the "spark" of a child.:2cents:
     
  40. Pi-R-Squared

    Pi-R-Squared Connoisseur

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    Whoever posted in this thread was right in one respect. There was a thread started by bros which lasted into over 1,000 replies. We're quickly approaching 300, but, has the OP gotten his original question answered?
     
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