I have an interview on Thursday.

So why do we continue to enable him? We've done all we can for him. It is clear he won't follow the advice given.

 

I really feel like this is a troll. No way someone can be this stubborn in real life.

 

How would I know to ask about that?

 

The point is you didn't ask a question despite nearly everyone saying you have to ask a question.

 

From what I've read on here about NJ, PAARC is a HUGE thing in your state right now. If I didn't have any experience with it, I would be asking something about it at the interview.

 

So you did indeed understand that kaytea was referring to the reading one does for one's livelihood. You've already told us that, for you,

This attitude explains much, I'm afraid.

Try this, for a change: try treating your professional reading as something other than "a side task". Give it more of your attention and energy, and you might find yourself responding to what the words both say and imply rather than to your preconceptions. Notice yourself putting into practice the reading skills that a teacher is supposed to impart to students.

Truly, bros: if you're not going to take your own professional preparation seriously, why should we take you seriously as a potential colleague?

 

Yes PARCC* is huge. Every interview I went on this summer asked me about it. I went to college out of state, and during my very first interview, I didn't know what it was, and I was soooo embarrassed. Needless to say, I didn't get that job (hehe). Anyways, that night, I went home and googled and read and read and read about PARCC. You can even take practice tests on the PARCC website. I took them and I suggest you take them too, so you have an idea of what the test is like in your certified grades. I would definitely peruse the website and make a CONVERSATION of it in your interview. Many schools will even admit that they are still very much learning about PARCC, so it's definitely impressive if you know a thing or two.

 

.

 

In addition to the prior post, you are a recent college grad, did your student teaching a year ago and report that you know 'a lot' about the CCSS... Anyone who reads anything about education, and education in NJ specifically, knows about high stakes testing. If you are sped certified, I would imagine that you would be curious about how potential schools are handling the roll out of CCSS and planning for this year's tests. (PAARC in NJ and other states...even if you don't know 'a lot' about PAARC, you certainly are aware that our state administers yearly state achievement tests :huh
good grief, bros, no wonder your interviews last an average of ten minutes...:crosseyed you need to keep up your side of the conversation in an interview, not just give short, practiced answers :unsure:

 

I couldn't think of anything. I got nervous and froze. Nothing came to my mind. It happens to the best of us.

When I read, it is easier for me to concentrate when there is at least one other thing occupying me. I need to do things while reading something in order to read it with as much speed as I can while retaining all of the information. So doing something like listening to music while reading will help me. Or having a TV show or movie on while reading will help me read.

The first interview I went on asked about PARCC. None since have asked about it, however.

(The first interview was for a 6th grade position.)

You're going to attack me for this, but none of my professors discussed PARCC, even in passing.

During student teaching, I mostly heard about how annoying SGOs were with regards to new things being done in the state.

From my own experience, they did testing in fourth grade (ESPA), fifth grade, eighth grade (GEPA), 10th grade (I believe they called it the S Test?), and 11th grade(HSPA). From what I learned from my field experiences, the NJASK is given 3-8th grade (and the HSPA is still 11th).

 

The 'best' of candidates might rarely be thrown by an interview question but know how to have a conversation and ask for clarification when confused or style answers in way that best highlights what they do know and the skills they do have.

Your college professors might not have gone into depth on PAARC (or evidently centers, reading strategies, interviewing skills, cloze strategies, and a host of other things:unsure, but you have been a member here where such topics are discussed. You've had a year to be reading online journals and professional books in order to keep current on trends in Ed. Turn on the news, for goodness sake..many politicians, parents and school boards are discussing CCSS and PAARC. Go to school board meetings....there are MANY things a candidate can do in order to stay informed and educated about what going on in schools.

But you not do that bros..and I'm sure you'll make excuses for why you can't. But bottom line, you have NO job experience of any kind, you aren't current on school trends and reforms and you aren't interviewing well (for what seems a variety of reasons). Know that an interview is NOT the hardest part of this, bros. Education is a dynamic field...changes in curriculum, mandates, reforms, administrative dictates can be stressful for the most grounded and experienced educators. These stressors are ON TOP OF the incredible responsibility a teacher has to facilitate learning for each kid every day. There's just not time to be thrown or freeze by a relatively simple question when there are so many other complex issues and decisions a teacher negotiates every day....and that's what administrators know is needed... A candidate who can take on those challenges, who can take the ball and run with it while making a difference in the learning of the students.

 

This isn't convincing, bros. What makes it unconvincing is the difference between your posts on topics that engage you on the one hand and topics that don't engage you on the other.

Your posts about special education law and issues that flow from that in the special education classroom are clear and precise, giving evidence of the engagement, insight, and fluency in terminology that are among the hallmarks of the well-trained mind. Your examples are on point. One has the sense that you've done the research needed to back up the answer, and therefore one is inclined to take it seriously. In short, you sound like you know what you're posting about. Your recent posts on geocaching in the last few days aren't quite as authoritative, but they're definitely competent and therefore credible.

That's what you're capable of, bros. That's what you should be aiming for in elementary general education as well. But your posts here on teaching practice and on reading instruction - linchpins of elementary general education - fall far short of that mark, most notably when it comes to the grasp of terminology that indicates that what is read is being internalized.

 

So what???

You are so missing the point here!

Do you think czacza's professors discussed PARCC? NO.

Did mine? NO.

The vast majority of teachers here and in the real world did not get explicitly taught MOST OF THE THINGS THEY DO EVERY DAY.

But that doesn't mean they just don't do it.

 

I usually read my local board of ed meeting minutes whenever they are posted. They are very interesting to read.

I'd say this interview and the last one were the ones I have done the best at, but not as good as I could've done. I had a bit of extra nervousness because I wasn't able to see my therapist last week, and we usually role play before an interview to help me prepare for the interview.

I know the interview is not the hardest part of it, but it is certainly a... hurdle.

Okay so over the next few weeks i'll finish reading those books, look more into PARCC and Common Core implementation in the classroom (Currently signed up for a Coursera course "Common Core in Action: Literacy in the Content Areas- Exploring Literacy Design Collaborative Template Tasks")

No, I do not expect your professors to have discussed such things, but you most likely received a good amount of PD about them.

 

If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.

 

But that's your go-to excuse. My professors didn't teach me xyz.

If they didn't teach you, how did the person who GOT the job learn?

Try this: Any time you feel you need to type this:

My professors didn't....

Replace it with this:

I've not experienced that yet, but my plan is to...

Replace this:

I can't do...

With this:

I am planning to do...

Replace this:

My disabilities won't allow me to...

With this:

Even though I can't do...I can do...

Make an effort, bros.

 

We've never had any PD about PARCC. We received bad PD about Common Core, yet I've done the research necessary to understand both as much as possible.

 

I'd hesitate to even say it's your professors' job to teach you about PARCC. Your professors teach you how to teach. Now it's your job to take that framework they gave you and apply it. I'd even say they'd be doing you a disadvantage if they only taught you how to teach within specific frameworks because the field is constantly changing. You need to be versatile.

 

Not everyone goes to the same college or university.

 

What does that have to do with anything?

 

So nobody who graduated from your school knows anything about PARCC?

 

I will repeat myself to you, bros. I went to college out of state, never heard of PARCC, am younger than you, and yet I have a teaching job in NJ. No professor has ever mentioned PARCC, I didn't read about it in school board minutes, I did research on my own time. And I'm not exactly sure reading board minutes will keep you up to date with educational trends? Maybe give a little insight into that specific school, but I wouldn't rely on it for anything specific because clearly it's not working.

 

Not exactly related, but I looked up PARCC because I had never heard of it before. After reading up on it, my first thought was, "Ugh, great, another assessment." My second thought was, "Thankfully we don't have that in Florida."

That being said, if I were looking for a teaching job in the handful of states the PARCC applies to, I would study up on it prior to interviewing. However, some may have never heard of it before, and that's where getting in touch with current teachers and asking them about the current trends in the school system would really pay off.

 

Um...exactly?

How do people outside of New Jersey gets jobs in your state? As in, if I, being educated in the Midwest, wanted to move to NJ, how would I ever educated myself enough to be qualified?

Why am I bothering with this pointless conversation?

 

Not anyone who took the same classes I did.

Okay? And you probably have better interviewing skills than me and superior social skills. That's how you got your job.

 

That's how we all get our job bros. Knowing our content, being knowledgeable of trends, be ready to answer any question that comes up. It's not a parlor trick or acting. It's preparedness.

 

You don't think any of them took it upon themselves to do some research? I would bet at least some of them did.

 

I do not interview nor am I as social as many other people, and yet I got a job after a handful of interviews finally...and I guarantee you that a major reason behind that is the effort I put forth to make the most (and even more than "most") out of the experiences that I had, going above and beyond what was "expected" or told of me to do in the subbing and maternity leave position...and always being reflective and trying to learn from areas that I could identify as weaknesses as I subbed, as I taught, or even during the summer when I was doing neither. Granted, strong interviewing skills do play a factor, but is not the end-all factor in the decision for who gets the job.

 

Agreed, mathmagic. Bros - I think schools acknowledge that some people aren't strong interviewers. A lot of schools will ask top candidates to do a demo lesson. That's when you really get to shine! Schools aren't just looking for someone who is amazing at interviewing and has excellent social skills... they're looking for someone who has superior teaching skills. It all comes down to the who is best for the students, not how social you are or how great at interviewing you are.

 

Yes it is acting. Knowing how to talk to people is a form of acting. You look at the person and tell them the best answer you have to their question.

No amount of preparation could've prevented me from feeling nervous during the interview. If I could magically travel back in time and ask a question - I would probably ask what kind of professional development is offered for teacher's assistants, as the job posting stated that experience with ABA is preferred.

Not that any of them verbally expressed during class. Most sounded overwhelmed with the coursework, or during field experiences, with requirements from their supervisors (As some had supervisors that required them to do things like set up bulletin boards, or write 8 page lesson plans).

I am very aware of where my weaknesses lie.

The amount a candidate's interviewing skills count for most likely depends on the age of the person interviewing them. I tried very hard during the interview to control my anxious tendencies. Gesticulation was kept to a minimum, there was perhaps one minor instance of stuttering, and I attempted to maintain eye contact for most of the interview.

Yeah. Most of the jobs i've been called for interviews for teaching positions have a short timeframe, and no time for a demo lesson - except the first one, but I wasn't exactly a good fit for that position, anyway.

 

How's your professional reading coming along? Finished the Daily 5 book yet? If so, your next assignment is "Next Steps in Guided Reading" by Jan Richardson (assuming you've already read some Fountas and Pinnell books).

 

I'm going to disagree with you a little, mathmagic - but relax: it's in your favor. I am willing to wager that you interviewed better than you think you did, because the work you've put in on your own initiative to make sense of the programs and content WILL have shown up in your answers. Trust me when I tell you that the terrified candidate who speaks haltingly but has internalized the content sounds different than the more confident candidate who speaks haltingly on account of not having internalized the content.

As the saying goes, luck favors the PREPARED mind.

And that has been precisely my point.

 

I was meaning weaknesses in content and pedagogy, and actively seeking out and improving on those. I worked on my interviewing skills somewhat, but first and foremost on the content and pedagogy, as that will be what shows in an interview.

And I'd be careful about the age comment. More likely, it depends on the format that the district uses to interview. Some will naturally allow for more subjective views to get in. Most though will filter out much of that subjectivity. Rarely will you be scored on minor stuttering and some basic anxiousness (heck, they expect that to some extent!). What you will be scored on is your ability to express your thorough understanding of the content, pedagogy, and your willingness to be a part of a lifelong developing professional community.

 

Ha, I think I somewhat touched upon that in the response I typed as you must've submitted this! :lol: Yes, I am sure I interviewed better than I thought (bros - I have an extremely low self-esteem/confidence as you do...take note in that), but as you are saying, it wasn't so much because I practiced public speaking or anything like that, but because I was focused on things such as making sure I was thinking and responding more student-focused, and making sure I understand the content and programs not only that I have worked with, but even the ones I might be unfamiliar with because it is a new district. And that initiative is definitely key! (And what is missing in the case of this, and the other thread that I lurked through)

 

A wise man once said...

"You've got to know when to hold 'em...and know when to fold 'em...know when to walk away...know when to run."

I've held 'em for long enough. Bros, I hope you know when to fold 'em. I'm done enabling.

 

Bros, bros, bros...you really aren't getting it...those who pretend or 'act' on job interviews don't cut it...the best interviews are easy conversations, like cocktail parties without the beverages as aliceacc used to describe them...you can't act your way into being knowledgeable or competent or confident or experienced...trust me...those who hire have seen it all. We interview/interact/teach who we are.

No amount of preparation could have prevented you from being nervous? So why are you referring to not getting to your therapist? Why do you say you froze and had no questions when that was a significant topic in this thread?

Whatever supervisors or CTs asked of their STs s just a small glimpse into a teacher's day, bros. putting up BBs, writing detailed lesson plans...yeah...not uncommon. Add in SGOs, new resources to deliver changing standards, tenure reform, changes in teacher evaluation...we're all dancing as fast as we can in the current climate...you HAVE NO IDEA.

I'm not quite sure you do know your weaknesses. One pointed out here is your refusal to take advice and constructive criticism while making excuses. And you do nothing to change that. What others would you include?

A highly qualified candidate shines on an interview regardless of age, gender, race, other demographic of the interviewer. I could interview with a septegenarian Martian and get the job. You've got what they are looking for or you don't. You are a compelling candidate or you're not. You fit or don't fit. There is no 'try'.

 

Thank goodness. I'm not impressed with your experience.

 

Last year we had a first year teacher. She struggled from day 1. We gave her a lot of support, but she didn't take our advice. We heard excuses as to why it wouldn't work.

She wasn't asked back.

Bros, stop making excuses. You've been given really good advice, but all I hear is excuses.

I don't think you really want a teaching job.

 

Kean University is highly regarded...like anything, one takes what they will from any experience...you make the most of opportunities or you don't.

Wanting versus being realistic about what it takes to be qualified/competitive are very different things.

 

True. Bros is neither.