Teacher Interview
I interviewed a 5th grade teacher at Berewick Elementary School. My teacher has been teaching for 8 years and this is her fifth year at this school.
1. What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
Common Core. This is the first year implementing the Common Core and it can be a challenge sometimes to balance inquiry-based
instruction. It's hard for the students as well, they have been learning one way for 5 years (K-4th) and now we've changed it on
them.
2. What have been some of your instructional successes as a teacher?
This year, MAP testing. The students just took the MAP tests again and the students that weren't close to grade level the first time they
took them, are now. Also, my students appreciate what I do for them. I'm hard on them but they respect that I'm looking out for them.
3. How do you find time to teach everything?
(Takes a big breath) It's hard to teach everything that the Common Core states we should. The most difficult is to find time to teach Science
and Social Studies. The state dictates how much time we need to spend on these and we were noticing that our students weren't
understanding and retaining what we were teaching. We asked for permission to group Science and Social Studies into blocks instead of
splitting them up in one week. We teach weekly blocks instead of the 2/3 days that other schools do and it equates to the total time the state
tells us we should teach. In Math, there are times I have to move on even if all of the students don't understand. If I don't move on, I
wouldn't get everything done. For those times, I use the TA to pull out the students that don't quite get it and she works in small groups
during workshop time to get them caught up.
4. In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the classroom?
I have a student that is hearing impaired and I use a special headset during instruction. (The student puts a speaker on her desk during
instruction to amplify the teachers voice. It doesn't amplify it too much so other students aren't distracted by it) I also have a wheelchair
in the classroom for one of my students if she needs it. (The chair sits in a corner out of the way) We do pull-ins where the TD and EC
teachers come into the classroom during workshop times. They pull students to another area in the classroom and work in small groups.
5. How do you write a typical lesson plan?
I usually plan a few days in advance because if students don't understand a concept we don't move on. I use the Common Core standards,
the CMS plan, and the school's outline. The outline is a pacing guide and I match the standards to the guide. In Math, I plan the lesson but
only half of the activities. The other Math teacher and I split them up. I plan the low and high activities and she plans the median activities.
Then we share them. This makes it so we're not coming up with 6 activities every week.
6. What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
I have pow-wows with the students. We talk about being a successful student and what that means: what to do, what it takes. We talk about
goals and how to attain them. Students chart their own scores. I hold conferences with students. A motivational quote of the day. I also
give out treats if a student or group is having a really good day. (This is usually done when students are behaving very well and is something
small)
7. Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom. What works well with your students?
We have 90 minutes for Math each day and that's broken up into whole lesson and group workshops. I start with whole class using a
problem that the students look at and talk about in their groups. If students understand the concept, then after whole class, we go to
workshop. If they don't understand, then I spend the rest of the time having them do more problems and discussions. The students are
grouped by their levels during workshop.
8. What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?
You have to be optimistic, self-driven, and determined. There are going to be a lot of days you question what you are doing. You're going
to ask yourself, what else can I do? You need to have faith that it will all work out.
My teacher loves all her students. She admits that she is very hard on them because she expects a lot out of them. Her students love her as well. During the interview, I could tell that she cares for each of her students by the way she talked about them. While talking about her students, I couldn't tell if she had a favorite or one that she had challenges with. She talked about all her students the same way, with respect. I admire her for this, being able to appreciate all your students for who they are is something I work hard at everyday and she does it seamlessly.
When I asked her about having time to teach everything (question 3), she took a few seconds to answer. I think this is something you have to have balance with. She talked about moving on even if all students don't get it. I think balancing the needs of a few students with the needs of the whole class is something that is perfected over time. I understand the need to move on because you don't want the majority of the class becoming bored, but as a teacher, I want to make sure everyone "gets" it. I also wonder how this would be accomplished if there were no TA's.
When we talked about what she thinks the characteristics for successful teaching are, I was inspired by her answer. She didn't hesitate when she stated what she thought. As a teacher you have to be optimistic. You have to believe that what you are doing is going to make a difference in your students lives. You also need to be self-driven. As a teacher, you may or may not have a support system at your school. Either way, it's you and you alone teaching your kids day-in and day-out. You need to be able to do what you need to do to get it done. The other characteristic she stated was determined. She said you need to be determined that you are going to get your students where they need to be to succeed. I think if you aren't determined to help your students succeed, you shouldn't be a teacher.
1. What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
Common Core. This is the first year implementing the Common Core and it can be a challenge sometimes to balance inquiry-based
instruction. It's hard for the students as well, they have been learning one way for 5 years (K-4th) and now we've changed it on
them.
2. What have been some of your instructional successes as a teacher?
This year, MAP testing. The students just took the MAP tests again and the students that weren't close to grade level the first time they
took them, are now. Also, my students appreciate what I do for them. I'm hard on them but they respect that I'm looking out for them.
3. How do you find time to teach everything?
(Takes a big breath) It's hard to teach everything that the Common Core states we should. The most difficult is to find time to teach Science
and Social Studies. The state dictates how much time we need to spend on these and we were noticing that our students weren't
understanding and retaining what we were teaching. We asked for permission to group Science and Social Studies into blocks instead of
splitting them up in one week. We teach weekly blocks instead of the 2/3 days that other schools do and it equates to the total time the state
tells us we should teach. In Math, there are times I have to move on even if all of the students don't understand. If I don't move on, I
wouldn't get everything done. For those times, I use the TA to pull out the students that don't quite get it and she works in small groups
during workshop time to get them caught up.
4. In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the classroom?
I have a student that is hearing impaired and I use a special headset during instruction. (The student puts a speaker on her desk during
instruction to amplify the teachers voice. It doesn't amplify it too much so other students aren't distracted by it) I also have a wheelchair
in the classroom for one of my students if she needs it. (The chair sits in a corner out of the way) We do pull-ins where the TD and EC
teachers come into the classroom during workshop times. They pull students to another area in the classroom and work in small groups.
5. How do you write a typical lesson plan?
I usually plan a few days in advance because if students don't understand a concept we don't move on. I use the Common Core standards,
the CMS plan, and the school's outline. The outline is a pacing guide and I match the standards to the guide. In Math, I plan the lesson but
only half of the activities. The other Math teacher and I split them up. I plan the low and high activities and she plans the median activities.
Then we share them. This makes it so we're not coming up with 6 activities every week.
6. What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
I have pow-wows with the students. We talk about being a successful student and what that means: what to do, what it takes. We talk about
goals and how to attain them. Students chart their own scores. I hold conferences with students. A motivational quote of the day. I also
give out treats if a student or group is having a really good day. (This is usually done when students are behaving very well and is something
small)
7. Tell me about the pacing of lessons and interaction in the classroom. What works well with your students?
We have 90 minutes for Math each day and that's broken up into whole lesson and group workshops. I start with whole class using a
problem that the students look at and talk about in their groups. If students understand the concept, then after whole class, we go to
workshop. If they don't understand, then I spend the rest of the time having them do more problems and discussions. The students are
grouped by their levels during workshop.
8. What do you consider essential characteristics for successful teaching?
You have to be optimistic, self-driven, and determined. There are going to be a lot of days you question what you are doing. You're going
to ask yourself, what else can I do? You need to have faith that it will all work out.
My teacher loves all her students. She admits that she is very hard on them because she expects a lot out of them. Her students love her as well. During the interview, I could tell that she cares for each of her students by the way she talked about them. While talking about her students, I couldn't tell if she had a favorite or one that she had challenges with. She talked about all her students the same way, with respect. I admire her for this, being able to appreciate all your students for who they are is something I work hard at everyday and she does it seamlessly.
When I asked her about having time to teach everything (question 3), she took a few seconds to answer. I think this is something you have to have balance with. She talked about moving on even if all students don't get it. I think balancing the needs of a few students with the needs of the whole class is something that is perfected over time. I understand the need to move on because you don't want the majority of the class becoming bored, but as a teacher, I want to make sure everyone "gets" it. I also wonder how this would be accomplished if there were no TA's.
When we talked about what she thinks the characteristics for successful teaching are, I was inspired by her answer. She didn't hesitate when she stated what she thought. As a teacher you have to be optimistic. You have to believe that what you are doing is going to make a difference in your students lives. You also need to be self-driven. As a teacher, you may or may not have a support system at your school. Either way, it's you and you alone teaching your kids day-in and day-out. You need to be able to do what you need to do to get it done. The other characteristic she stated was determined. She said you need to be determined that you are going to get your students where they need to be to succeed. I think if you aren't determined to help your students succeed, you shouldn't be a teacher.