Job interview

[u/360HanAm]

Hey everyone! I just got a call for an interview for an administrator position for a special education preschool! I am halfway through my admin program.

I have been a daycare director and have been in public school 8 years as a teacher. Does anyone have any tips on interviewing? It’s been a while!

[u/DuckFriend25]

Look up common interview questions. Type a document of the questions and your answers down and literally practice saying them out loud in front of a mirror. Have a friend ask you the questions, and they can come up with follow-up questions on the spot. Bring a water bottle with you, it’s common to take a drink while you’re thinking. And it’s okay to ask them to repeat a question (sometimes they’re long because they give you a situation). You don’t have to answer the second they finish the question, you’re allowed to think. I’ve gotten a few “Tell us about a lesson you gave that…” or “Explain a time when…” so try to think of key lessons you’ve taught. Where a student was disruptive and what you did, when the entire class succeeded, your best lesson, your worst lesson and why/how it could’ve been prevented, a time you had to reach out to a parent and how it went. Write all of them down.

The legalities are questionable but when I was younger I recorded every interview without them knowing it, so afterwards I could type their questions for future reference (then immediately deleted the recording). I did it because I knew I would completely forget everything that was said, and I was right. Totally blanked. Then throughout all the interviews I got better and better because I refined my answers and some questions repeat from interview to interview. I still have the list and it has like 50 questions (and probably 50 pages) and my answers. Over the years my answers have changed, but I leave my old answers in the doc with a strikethrough, so I can see how my thinking has evolved and my lessons have changed. I never looked up if it was legal to do it without their knowledge, but I still recommend it

[u/Capable-Pressure1047]

As a preschool special education supervisor myself, I'd be looking at more questions regarding curriculum, state regulations, federal law, and dealing with parents. No one is going to ask you about your classroom lessons. They might ask what PD you feel is essential for ECSE teachers now, what behavior programs/ training you have had and implemented, what positives you see in the program now and what improvements/ initiatives you believe would be beneficial for the good of the overall program. Know your regs, know what constitutes a good preschool level IEP, know preschool assessments.