So we’re in the season of wanting– Spring is the hiring season for schools.
Last year around this time, I found myself wanting to hire a certain teacher candidate after I saw his resume. He was dual-certified in two subjects that we needed, and he coached track, which we also needed. He spoke French, Spanish. A glorious combo in a school for English Language Learners. I did notice his resume was long, and wordy, but . . .
I called him for a short phone interview, which we do to vet people before an in-person interview. I talked about the school, and I kept speaking and speaking, and — this is usually a warning sign that I feel the need to please someone. But, I thought, maybe I was just out of practice interviewing . . .
A few minutes into our conversation, he said, “OK, now I can talk. I’m in my driveway.” What? He had been driving this whole time? Why had he agreed to take an interview while driving? Maybe I had scheduled it too early and should have made sure. . .
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I founded the High School of Language and Innovation in 2011 with eight teachers teaching 90 students. We have now grown to 28 teachers and 350 students and have interviewed hundreds of candidates over the past seven years. In our interviews with teachers, we ask questions about topics like teamwork, teaching, taking responsibility for student results. But there is one question that tells us volumes about the candidate.
Classroom 325 