Career Corner

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is the concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is progress toward a sustainable economy, society and environment (environment, equity and economy).

Sustainability can be described as each of us doing our part to build the kind of world—economically, environmentally and socially—that we want to live in, and one that we want our children and grandchildren to inherit. It means becoming aware of all interconnections—visible and invisible—in which our day-to-day choices affect the intricate balance of social, economic and ecological systems.

The United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) introduced the far-reaching implications of the term, “sustainable,” in their widely cited report, Our Common Future (1987):

"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable--to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
World Commission on Environment and Development, Brundtland Commission, "Our Common Future"

Why Sustainability in the classrooms?
Students have a chance to make a huge difference in this world. Teach them why change is necessary so their future sustainability behaviors will become the norm. Change is hard for most adults, but if students learn what they need to do to help create a healthy environment, economy and community, then it will be more natural as they mature. Yes, critical thinking skills are important, but change agent skills are necessary right now.

Teachers have the perfect opportunity to bring sustainability into the classroom and make it a school-wide vision and mission. No matter what subject you teach, there is a way to bring sustainability into your lessons. There are so many resources out there, and some are listed below.

Continue reading "Sustainability in K-12 Education" »

Posted by AAEE at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Tell me about yourself. These were very common questions in an interview, but times are changing, and so are interviews. You need to be ready for behavioral interview questions. In a behavioral interview you will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from your past experiences. The principal or human resources recruiter wants to know, not that you can do something, but that you have done it. He or she, prior to the interview, determines what competencies are required for the position. Then the interviewer develops a series of questions that will allow him or her to find out if you, the teacher candidate, possess the necessary competencies to perform the job and are a good fit for that particular school. The basic premise of the behavioral interview is that past performance is a good predictor of future performance.

While many teacher candidates are intimidated by this method, a behavioral interview gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to a prospective principal why you are well suited for the job and that school. Rather then merely telling the interviewer what you would do in a situation, as in a regular interview, in a behavioral interview you must describe, in detail, how you handled a situation in the past. What better way to "strut your stuff?"

S.T.A.R.
This is an acronym to use to help you with behavioral interview questions. Think of answering the questions like a short story. ST = situation or task; A = action you took; R = result of that action. If you are just graduating from college, think about situations from your student teaching experience, field experiences, and class work. If you get asked a behavioral question and you have never had an experience to fit that question, do NOT answer what you think you would do in that situation, because you truly don't know. If you cannot answer the behavioral question, then let the principal or HR recruiter know that you have never experienced what they are looking for but you believe it would take skills in _______. Never make up a story.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions:
Tell me about a time when a lesson plan didn't go well and how you handled the situation.
Describe a conflict you had with a student/parent and how you handled the situation.
Tell me about a typical homework assignment in your class.
Describe an experience where you identified a student's special needs and modified the lesson.
Share an example of communication with a parent that helped you better understand a student in your classroom.
Tell me about a specific instance when you collaborated with other colleagues and tell me the result of that collaboration.
Describe a lesson plan that went very well and why you think it worked.
Give an example of a time when you had to make a quick decision and the result that decision.

As with any interview, you need to prepare before the interview. Assess yourself - know your skills, style, and what you have to offer the employer. Do your research - know about the school and school system and know what they are looking for in a teacher candidate. Also, prepare questions to ask the principal - always have a list of questions to pull out at the end of the interview.

Behavioral interviews are used to select the best candidate. You should put much thought into the future of behavioral interviews...when you do something at work, or in school, that will demonstrate a competency to a prospective employer, that's the time to write it down. Time has a funny way of clouding our memories. If you write down the details of an event right after it happens you'll be able to be more specific. You might even consider keeping a journal.

Diane Sledden Reed
Assistant Director, Career Center
University of North Carolina Wilmington
www.edweek.org

Posted by AAEE at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently I was surprised to hear two different school districts in major cities advertising for “anyone with a bachelor’s degree” to apply to teach. The advertisements stated that the districts were desperate for teachers and could certify anyone with a bachelor’s degree. One district even said certification could be accomplished in only two Saturdays of preparation. I was shocked! How could someone with two days of preparation be the equivalent of a teacher who trained and studied for many years in college and was then mentored by a master teacher during a semester of student teaching? How could someone off the street be considered for such a role, especially during this time of “No Child Left Behind”? Is this an aberration or is this a thing of the future? If we are not able to fill our teacher roles with quality, qualified teachers will we resort to taking whoever is available? Has the demand completely outstripped the supply of certified teachers?

I genuinely hope that this is an aberration. Historically when the economy has been strong students tend to leave the field of teaching for more lucrative careers. Now that the economy is softening we should see more students return to the teaching field. Also, there has never been a larger number of teachers facing retirement - especially early retirement. This has fueled the fire of teaching vacancies. There are other reasons that add to this predicament but they all add up to a glut of teacher vacancies and a shortage of teacher candidates. A student at a recent teacher fair told me he was shocked at how many recruiters asked, “What can we do to get you to teach at our school?” This is a far cry from the days of “scrambling for a job” and “taking what you can get.”

Most districts agree the failure rate of new teachers is highest among these “quickee” certified teachers. These teachers tend to have more problems and need more supervision than traditionally certified teachers. I would assume that these are a stop-gap for our present supply and demand problem and soon we will return to a balance. Would it help if this issue were addressed by our state legislatures and federal governments? Will this problem continue if we do not back up “No Child Left Behind” with funds to reward all teachers as well as master teachers? Is this a problem that will work itself out or is there need for further discussion and action?

Hopefully we can have discussions about this problem with our cohorts and our government leaders and agree on some solutions soon.

Bob Maxfield
Director
BYU-Idaho Teacher Career Services

Posted by AAEE at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This past May has been unusual for my office. I help place student teachers into the positions where they will student teach for the fall semester. In past years this has been fairly normal and fairly routine. The reason I have called this past month "unusual" is that four of the math majors I placed in student teaching positions for this fall were offered teaching jobs at schools other than where they were assigned to student teach.

In other words these students will be teachers with their own classroom, their own discipline system, their own grading system, their own set of class rules without ever having student taught or for that matter without being certified or graduated from a university. The competition for math teachers has become so tight that schools are jumping the gun and hiring these students before they even student teach. As a university we are forced to give student teaching credit for the first semester of full-time, paid teaching. Is this the wave of the future for those teaching majors that are in high demand? Will special education teachers and science teachers see the same recruiting pressure in the near future? Will this pre-hiring of in-demand teachers return to sting these schools? Will these pre-hired teachers somehow gain the teaching skills and experience that comes from observing and mimicking a master teacher? Is this a short term solution to a long term problem?

It is interesting to view this problem from both sides of the isle. On one side are schools who simply can not find competent math teachers and are willing to gamble on an unproven college senior to fill the need. On the other side are universities and state departments of education who are concerned that in the long term these quick hires will not receive the necessary training that only comes through student teaching with a competent teacher who gives excellent advice and feedback to the student teacher.

There are examples to support both sides of the argument. One principal stated that his cooperating teacher simply put him in charge of the class on the first day of student teaching and it was a sink or swim situation. Luckily he learned to swim. A senior student who was hired as the teacher in lieu of student teaching recalled a few years later that he regretted the fact that his career suffered because he was not able to receive the feedback and recommendations available in student teaching.

Many senior students feel they are capable and would like the opportunity to begin teaching immediately. Or maybe they simply want to be paid as a full-time teacher with benefits versus teaching under someone while paying tuition and fees.

Is this just a symptom of the problem we currently have in education? Is there a need to recruit more students into the teaching field, especially the in-demand majors? Do we need to pay the math, sciences, and special education fields the equivalent to their non-education jobs? One science teacher lamented that he could double or triple his salary if he were in the "real" world. A university career services counselor said that his special education students were recruited by hospitals and health care services and paid much more than public schools could pay.

These are some serious questions that we need to ask ourselves in this industry. There are no easy answers and there are no silver bullets. There are only serious discussions that should help our legislators and government find solutions to these concerns of public education.

-Bob Maxfield
Director,
Brigham Young University - Idaho Teacher Career Services

Posted by AAEE at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

A student recently emailed my office asking for job placement statistics for the teacher education majors at our university. I am always at a loss to answer such a broad question because many factors go into what I am sure this student hopes is a simple answer. I once overheard a career services director of a major university answer the job placement statistics question by saying, "We have 100% job placement! All of our students eventually find a job somewhere."

With that answer in mind I would like to give three main factors in successful job placement. First, is the graduate able to go to the job. If a student is able to go to the job, say for example move to a rural school or an inner city school, there is a much greater chance of finding a job. Second, what is the graduate’s major. Certain majors are much more in demand than others. For example math, science and special education are much more in demand than history, social studies or health. Third, did the student do a good job in student teaching. If student teaching evaluations are mediocre then the student will have a difficult time finding a job. I have yet to hear a principal say, “Send me the resumes of your mediocre teachers.”

With that said, almost every education graduate has been able to find a teaching job IF they are able to relocate to the job, IF they have done well in student teaching, and IF they are willing to teach in subjects that may not be their favorite to teach.

To all teacher education graduates, "Best of luck in your job search!"

Bob Maxfield
Director
BYU-Idaho Teacher Career Services

Posted by AAEE at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As a candidate for a teaching position, the search is only one part of getting in front of the classroom. Most people find the chase to be rather tiring, but the real work starts as a person signs a contract and makes a commitment to be in front of kids. Every teaching position in this nation is important. Every teacher is important for what they bring to the classroom.

From the time you are hired, you need to know there will be paperwork and preparation. In today's business environment, the school district will have quite a bit of forms and materials for you. From the simple IT permission form to the selection of health insurance. All of these items will help make for a smooth transition as you approach the first day with kids.

Many of the school districts will have an official new teacher orientation which may be anything from 1 day to 1 week. This can vary from knowing how to work within a school to knowing the curriculum that needs to be taught. The amount of preparation will vary on what level of competency the individual has. Besides knowing your physical environment, you will want to know your colleagues. Although the contract will specify specific work days, there will be more days needed to get ready. Getting in to the classroom, getting the textbooks, finding out what the routine will be all are things that are better known sooner as opposed to later.

If the school district has a mentor/induction program, you will have a professional assigned to you so you can have that very personal contact. This is mandated in some states and is more voluntary in others. They should help in your growth so you can survive the stresses yet to come. The staff development offered will be beneficial, but when you sit down in the evening with a pile of papers to grade, you might think that another interference is going to make you quit.

Your first year will be hectic, difficult, frustrating, and hopefully the best experience you will have. Remember, there are more than 60% of people who complete their teaching preparation who do not get jobs the first year. You have the job and you need to make the most of it. It will be more work than you ever dreamed, but you have to continue to remember why you got in to the profession. Students expect and at some age groups demand that you are on top of your game every day, every period, every class. Please don't disappoint.

Good luck with this most important of jobs. It will be tiring but rewarding. You made it and now you get to practice the most satisfying and frustrating job that requires a college education. Teaching is so much more than standing in front of the class. Be prepared and be flexible.

Doug Peden
Executive Director of Human Resources
Falcon School District
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Posted by AAEE at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Most candidates focus on several aspects of preparing for the interview—careful preparation of the resume and portfolio, a mock interview, and finding appropriate professional dress. However, there is also work to be done after the interview.

Once you leave the site of the interview, the temptation is great to avoid thinking about it, to relax, to focus on the drive home with the promise that you will later sort things out. From my point of view, that’s a mistake.

Each interview is a learning experience. Interviewing is not easy for anyone. Any situation that prompts us to think about what the interview entailed and how we handled it helps us to improve our interviewing skills.

Here are some tips for action to take after the interview:

• Go somewhere quiet (perhaps a coffee shop or a park) and write down who the members of the interview team were, where the interview was held, and how long it lasted. Note your initial feelings about how you think that the interview went. This approach will capture your first impression of your interviewing skills.
• Make a list of the questions you were asked and the answers that you gave. This list will give you a solid perspective about how the interview was conducted. It will also provide you with questions that may show up at your next interview.
• Make notes about what you wished you would have been asked and what you might answer differently the next time. This will be helpful if you interview again.
• Consider if any questions/answers from your interview might prompt you to revise your resume to be more specific and marketable.
• Think about whether you need to talk to a professional about this experience—perhaps a career counselor, a principal whom you feel comfortable asking about interviewing techniques, or a teacher who has recently (in the last year or two) gone through the hiring process.
• Write a thank you note to the interviewer(s) within twenty-four hours of the interview. They notice such courtesies. Make sure that the note is as well proofread as your cover letter was!

Dr. Becky Faber
Assistant Director, Career Services
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on behalf of AAEE

Posted by AAEE at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

As you progress through the job search process, there may be offers that come from school districts at job fairs, over the phone, or at the end of an interview. School districts feel that once a candidate has agreed and accepted a contractual offer that the candidate will honor their commitment. I know what you are saying, "this was a really short post and why would a personnel director make such a simple comment."

Well, the reason for this post is simple, I will agree. Candidates don't always honor their commitment. I would like to say that districts always do but that would be an oversimplification of the problem. I have been at job fairs and seen individuals walking around bragging that they had 3 or 4 intent letters or contracts. Now I know people like to hedge their bets, but this is pushing the limit of ethical behavior.

School districts that offer letters of intent expect the candidate who accepts the letter to discontinue their search. Obviously, there are two sides to this story. If an individual is recruited or interviewed and is offerred a contract/letter, they should know what that means. Most contract law will talk about a duty to perform. Understand that when a school district makes a decision they are not planning to continue the search. Individuals need to start the process of transitioning in to the mind set and physical reality of the work that lies ahead.

In our area because we have a dozen school districts within 15 miles of each other, we know when someone is playing a game or trying to play one district against another. This leaves a very bad taste and may hinder a persons ability to advance as time goes on. I know we attempt to track those offerred contracts/letters and we know who might resign or not show up for work.

Being ethical in this process is the most professional thing you can do. If you are offerred a letter of intent, declining the letter won't create a bad situation for you. If you come to a district to interview and they offer you a contract, realize that the expectation is you will take it. Once again, "never apply/interview for a position unless you are willing to take that position." Nothing makes a district more frustrated than to do their work, get to the point of selection, and then the candidate says pass. The offer may not come your way again. Hence, the reason for the research and understanding of the district, school, student population, and community prior to your on site interview.

We used to use a hand shake because that was a persons "bond". Those days have changed but as a candidate understand that the district has expectations. Those are that you as an individual are honorable and ethical. Please do not let us down!

Doug Peden
Executive Director of Human Resources
Falcon School District
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Posted by AAEE at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Every graduate is eager to secure employment. Although most individuals don't prepare themselves very well. The preparation on the part of the individual will make the interview team much more understanding of what is being said and they can listen for passion and desire.

Every interview is meant to be a showcase for a candidate. The truth is that employers are looking for something. I can't predict what that might be, but I know that there are going to be things that will make one individual stand out above the crowd. How can you be that person?

First, what do you know about the school district, school, principal, demographics, academic success, social/economics? Sounds like a list that might keep the candidate up at night. You won't have to know the "inside scoop", but being familiar with the district goals, building goals, the leadership, the community and the roll you might play is essential for you to hit the mark.

Next, do you know who is interviewing you? How will the interview be conducted? Are you going to be asked to teach a lesson? If none of this is clear, it is very permissable for you as a finalist to contact the school to seek out this information. Most of the time people come in and have no idea what to expect. As an example, I once interviewed for a position and there were 20 people in the room. There were people from the community who felt like they had a stake in the selection and I guess the administration agreed. It was somewhat intimidating. The same can be said for a twenty-something entering a room with a group of 50 year olds. Know what you are getting in to.

Next, what kind of questions will be asked? You know they have your resume and may have already checked some references to attempt to get a quick glimpse of who you are and how you might fit in their school. There are many sources of questions for you to examine, but think about this. If the interview team wants to get to know you their questions should ask for you to describe things you have done. Not philosophy or textbook rehash. I almost always have individuals that I am interviewing get stuck and say "Wow, that is a hard question!" I don't feel that makes the person a bad interview, but it tells me they may not have thought about the question or the situation I was referring to. An example is "Can anyone fail your class if they come each day and are not a behavioral problem?" The answers are varied, but what I am looking for is what is the amount of investment you have in the individual. Do you really believe in differentiation and that all kids can learn and succeed? I will know after that question.

Finally, if you have done your homework, you should have questions about the school and some of the things you will be getting in to as a teacher there. Do you understand class size and how 25 average and above kids might be fine although a class with emotional and behavioral issues might be tough with only 15 kids. Don't spend time on salary because that information is avaiable and it sounds like you are trying to negotiate. Don't dwell on referrals or problems because most states make that material available. Ask those questions that make it seem like you see yourself in the job and you are performing at a high level.

Once again, the time up front will benefit you in search.

Doug Peden
Executive Director of Human Resources
Falcon School Distirct
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Posted by AAEE at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

For job seekers in the field of education, the spring of the year is a time filled with great anticipation. School districts around the country are moving in full swing to hire highly qualified staff for the upcoming school year. Having said that, the inevitable question is "what do I have to do to get a job?".

One of the fundamental questions in today's electronic world is "what do you know about the school district where you want to apply?" With websites improving daily and in-depth information available on the internet, candidates need to do a thorough job of reviewing potential employers. Not all questions can be answered this way, but a general sense of what you are getting in to will probably come across. Seek more information by emailing specific schools or central offices to get things like timelines and job expectations. Read the advertisement closely to see if you fit the position. Finally, don't apply for positions that won't fit you. I have had many people tell me that you should not apply for a position unless you are willing to accept it.

School districts are in competitive hiring with their geographic counterparts. To only look at salary or the age of a building, probably does not give you enough of a picture to make a decision. Be clear what it is that will make you happy. Is it student diversity, location, test scores, or something else? Once you have spent the time preparing you are now ready to enter the candidate pool.

Doug Peden
Executive Director of Human Resources
Falcon School District

Posted by AAEE at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)