9 november 2018

Principal Panel Notes

How can we have effective references?
● References are colleagues, not friends
● Make sure your online application is up to date
● Make sure you include your mentor teacher and principals
● Let your references know you are using them as references
● References can make you or break you
○ Always put your immediate supervisor
● Ask for letters of recommendation
Should we change the way we act? Our mannerisms?
● Watch what you post on social media
● You are a role model for children 24/7
● Teachers are held at a higher standard
● When going to an interview, pay attention to details because this will
determine how you think on Lesson Plans
● Simple and conservative- less is more
● One should have professional attire throughout days and years
What is some advice we should take from you for a successful interview?
● Be familiar with your own resumé
● Materials:
○ Resumé and portfolio
■ Keep until the end of the interview
■ Add your experience to the portfolio
■ Bring it both physically and digitally, such as in a tablet
to show quickly
■ Interviews are approximately 15 min long, giving you 2-3
minutes per question
○ Quality v. Quantity
■ Have less lesson plans that show how you’re an effective
educator
● Show the 4C’s
○ Compassionate
○ Caring
○ Confidence
○ Competency
● Keep eye contact when answering questions.
○ Smile and know who the principal is
○ Shake everyone’s hand when you walk into the interview
● For the question “Tell me about yourself”:
○ Don’t downplay yourself
○ Talk about your skills and what you bring to the table
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● Brush up on your components of Balanced Literacy

● Give the impression of something that sparks a fire in you
● Your attitude must show, “I want to be at your school.”
Tips for answering questions effectively
● Great interviews include:
○ Knowing about the campus you are being interviewed in
■ What is the culture of the campus?
● Talk about memorable experiences such as parental engagement
and professional communities
● Practice your nervous ticks because interviewers pick up on them
● The questions will be “Why?” “What?” and “How?” questions
● Listen to the questions carefully and ask for clarification, when
needed
● Keep your answers concise, but not too brief
● Have the mindset of “You are the best person for that campus.”
● Research about the Campus Improvement Plan
● Expect the unexpected
○ You never know what they are going to ask
○ Let your passion and discipline shine through
For the question, “What are your strengths?”, what stands out, in your
opinion?
● Is it that you are always on time?
● Do you collaborate well?
● Usage of technology in the classroom.
○ Recall that it supplements and not supplants
● How well do you communicate with parents?
● What do your small groups look like? What do they target?
● A big one is working with Microsoft Excel because that’s how one
manages a gradebook and student data
What are your suggestions to integrate technology successfully? What do
you look for?
● How can they learn ALONG WITH technology?
○ Nearpod
○ Class flow
○ Class Dojo
○ Google Classroom
○ 3D Goggles
○ Kahoot!
● Use it to enhance instruction, help with PLC, and communicate with
parents
● Recall that our students are tech natives and they live with constant
technology at their fingertips
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● We are competing with mobile devices

● How can you use technology creatively?
○ Powerpoint, Google Classroom, integrate technology in a
center
When it comes to parents, what do you want from first year teachers?
● When coming to a new school, let parents know who you are and
what is your philosophy of teaching
● How do you keep continuous communication with parents?
○ Recall that there can be parents who cannot read or write
● Try to understand the background of each student
● Always pick up your phone
● Know the area
● Be diplomatic in conversations with parents
○ Have contact through email, give your class phone number,
use the agenda, phone call
● When calling parents on the phone, always start on a positive note
● Home visits are encouraged, but safely
○ Drive around the neighborhood
How do you plan to support first-year teachers?
● Professional Development and constant feedback
● Mentor teacher who will model what activities you can do
● Look to the instructional coaches for lesson planning
● PLC will be very important
● Benchmark guidelines must be followed
○ How do you plan to unpack the TEKS?
● For mid-year hires, host a Parent/Teacher conference to get to know
the new teacher
● We are the teachers who set the fun and make the culture
What are your school’s policies for Tutoring? What Dual Language
programs do you offer?
● Tutoring has been shown to not be very effective.
● There are Saturday camps and evening camps
● Some schools call it extended learning, where lessons are presented
differently
● There are English and Spanish components in the classroom
● 33% grouping model
○ 33-33-33
■ 33% are monolingual students
■ 33% are Dual language learneres
■ 33% are ELLs
● Teacher:student ratio stands at 22:1
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Summary:
Principals are looking for first-year teachers who show passion and
discipline when interviewing. Having an effective resumé that highlights
your strengths can help them focus on what it is you bring to the table,
and why you are the best candidate for that position. Keep in mind how a
teacher can integrate technology effectively without replacing you, and
how you can keep constant, positive communication with parents. These
factors will help a principal and the committee choose the best teacher for
the students.