Interview:

Eric Hufford

2nd grade

Interview Question 1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher? >>>

In response, Mr. Hufford exclaimed,“Near the end of my enlistment in the military I was placed in an
instructor role which required me to provide training to the newer members in my squadron. During my
time in the position, I realized I enjoyed teaching people new skills. To this day, my favorite part of the
job is seeing a student come in with little to no knowledge of something (ex. Telling time,
addition/subtraction, multiplication, etc) and reaching mastery in my classroom.”

Interview Question 2: What are the main challenges you face as a teacher? >>>

Mr. Hufford responded saying “I think the main challenges change from year to year. This year my main
challenge is managing extreme behaviors in the classroom. For a majority of this year I have had 3 of
the most extreme behaviors I have ever had in my career. Establishing a relationship with these
students that is based on trust and making sure they understand my expectations has been
exceptionally challenging.”

Interview Question 3: What is the best part of being a teacher? >>>

Mr. Hufford replied saying, “My favorite part of the job is analyzing data after a semester of instruction.
At our school we take the MAPs test which is a statewide assessment given during the fall, winter, and
spring. During the fall I get a baseline on each student and use the information gathered to form an
individual plan for each student's learning plan for the next 3-4 months. Each test is a gauge as to how
well I have done my job as a teacher and how much each student has grown throughout the year. It
also provides me with time to reflect and improve my approach to teaching.”

Interview Question 4: How do you determine where students sit in class? >>>

Eric Hufford said “I typically group my students in heterogeneous groups. I try to have students with
varying skill levels at each table because I am a firm believer that students can learn a great deal from
each other. My lower students have access to grade level and above grade level understanding
through the peers at their tables. It also provides my higher students with the opportunity to assume the
role of the teacher when they do group work. Having my higher skilled students explain concepts to my
emergent students gives a deeper reinforcement of their understanding of the subject.”

Interview Question 5: How do you determine the members of any flexible groups? >>>

“During my small group time for reading, I group students based off of the result of several beginning of
the year assessments. I assess each student and learn about their current levels of decoding and
comprehension. I then group them according to their skill level and provide the skills they need
 according to the program I use. My small groups are a little more flexible because I typically focus on
more specific skills. I use my MAPs data to identify the skills each student is ready to develop and track
trends across my classroom. If I review each student profile provided from MAPs and I have 5 students
who need more practice with shapes, I will form a shapes group until mastery is achieved.”

Interview Question 6: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly? >>>

“There are several tests required through the programs provided through our curriculum. For reading I
will assess at the end of each unit with what is known as a selection test. I also do progress monitoring,
core phonics, and a spelling test at the end of each week. My math assessments are more frequent. I
give a quick check at the end of every lesson, informal assessments to exit students from my small
groups, and an end of topic assessment every 2 weeks.”

Interview Question 7: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents? >>>

“I am required to update progress grades at the end of every quarter so my parents know where their
student is with each standard before report cards are submitted. I also am required to update grades as
I receive them. If I give a math test, I immediately enter them into Infinite Campus and the parents can
view the grade in real time. If the student is struggling or receives an unsatisfactory grade, I will
communicate with parents and they will ask for extra practice to help their student at home.”

Interview Question 8: How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person, and what type of
discussions do you typically have? >>>

“I interact with parents everyday after school. I try to choose a parent that I haven’t spoken to in a week
or two and hold a roughly 5-10 minute conversation with them about their child's progress and
behavior.”

Interview Question 9: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis? >>>

“A majority of my summative grading is done at the end of every topic for each subject. Each topic for
math and reading is about two weeks and at the end of that two week period I give the students an end
of topic assessment. Throughout those two weeks however, I am collecting formative assessments
through observation or daily quick checks. If a student does well throughout the whole unit and then
struggles on the test, I am able to use those formative assessments to slightly adjust the grade the
student received on the summative.”

Interview Question 10: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week? >>>

“On average I spend about two hours of my day planning for the next day's lessons. I have a 50 minute
prep period while the kids are at specials which is extremely useful and oftentimes spend an hour at
home making sure I have all materials prepared as well as a firm grasp on the following day's lessons.”

Interview Question 11: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time? >>>

“The strategies that help me maximize time are creating a to-do list for students to complete
independently while I work with small groups. The challenge with this comes with students gaining the
 independence to complete their tasks while a teacher is at the back table working with other students.
This allows me to maximize my instruction time because I am able to meet with every student in small
group and address their needs while others are still completing grade level activities at their seats.”

Interview Question 12: What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with, and what
behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group? >>>

“I teach 2nd grade and what I have found is students respond to the classroom economy I have created
in the classroom. I usually start the year off using ClassDojo to positively reward my students when
they produce a desired behavior. I use this to clearly establish my expectations for them. Once
expectations are fully understood by the class, I shift to a classroom economy in which students are
able to earn plastic coins instead of dojo points. The amount of coins earned throughout the week can
be spent at my class store on Friday. As far as consequences, I use a think sheet. The student will be
given a think sheet that they are required to fill out detailing the mistake that they made. It asks them
what their poor choice was, why they made the poor choice, and what can be done to prevent it from
happening again. The think sheet is then signed by the student and myself and sent home for parent
signature. My parents this year are extremely involved so oftentimes nothing further is required.”

Interview Question 13: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process? >>>

“I find this question particularly challenging to answer because at our school they are not directly
involved with the instructional planning of the classroom. They do however meet as a team and discuss
their standards and practices with each other during their weekly PLC as well as during staff
development days.”

Interview Question 14: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance? >>>

“I have 3 formal observations a year from administration using the NEPF. Most times, my administration
will contact me with a schedule for my upcoming evaluation. They will schedule a pre observation and a
post observation. During the pre observation we will discuss what standards are being taught, what I
anticipate the observer seeing in my classroom, and what I would like them to look for. After the
observation, we meet again to discuss how the lesson went, what I feel were the successes as well as
areas that need to be improved.”

Interview Question 15: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable? >>>

“If my evaluation were to be an unfavorable one, I would have my post observation meeting and
discuss the elements of the observation that were unsuccessful. If the administration did not observe
the desired NEPF’s then they would schedule another observation in an attempt to witness them in my
classroom. If there is an area that I am struggling in I could be assigned a strategist to come in an
model the standard for me.”
Interview Question 16: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or professionally
from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction? >>>

“The biggest support I receive from this school is my support from administration as well as the learning
strategist at our school. At our school we have a literacy strategist who is always on hand to model or
provide me with research based information to help further my teaching abilities. I also have a behavior
interventionist on hand in case a student is struggling in the classroom. This behavior interventionist will
come to my classroom when needed and provide support with a difficult student.”

Interview Question 17: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession? >>

“The biggest surprise for me was how severe some of the students' behaviors can be. Growing up I
don’t recall elementary students being anything more than chatty but throughout my career I have seen
behaviors and situations at home that I never anticipated. Classroom management is much more
difficult than I could have ever imagined.”

Interview Question 18: What collaboration and planning do you do with your grade-level team or
subject-department? >>>

“My second grade team and I meet twice a week for our PLC planning. We meet Tuesday before
school for an hour to discuss lesson planning, strategies, and upcoming assessments. We also meet
Thursday during my prep period to review weekly data and discuss the struggles our students are
facing as well as how to address them.”