Professional Development Attendance

My placement at Palmyra Middle School has offered me a very unique and beneficial

opportunity to see a new teacher being hired. Palmyra Middle School has a team approach, so

that means there is a team of teachers and one is designated as the team leader. The current team

leader who is also the social studies teacher accepted a new job and is leaving the school. That

has caused the school to need to look for a replacement. My host teacher is going to become the

new team leader, so she has been a big part of the interview process. The extra unique thing

about this situation is that the current English teacher will be taking the social studies position

next year. The school has had to find a long term sub for the history position to finish out the

year, as well as a new English teacher for the coming school year. My host teacher has shared

with me the various different components of the interview process. On Thursday (2/23), I was

able to see one of the more ending stages of the interview process for the English position for the

next year. The top two candidates were invited back to teach a lesson. There were eight students

who were picked to be a class for the interviewee to teach too. Along with the students, all of the

team teachers were there, all of the grade level English teachers were there, the dean of students,

the vice principal, the principal, and me. It was so interesting to see different teachers teach.

The one candidate was just finishing college, while the other candidate was in her second year of

teaching. I think the most notable aspect about the two candidates was their confidence levels.

The newer teacher was noticeably very nervous, but I still think she did a great job. The

candidate who is in her second year of teaching seemed much more relaxed and confident. I got

to walk the second candidate out of the building and when I told her I was going to be a student

teaching at Palmyra next fall, I think she definitely became more comfortable to know that I was

not a school employee. She told me that she was so nervous and that she thought she definitely

did not do a good job with the lesson. I found it so interesting to be able to talk to her for a little,

and hear that she was nervous even though she seemed so calm and confident. I found it so

beneficial to see what the interview process would be like. That is definitely something I would

be nervous for, so I enjoyed the opportunity to see an interview process first-hand.