Interviewing a teacher

I interviewed an elementary school teacher at the Water of Life campus. She is 32 years old and graduated from San Bernadino University with a BA. She has been working at this school for about eight years now and is working on receiving her Credential from Cal State Fullerton. She has a husband at home who she adores and loves to spend her free time off roading with. While interviewing her I learned a lot about what to expect for my first year as a teacher and also for the long term.

Wanting to get to the heart of the story I asked questions that that evolved around pre teaching and first years. I asked the teacher "When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?", she replied with " College, but in high school I was voted most likely to become a teacher. At that time i did not believe that at all and now looking back they were right". I was a little shocked by the response because people state that most teachers know when they are in elementary school that they want to become a teacher. I also wanted to know "How did you feel the first day of class?" She chuckled and replied "I was very nervous and overwhelmed. I felt unprepared yet it was exciting and fun". I could really tie this back to my reading and class discussion because all most all first year teachers state that they feel unprepared. I felt I needed more reassurance so I asked "What should I know for the first year of teaching?". She responded with "Stay positive, it is an ongoing learning process and their is always something to improve on. Also steel from others and share that way you get fresh ideas plus they love to share". This was very interesting to me because literally as a teacher your work is never done.I then wanted to know "What advice can you give?" She responded with " Do not try to do it all and ask for help when you need it. You really need to push your self through especially the first year." I felt a little discouraged by this because it seems like no matter how much education you have you can you can never be fully prepared fro the classroom.

I wanted to dig a litter deeper and find out how she felt about her job and if she would ever want to do anything else. One question that I asked was "What do you love about your job?" With a smile she replied " I love teaching kids and watching them when they understand the concept that we are working on. I also love to inspire them and prepair them for their future." This really hit home for me because I know when I volunteer in a classroom, seeing the students understand what they have been working on is very rewarding. I replied with "What do you dislike about your job and if you could do any other profession what would it be?" In response she stated "I really do not dislike anything about my job. Maybe my least favorite thing to do is paperwork. O and I hate having to parent, parents that can be frustrating." This led me to a follow up question of "How do you communicate with the parents to keep them aware of the classroom and their student?" She replied and encouraged me to " Communicate with parents weekly, they receive a letter home every week on what they are learning and what is coming up. I also talk to the parents through email it seems to work better for this group rather than playing phone tag. In some sever cases I will make a call home just to make sure everything is okay." I loved her idea of like a weekly news letter especially in elementary school because the parents are informed and they know what the children have for homework that week. I definitely plan on using something like this when I teach.

I became really curious on how she ran her classroom management and accommodations if any for those who need a little more help. I tried to get some info from her on classroom management by asking " What is your classroom management? And do you get the parents involved?" She kind of thought about it and replied " I have class rules, and if they are disobeyed then I hold the student accountable. I try really hard to have the punishment fit the crime and to keep a balance so that their is still respect for teacher and students. You never want to hold a grudge because it stays with them and they will be angry and never learn." I found that very interesting and a good analogy you need respect in the classroom. I was curious wanting to teach in California if " There were any accommodations for children who do not speak English and if they were graded differently?" She mentioned that "She has a conference with the parents and sets individual goals for that student. there is also a lot of pre teaching that goes on before class starts. I also do a lot of one on one with them work on vocab and they also get modified assignments. They are graded differently because they do different levels of work." This did not surprise me at all because you want to ensure every student is learning in your classroom so extra time with a student is always useful. This led me to inquire "Are their accommodations for children with learning disabilities?" She responded with "Yes, everything is modified like class work, tests, groups, and some seating. Most students sit any where but if they are dyslectic then I try to keep them up front so I can check up on them." This was very cool that she made sure that everyone was learning even if it was at their own rate.

I was almost done with the interview when i was wondering if she would have done anything different. I asked "Would you ever change your career?" with a laugh she responded with " The only other job I would want to sing professionally but that is unrealistic so there is no other job I would choose." This lead me to ask "Do you get involved with your students sports by attending or talking to them about it?" She replied " I ask them about how their sports are going but I don't attend the events. I do not want to show favoritism and I feel my social life should be kept private." I agree completely that private life should be kept to yourself because students are always picking and prodding trying to figure out were you come from and your life story.

I was almost done when I thought of one more question that I felt was very important wh

ich was "What was the hardest aspect and do the parents respect you?" with no time at all she responds with "Yes we support each other and when I talk to them I use different terms and wording. For example ill say lets work together or ask them to help and support my decision. The hardest aspect is being confident that you taught everything that they need for their education and their future". This was very inspiring because it showed that parents really do care and want to help the teacher as much as they can. Being able to incorporate the thoughts of another teacher has been very useful and inspiring. I now know if I ever have a question to not hesitate to ask because teachers love to share.