Eric Hougan's Blog, page 6
July 27, 2011
Media says the job market is bad. Is it as bad as they say for the teacher job market?
Road to Teaching's most popular page – Teacher Interview Questions – receives approximately 290,000 pageview a year. This is an incredible viewership, which made me wonder how our visitors interpret the current job market. Media reports the dire economic situation we are in, but is this reality? Specifically, is this the reality for the teacher job market? Please take a minute and take our poll to give your perspective on the job market. Has it been difficult or easy to find your teaching job?
June 29, 2011
Expect Increased Late Summer Hirings
June 10, 2011
Teacher Hiring is Frozen in Some Districts
We can't get through the day with0ut hearing about the economy. Well, the bad economy has impacted education, specifically teacher hiring. In some districts, hiring has been frozen. This weekend I spoke with a principal who said his hands are tied. He can't move on any hiring until this summer (when the District will release their budget). This is extremely frustrating to principals who tend to want to wrap up their teacher hirings in April and May. Its even more frustrating to aspiring teachers (job applicants) who are wondering when they will get an interview.
I asked the principal what his advice is to those teacher job applicants. His advice was to " keep being persistant." Here are some other ideas:
Arrange to visit the school
Talk with the school's teachers
Get (keep) your face and name out there
Learn how to get your foot in the school door (read Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching, and Finding a Job)
Read other teacher interview/hiring strategies (Student teacher topics)
Don't give up!!!
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May 31, 2011
Enter to win a book giveaway!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
by Eric Hougan
Giveaway ends July 28, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
May 24, 2011
Applying for a Teacher Position in an Unfamiliar School? Be Prepared.
If offered an interview at an unfamiliar school understand that you are already at a disadvantage. You may not be as knowledgeable about the school as another job candidate that student taught there. In Road to Teaching, I offer strategies to maximize your knowledge of the community, school, and, most importantly, the students before heading into your interview. Acknowledging that time is of the essence, here are quick tips to better prepare for your interview:
If you have only a day before the interview…
Conduct on-line research of the community. A great resource for this is Yahoo's Real Estate website. This will give you a good overview of the socio-economic and ethnic picture of the neighborhood.
Visit the school's website. Read everything, especially if the school posts a newsletter for parents. This will give you insight into the various changes/reforms happening.
Review the school's test scores. Check out School Matters for this. This will show the strength and areas of improvement in student achievement. Think of how your experience, skills set, and professional training will improve student learning in these areas.
If you have a few days before the interview…
Do everything mentioned above.
Send an email to your teacher friends, explaining that you have an interview, and ask for their insight on the school for which you applied. Often friends will know someone at the school that you can get in touch with. These personal connections are important!
Go to a cafe near the school. Observe and casually talk with people there.
Drive around the school and local community. Plus, this will alleviate stress of trying to find the school on the day of your interview.
Hopefully, these are some ideas to get you started on preparing for your teacher interview. Feel free to add your own ideas/tips in the comment section.
Also, thank you to everyone sending in teacher interview questions. Please keep them coming.
April 21, 2011
The 101 on Attending a Teacher Job Fair
Hundreds of aspiring, beginning, and RIF'd teachers attended a local teacher job fair. There was a line of teachers that streched around the block to enter this job fair. It was record attendance! "Hiring" principals were ready to greet each perspective candidate and then rank them on a predetermined scale. The scale is different for each principal, but its basically from the low end of do not to call back this candidate to, as one principal said, candidate "walks on water" and must be called to interview.
I listened to several principals talk about their experiences at this job fair. Some were funny and some were scary. Each principal had their own approach when interacting with each prospective candidate. One principals said he listens to candidates, only asking a few questions here and there. Another principal said she asks the prospective candidates interview questions. Her favorite questions was, "What is your ideal classroom?" She said that many of the candidates would be stumped and just say "ummmmm."
How do you think these candidates were ranked?
I solicited advice from the principals on what candidates should do to help improve their chances of being called back on an interview.
Social Graces
Remember your manners and how to properly greet someone. When you (the teacher candidate) approach a hiring principal at a job fair be sure to shake their hand, introduce yourself, and make eye contact. From the start you need to establish a personal connection with the principal. Next, ask the principal if they would like a copy of your resume. A principal told me that too many candidates would come up, not introduce themselves, and hand them their resume without asking. This is a no-no. Start off your interaction on the right foot.
Do Your Homework
When you get notice of an upcoming teacher job fair do some basic homework. Make a list of school districts and schools that interest you. Then, do research on the schools (see my book for research strategies/tips). Copy down your notes and review them right before you speak with the principal from that respective school. This demonstrates to the hiring principal at the job fair that you have a strong interest in their school and you are familiar with it. This will set you apart from other candidates, improving your ranking. Also, it will give you some conversation material when it's your turn to talk.
Come Prepared
Another tip the principals told me was that job candidates should come to the fair with their resumes and, if possible, a few letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation give the prinicpal greater insight into who you are.
Additional Resources to Get You Hired
Road to Teaching: A Guide to Teacher Training, Student Teaching, and Finding a Job
April 13, 2011
More and more schools becoming eco-friendly, reaping the benefits
by Krista Peterson
There's been a perpetual movement over the last decade or so to "green" just about everything that we may live in, use, or own. What about making our schools green, or eco friendly? Well, schools are always looking to find what helps to benefit their students and teachers the most. The benefits of an eco friendly school ground can have an unbelievable set of benefits like lowered health risks, cost effectiveness, as well increasing sustainability. Whether it is a remodeling process, new school building, or simply some minor improvement to an older school, the benefits of an eco-friendly school are highly abundant.
Some of the major reasons that a school may adapt an eco friendly building style are because of the energy bills. Although it may cost an average of one percent more to build an eco friendly school, the end payout will prove the decision to be a money saver. Because of the sustainability of these structures, energy and power bills are often much less than a normal building structure. Certainly with a minor increase in building costs like one percent, that total would be made up through reduced cost in bills.
The major benefit of an eco friendly school involves its low health risks as compared with that of normally constructed building. Because of the setup and filtering system, the ventilation in these types of schools provides lower toxins and improved indoor air quality. The improvement in overall health has been shown to help the performance in many schools that have chosen to go green and become eco friendly. Better health results in better attendance and with better attendance comes better in-class performance. The insulation may also be a major reason to "green" a school during a remodeling or re-building process.
For many older schools, their insulation could be home to asbestos materials. This is a type of fiber that was once used as a highly common building material, but is now regarded for its connection to health problems like mesothelioma and asbestosis. With a number of the eco-friendly schools going the way of using organic insulation, the health risks of these diseases are thrown out. Even if a school may not be looking for a total rebuilding process, organic insulation can cut down on the health risks and will still serve to improve sustainability/reduce electric bills. For an older school, a switch to organic insulation can be a life saving one, as mesothelioma life expectancy is one of the most short-lived, with regards to major health problems.
With the increase in "green" lifestyle changes, there's definitely been an increase in the desire for eco-friendly or "green" schools. Because of the improvements and characteristics that have been proven with examples of these types of schools, it's certain that growth of eco-friendliness in education and schools will continue in the coming years.
April 4, 2011
Undocumented Students and Higher Education Planning
It's getting close to graduation for many students. This brings a great deal of joy and excitement about what's ahead, and for others (undocumented students)…confusion and frustration. These feelings intensified with the failure of the U.S. Congress to move forward on the Dream Act.
It's likely that you will have undocumented students in your class at some point. At times, the children will share with you that they have no status, especially if the children are in high school, thinking about college and other post-secondary plans. This is an extremely sensitive and confidential matter. These undocumented students, lacking governmental financial support, have serious decisions to make about their future plans.
Below are great resources for you – as the teacher – to provide to your undocumented students and their families. The resources will answer questions about college, funding, and job placement. This will help the students and their families make an informed decision as they move forward. So far the feedback I've received from my own students and their families has been very positive!
Resources provided by Educators for Fair Consideration
How to Support College-Bound Undocumented Students: Advice for Parents (English)
How to Support College-Bound Undocumented Students: Advice for Parents (Spanish)
For all grade-level educators: Check out this link for other insightful resources for educators working with undocumented students.
April 1, 2011
Reality – Teacher Hiring is at a Low
I am not a big fan of flaming the fire with more bad news, but I have to call it as I see it. This is a horrible time to looking for a job as a teacher, regardless of your speciality/certification. I have been receiving emails from across the country about teachers having trouble landing jobs. It's almost everywhere.
The problem is in the uncertainty. Districts and states are in a holding pattern, waiting to see how state and federal budgets will shake out. By mid-May we should start to see school districts assessing the budgetary landscape and making hiring decisions.
What do I do then?
I outline three themes in my book to getting your teaching job: organize, network, and diversify yourself from other job seekers. Here are just a few suggestions:
Organize
Track your network (of persons that may assist in you getting a job) and the frequency of communication you have with them.
Schedule your future job seeking opportunities, visiting prospective schools and job fairs.
Track your applications statuses to schools/districts.
Network
Email friends and make use of network sites, such as LinkedIn to let them know you are looking for a teaching job
Attend job fairs and make friendly (not annoying) contact with hiring principals after the event.
Diversify
Volunteer in community organizations and political organizations. It is no secret that teachers and principals are highly active and visible in community service. Join and volunteer in various organizations, allow you to develop new skills, freshen up your resume, help others, and expand your network.
Good luck in your job search!
March 28, 2011
Make a Smart Board with a Wii Remote
I found this video on TED.com. It shows how to create a Smart Board, an interactive white board, from a Wii remote and some other minor hardware. If you are a teacher that could utilize this technology this is the way to go. I am sure that it would impress your students!
