What is the hardest

[twk001]

THANK YOU to all who offered us the great questions, and to the above poster for checking in.

Honestly, we continue to ask and ask for prayers, but I’m starting to feel like everybody is sick of my posts asking for prayer!

things have taken a couple of very interesting turns. first off, a job that we really never saw coming has made itself open. we are shocked and praying about it fervently. secondly, a contact that DH would never have approached, called asking him if he may be looking. WOW! we both feel like this is ALLLLLLLL GOD and that HE is telling us that through this, at the end, we will be ok and HE will get us through.

so we continue to send out resumes, have done everything we can about the two above scenarios, and we wait. and pray. and wait…and pray! the deadlines for both scenarios are approaching so hopefully we’ll know something soon!

please continue to pray for us. we really need it.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

How exciting! I will keep praying. Hang in there, sometimes God simply floods us with blessings!

 

[twk001]

thanks again to all and please continue to pray. PRAISE GOD- DH has an interview. one of the very first initial situations we heard about, and a very exciting position. He is VERY excited and cannot wait to start doing ‘practice’ interviews this weekend with me and other family members! he has about 12 days to prepare. thanks again to all!!

 

[Chiltepin]

I am a teacher and the worst interview question I ever had all boiled down to “You’re a little white girl, what are you going to do about it?”

It was phrased more tactfully than that, but only slightly. The interview was awkward anyway, with me in a suit, them in jeans, 7 people all interviewing me while eating burgers and making jokes about their ex wives. I think I probably didn’t want that job, but at the time I was a recent graduate and wanted any job.

This question seemed absurd to me since I had grown up and went to school in the very same district and am used to living in a majority minoriy city.

If I had to answer the question all over again, now having teaching experience under my belt I would have deflected the question and said something along the lines of: I find it pretty insulting that you feel the disconnect between teachers and students is a matter of race. This kind of ideology sets us all back decades. I would say rather that socioeconomic status and it’s effect on culture is far more relevant to today’s educator and I see that you are a Title I school. I have been trained in the area of… participated in book studies on… have learned… and plan to further my professional development in the culture and effects of poverty by…

 

[Gertabelle]

thanks again to all and please continue to pray. PRAISE GOD- DH has an interview. one of the very first initial situations we heard about, and a very exciting position. He is VERY excited and cannot wait to start doing ‘practice’ interviews this weekend with me and other family members! he has about 12 days to prepare. thanks again to all!!

I have so much work tomorrow to finish up the school year I’ll smile, do my best, get the job done, and offer it all up for your family. God is so good – you can certainly trust Him.

Gertie

 

[twk001]

again, i truly thank you all. i’m very proud of my DH these past few days. he is interviewing for a completely new type of job and seems very cool and collected about it. he has been practicing questions, researching tidbits about the type of position this is, writing facts to review, etc. he is DEFINITELY doing his homework for this interview.

 

[Interhawk]

Toughest question I ever got was how many little league teams are there in Texas. I think it’s one of those questions designed to see how you go about making best guess estimates when you don’t have all the information. Best wishes on the job search!

 

[twk001]

thanks to all. his first interview is later this week. he’s definitely doing his homework about the position. he’s mentally rehearsing interview questions every night and reading some really great books and articles about interviewing.

tomorrow night he and I are going to start mock interview together, and focus on 3-5 questions each night for 3 nights. whatever else he needs, I pray the Holy Spirit brings to him at the interview!

we took a drive to the school and it is INCREDIBLE. it’s truly magnificant, the cirriculum blows away anything he’s ever encountered. this would really be a step upward and forward for him!

please continue to pray for is this week. I ask God every time I can to show favor to my husband and give him a confident and easy interview!

 

[EasterJoy]

thanks to all. his first interview is later this week. he’s definitely doing his homework about the position. he’s mentally rehearsing interview questions every night and reading some really great books and articles about interviewing.

tomorrow night he and I are going to start mock interview together, and focus on 3-5 questions each night for 3 nights. whatever else he needs, I pray the Holy Spirit brings to him at the interview!

we took a drive to the school and it is INCREDIBLE. it’s truly magnificant, the cirriculum blows away anything he’s ever encountered. this would really be a step upward and forward for him!

please continue to pray for is this week. I ask God every time I can to show favor to my husband and give him a confident and easy interview!

Yes! Know everything you can possibly know about that school: know its mission statement, know its goals, know what projects are being tried or have been tried, especially anything pioneered at that school, know its accomplishments, where it came in whatever ranking happens, how the ranking is done, the neighborhoods its children come from, whether it seems to be going up or down, if anyone is suing them, what the school board and parent-teacher association has been up to…anything you can think of to know about a school and its staff and where they fit into their district.

Then think about all of that in terms of what you as a team player can add to the school.

On the weakness question, I’d suggest answering it this way: *These are the things I see as my weaknesses and challenges, and what I’ve been doing to improve my performance with those in mind: * IOW, you not only know you have weaknesses, but you’re not resigned to them. What you can’t change, you’re finding a strategy to work around it.

Then you add that this is only a variation on how you encourage students not just to make the most of their assets, but to look at their challenges for what is going to be best addressed by direct assault and what might be best addressed by working around the underlying cause instead of trying to change it.

 

[twk001]

THANK YOU JOY!! every little tidbit is helpful…

 

[PaulinVA]

I’m not a teacher, but I have recently taken to asking candidates, “What question are you afraid that I’m going to ask?”.

Always gets interesting responses!

 

[Allegra]

I am a teacher and the worst interview question I ever had all boiled down to “You’re a little white girl, what are you going to do about it?”

It was phrased more tactfully than that, but only slightly. The interview was awkward anyway, with me in a suit, them in jeans, 7 people all interviewing me while eating burgers and making jokes about their ex wives. I think I probably didn’t want that job, but at the time I was a recent graduate and wanted any job.

This question seemed absurd to me since I had grown up and went to school in the very same district and am used to living in a majority minoriy city.

If I had to answer the question all over again, now having teaching experience under my belt I would have deflected the question and said something along the lines of: I find it pretty insulting that you feel the disconnect between teachers and students is a matter of race. This kind of ideology sets us all back decades. I would say rather that socioeconomic status and it’s effect on culture is far more relevant to today’s educator and I see that you are a Title I school. I have been trained in the area of… participated in book studies on… have learned… and plan to further my professional development in the culture and effects of poverty by…

I got asked that question in two different school districts! I also had to take an online quiz to determine how well I would relate to black children. According to that test, I was in the 55th percentile for teaching minorities.

 

[twk001]

the prep continues! we were able to get some good ‘mock’ time in last night, and then tomorrow night the kids are going to stay with my parents for a couple of nights. we’ll be able to stay up late and practice questions tomorrow, then we are planning on doing some basic stuff when i get home from work thursday.

after about an hour of practice on thursday, we are done. we’re planning on going to dinner together and going to spend the evening as distracted as we can. that will help clear his mind. thanks again!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Toughest question I ever got was how many little league teams are there in Texas. I think it’s one of those questions designed to see how you go about making best guess estimates when you don’t have all the information. Best wishes on the job search!

If you’re in Texas, whatever you say, don’t say “Too many!” “Not nearly enough!” might get you the job, though. LOL

 

[Gertabelle]

Toughest question I ever got was how many little league teams are there in Texas. I think it’s one of those questions designed to see how you go about making best guess estimates when you don’t have all the information. Best wishes on the job search!

If you’re in Texas, whatever you say, don’t say “Too many!” “Not nearly enough!” might get you the job, though. LOL

I walked into the principal’s office during a lag between interviews for a fifth grade opening we have next year. The interview team were all sitting around the table chatting and I sat in the “hot seat” while the principal found the info I needed on her computer. I told the committee “I’m here to interview for the position.” The leaving fifth grade teacher replied, “OK, what’s two plus two.” I immediately replied, “Are we talking about eighth notes or quarter notes?” The teacher burst out laughing and said, “I love that answer! You’ve got the job!”

My son and I are going tomorrow to visit the grave of a holy woman buried here in Denver. My son’s godfather is part of a group propogating her cause. We’ll bring your family’s needs with us as we ask her intercession and thank God for her life.

Gertie

 

[twk001]

thanks gertie! we’re super excited. i think DH has prepped well. he’s generally NOT a good public speaker so right now his anxiety is focused on having good ‘flow’ to his answers. i told him time and time again to treat it like a converstaion and less like a question/answer…

i have to work all day but it’s unlikely i’ll be very useful. i’m as wired up as he is! a few more opportunities made themselves known to us yesterday so tonight it’s getting more resume packets ready to mail out.currently he has 6 resumes out for positions he is perfectly suited for and another 4 or 5 to go out tonight. there HAS to be one that will be for him.

i KNOW God will work this all out the way it’s supposed to be for us.

i just wish we already knew what that plan was!

 

[twk001]

DH feels interview went well. now we wait, but not too long! the district is deciding and will notify on monday! that’s really quick. DH really liked all the people, was impressed with the facilities, the policies, etc. all really good stuff.

would you please continue to pray for us? our entire future is literally riding on this. thanks!

 

[Gertabelle]

DH feels interview went well. now we wait, but not too long! the district is deciding and will notify on monday! that’s really quick. DH really liked all the people, was impressed with the facilities, the policies, etc. all really good stuff.

would you please continue to pray for us? our entire future is literally riding on this. thanks!

Keeping you in prayer!

Gertie

 

[Chiltepin]

I got asked that question in two different school districts! I also had to take an online quiz to determine how well I would relate to black children. According to that test, I was in the 55th percentile for teaching minorities.

I would be VERY interested in what types of questions they ask you on this quiz! haha

 

[anruari]

I’ve a very chequered work history… I’ve lost a lot of jobs over the years - through my own failure to live up to my bosses expectations. Therefore “why did you leave your last job” has often been the question that has needed the most careful explaining.

Even if your Husband has been made redundant this can still be a challenging question.