Because this is my first year as the principal at Newell-Fonda High
School, I am in the process of hiring my first teacher. As I pulled
out my interview questions that I had used in my previous school, I made
the startling realization that these questions just wouldn't work at
Newell-Fonda. Being a 1:1 school has made me realize that the standard
interview questions just aren't applicable anymore for our school. I
realized I wasn't concerned about how much the candidate knew about
American Literature or proper grammar. Don't get me wrong, I still
believe content knowledge is very important in hiring a new teacher.
However, as I developed questions for the interview I wanted to know how
my new teacher was going to think outside the box. How he or she was
going to challenge our students beyond just knowing who wrote
The Scarlet Letter
or where to put a comma. I wanted to know what online resources he/she
had used in his/her classroom. I wanted to know how he/she used
Professional Learning Networks to find innovative ways to teach American
Literature or essay writing. I wanted to see that he/she was excited
about the possibilities that the 1:1 environment creates for a teacher
and a student. Ultimately, I wanted him/her to be able to articulate
how "special" this 1:1 learning environment is. I needed to know that
he/she understood that in order to truly prepare our students for THEIR
future, our teaching strategies have to meet our students' learning
styles - and that is where technology fits in.
In the end, I'm not sure I'm looking for a "new" kind of teacher,
but I am looking for a different skill set. Just as we are expecting
from our students, I am looking for a teacher who is willing to
collaborate and create. One who can communicate and network. One who
is willing to take risks and go outside his/her comfort zone. I want to
hear about Twitter and Facebook, blogs and wikis, Google Docs and
digital portfolios. I want to know that he/she is willing to try new
things, and I certainly don't expect him/her to have all the answers or
know every American author (that can be Googled if someone really wants
to know). I also wonder if our universities have prepared these new
teachers for my interview questions because I won't be asking them for
their strengths and weaknesses or how much they know about Walt Whitman
or Edgar Allan Poe. Yes, I still want to know about their ideas or
experiences with classroom management and assessment. However, what I
really want to know is how they plan to use technology to enhance
learning, and how they will use their classroom to produce digitally
articulate, creative, collaborative students who are prepared for THEIR
future!
Finally, after all this reflection, I realize that I am definitely
excited and encouraged about the challenge and the opportunity to find
"that" teacher!!
