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Re: bad questions
Posted by Rebecca on 10/21/08

An interview is a chance for employers to see if you would be a good fit.
Showing them that you fit with their culture, have their kids at the front of
your mind and will do everything for their school is what is important. The
questions you ask reflect whether you are focusing on you or the kids and are an
excellent way to reinforce that you are in it for the kids (and at this point
you want to ONLY focus on the kids and what you can offer the school). Asking
questions like posted before shows that you are more concerned about what YOU
get out of it and not what you can offer the kids.

I'm not saying you shouldn't ask any questions before you accept a job but the
interview is not the time for it. Save those for after you have a job offer or
like was said if they are so critical to you taking the job then ask them before
you even apply.

When I go into an interview my only focus is on what I can offer that school and
those kids. Once the offer comes in then I have my list of questions (salary,
benefits, budget, copies, etc.) to make sure that it is a place I want to be.

On 10/20/08, HUH? wrote:
> I don't get it.. What on earth is wrong with any of these questions?
>
> I think we all know we don't ask "Is there a textbook?"--unless the job is
> on a Native American reservation or the classes you'd be teaching are non
> text based (like p.e.). ..we ask WHAT TEXT do you use? (Ideally you could
> find out online, but if you can't ask.)
>
> I want to know how many photocopies I can have for a semester--so what's
> the point of dancing around that? And to any admin who's "wondering what
> he/she plans on copying.." I'd tell you if asked:
> tests
> worksheets I made or from other texts
> practice assignments/homework
> Not sexy e-mails from my boyfriend..
>
> Likewise I want to know if I get uninterrupted planning daily--which is NOT
> the same thing as asking "What will my day look like?".
>
> We have every right to hear/know the procedure for dealing with irate
> parents, our salary, and what extras we have to do before we take a job. An
> interview is the time to find that out! A principal who dislikes me asking
> what we do if we can't resolve an issue with a parent isn't one I'd want to
> work for anyway..
>
> On 10/18/08, lynne/ca wrote:
>> On 10/18/08, If you believe this board.. wrote:
>>> I don't think you'll get many useful answers here. Most people will
>>> tell you questions like the following are "bad"
>>>
>>> Do I get..
>>>
>>> textbooks
>>
>> Better question that accomplishes the same result: What instructional
>> materials will I be expected to use? or Do teachers use an
>> adopted textbook? What text(s) do teachers use?
>
>>
>>> photocopies (how many?)
>>
>> This isn't a bad question per se, but it's an unusual question for an
>> interview, which makes me wonder what the teacher is planning on
>> copying. A better question might be, "What supplemental materials are
>> available?" and/or "Can I bring in my own material to use?" and then
>> follow up with, "Will students be able to have their own copies of the
>> material?" This makes your intentions clearer, and also makes the
>> question more student-centered.
>
> How many
>>
>>> any planning time
>>
>> Recommended question: What would a typical day look like for a
>> teacher at your school?
>>
>>> help with extreme behavior issues
>>
>> Or a better way to ask: What are the procedures for working with
>> students who have severe behavior issues?
>> For new teachers, this could also be a good time to ask whether there is
>> a mentoring program or other support for new teachers available.
>>
>>> support if other teachers refuse to comply with IEPS
>>
>> How are IEP goals communicated to teachers? and, What are the
>> procedures for ensuring that IEP's are being properly followed?
>>
>>> a salary (how much?)
>>
>> I wouldn't ask this at an interview; it's usually included in the job
>> posting. If not, ask HR at the time you apply. It's an appropriate
>> question, but appropriate for before, not during, the
>> interview.
>>
>>>
>>> How do I..
>>>
>>> request equipment and/or special materials I need
>>>
>>> deal with an out of control student (get help)
>>>
>>> get help if I have an irate parent to deal with
>>>
>>
>> The types of procedural questions listed under "how do I" above
>> usually aren't the kinds of things that you'd ask in an interview, but
>> they would be great questions to ask a mentor, supervisor, or another
>> teacher after you've gotten a job. The reason the "out of control
>> student" and "irate parent" questions might raise red flags in an
>> interview is that although we know that all teachers deal with these
>> situations at some point, most teachers DON'T have to deal with them on
>> a regular basis - and so they usually aren't the first thing most
>> teachers would ask. (I realize this might vary in different school
>> environments, though.) Having worked in schools where this isn't usually
>> a big issue, I'd wonder why this was one of your biggest concerns: do

>> you tend to have more out-of-control students than other teachers? Do
>> you tend to have more irate parents than other teachers? And if so, why?
>> In the context of special ed, you might ask about behavior intervention
>> plans rather than "out of control students;" ask about maintaining good
>> relationships with parents rather than "irate parents," etc. Chances are
>> the answers to those questions will get you the answers you want,
>> WITHOUT making it seem as though you tend to have a lot of out-of-
>> control students and irate parents.
>>
>>> Teachers who ask any of these "What's in it for me?" type questions
>>> are immediately labeled whiny spoiled brats and eliminated from
>>> consideration--in almost all districts, period.
>>> Do I believe any of these questions are inapprioprate? NO. But 80% of
>>> the people who post here insist that only lazy whiners who expect to
>>> teach in a Stepford school ask any questions like these and will
>>> immediately be axed from consideration for a job.
>>
>> I've taken the time to give some alternatives because I know you (the
>> anon poster who wrong "If you believe this board"), or at least someone
>> with very similar comments, have posted here many times and I'd
>> like to give you some suggestions. It doesn't make any difference that
>> you feel your questions are appropriate; you've discovered that the way
>> you're asking them doesn't go over well with many administrators in
>> interviews. You have reasons to be concerned about the things you're
>> asking, I'm sure, and they are not bad things to want to know at all,
>> but I think you can find better ways to ask them. And yes, it's true
>> that "what's in it for me" doesn't go over well in interviews. That's
>> just how it is. But you can change most of your questions to "what's in
>> it for the kids", get answers that address your concerns, and make a
>> good impression.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I say ask whatever you want/need to know--as long as you use common
>>> sense you should be fine. Avoid questions like "Can we date students"
>>> in all cases :) and know the situation; if the school seems to have a
>>> strict dress code--you see all teachers dressed very professionally--
>>> then don't ask if you can wear jeans.
>>
>>


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Posts on this thread, including this one


• bad questions, 10/03/08, by thomas.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by lynne/ca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by ~Bradley.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by lynne/ca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by thomas.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by Betty Ann.
• Re: bad questions, 10/03/08, by lynne/ca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/05/08, by C'est moi .
• Re: bad questions, 10/06/08, by Rebecca.
• Re: Bad questions. Smart Answers., 10/07/08, by ~Bradley.
• Re: bad questions, 10/18/08, by If you believe this board...
• Re: bad questions, 10/18/08, by lynne/ca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/20/08, by HUH? .
• Re: bad questions, 10/20/08, by mj.
• Re: bad interview questions, 10/20/08, by lynne/ca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/21/08, by Rebecca.
• Re: bad questions, 10/22/08, by me.