Ans-4
On the occasion of Teacher’s Day today i am going to interview my class teacher Mr. R C
Agarwal sir for the college newspaper.
1. Why do you want to be a teacher?
I had trouble reading as a child My 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Paulette, introduced us to an
amazing list of short stories and books. She read to us and worked with us on reading
comprehension. Her care switched on an unquenchable thirst that led me to read
thousands of books on topics as diverse as history, biology, sociology, and nature. Mrs.
Paulette’s attention forever changed my outlook on life. Since then, I’ve known I wanted
to do exactly what she did—to give children tools to last for their entire lives.
2. What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe in teaching to each student’s passion. For instance, in one kindergarten class,
my students had trouble with punctuation. I observed that one student, Mary, suddenly
got excited about apostrophes. I fueled her passion with a big book on punctuation. Her
enthusiasm was contagious, and soon the entire class was asking bright and animated
questions. Whenever possible, I try to deliver structured lessons in an unstructured way
like this.
3. How much do you want to know about your students in
order to be most helpful to them?
I need to know a student’s learning styles, passions, and challenges. One difficult
student, Tim, was disruptive in class. I joined him on the playground on and off. It turned
out he was being bullied after school by his brother’s friends. I spoke with Tim’s parents,
and they had no idea. Tim became my star student, and as a result, my whole class got
quieter and easier to teach.
4. Why do you want to work for our school district?
I respect Snowy Peaks High’s belief in teaching to the whole child. Your focus
on academics, character, community, and nature fit perfectly with my own
philosophy. It’s easier to teach well-rounded students. The best lesson plan in
the world can’t help a child who’s struggling in all other areas of life.
5. How can you help our school/students?
I’ve talked to several of your teachers and heard about their challenges with
classroom management. My own classroom management skills are highly
developed. I’ve taken 18 continuing education credits in class management
from the University of Phoenix’s online program. I was commended at my last
school after fully engaging a class with over 25% disruptive students. I used a
mix of nonverbal cues, transition cues, timeouts, and several other
kernel-based strategies. I believe I can be just as effective here.
6. What do you find most frustrating about teaching?
I get very frustrated with bright kids who become overconfident and don’t
apply themselves. There’s nothing sadder or more common than wasted
potential. At my last position, I worked with several children who weren’t
trying. I implemented a research-based program to incorporate student ideas
into the lesson plan. The addition of their thoughts created more complete
engagement. Test scores went up 15% in just two months.
7. Why should we hire you to teach here?
I’m well aware of your new technology initiative. We were tasked with the
same challenge at my last school. Thanks to my strong tech background, I
was able to add online quizzes easily. The students loved them, and they cut
administrative processing by 25%.
8. How would you get your classroom ready for the first day
of school?
I want my classroom to be welcoming and nurturing. I also make the ground
rules obvious. A welcome sign and labeled desks help students feel at home
from day one. Engaging posters and other visual aids help create a sense of
excitement. Beyond fun, a large list of rules and consequences at the front of
the room helps the class start on the right foot.
9. Why do we teach (science, math, French, etc.) in school?
I’ve always believed our future depends on regular people using science in
day-to-day decisions. Science is at the core of a sense of wonder for our
natural world. That wonder can drive students to improve their learning skills.
It can take them places they never thought they’d go.
