Teacher Interview

I completed a teacher interview with Mrs. Robin Dunnam. She is a K-5 teacher at Gilliard Elementary School on Dauphin Island Parkway in Mobile, Al. She had some very good words of wisdom.

1.Why did you become a teacher? What should motivate someone to be a teacher?
After working in daycare, camps and Vacation Bible School, Mrs. Dunnam knew she loved working with children, and that she was gifted with the ability to present something to a child in a way they could understand it. If you want to be a teacher, you have to know that you like working with children because you will be in a room full of them for 8 hours every school day.
2.What do you like about being a teacher? What are the rewards?
The biggest reward that comes from having a teaching career is the time that Mrs. Dunnam has for her own three children. She has learned how to manage her time so well that she can be there for her children's after school activities. She also loves being around the children in her class.
3.What are some of the challenges and difficulties you face?
Some of the decisions made by the higher authorities don't always make sense to the teachers. The main difficulty is accepting things that you can't change. The class sizes are very large at Mrs. Dunnam's school, but there is nothing she can do to change this.
4.How did you decide on where to interview for a job? Which district, school, etc? Please describe the application and interview process.
Mrs. Dunnam knew someone with a connection to school where she began her teaching career. The application includes a lot of requirements with the central office such as a TB test, proof of graduation, and fingerprinting and photograph. The school board determines where there is an opening, but the principal of the school makes the final decision as to whether you're hired or not.
5.Why did you select the grade level you teach?
At such a young age, the children are still respectful and eager to learn. They look at the teacher in awe because they see her as a giver of all this knowledge. Apparently, K-5 is not as fun as it used to be, but it is still a very entertaining grade to teach.
6.Why did you select public school over private school for your teaching career? What are the differences between teaching in public school and private school?
Money was the main reason Mrs. Dunnam decided to teach in a public school. When she began teaching, the private schools were not paying teachers as much as the public schools.
7.What knowledge, attitudes, and skills are most necessary and useful for a teacher?
A teacher needs to be caring, and they should also have a sense of reality. It is very important to balance these two attitudes. You must also have a sense of responsibility for the children that you teach. You are responsible for their learning, but you can't pay their power bill or buy them new clothes. It's just a matter of doing what you can for the child.
8.How is your competency as a teacher assessed? Who does this assessment?
The new plan called Educate Alabama is the official way that teachers are assessed. The state has trained employees to do this assessment. This process is completed at least once a year for new teachers, but after you've been teaching for awhile, it occurs every couple of years. There are also informal evaluations by the principal at least once a week.
9.What are your duties and responsibilities other than classroom teaching?
You have to make sure that you are prepared for the next week or the next day. Also, because Mrs. Dunnam lives in the community in which she teaches, she must be sure to act like a professional educator when she's out in public grocery shopping, at church etc. You have to be a role model for the students. Everyone at her school has afternoon duty because the dismissal process is so strenuous. These duties are usually determined by the principal so it depends on the school.
10.Do you belong to a professional organization? If yes, what does it do for you? If no, why don't you belong to one?
Mrs. Dunnam does not belong to any professional organizations because she does not feel she has the time. She does not hold this as a high priority.
11.What is your typical daily and weekly work schedule? How many hours do you work per week?
Mrs. Dunnam gets to school a little early and leaves a little late every day to avoid having to do much at home. This is easier for her to do because K-5 does not have the intense grading that other grade levels require.
12.Why do teachers burn out? How do you avoid this?
Teaching is a very demanding career. There is a lot of “do it because I said so” which some people just can't handle. Teachers are at the bottom of the totem pole. To avoid burn out, you need to have balance between your career and your life. This will help you enjoy teaching much more.
13.How much time do you spend on things such as record keeping? What specific records do you keep? What is the importance of keeping accurate records?
Keeping records is much easier now because it is all done on the computer. Doing it by hand was more time consuming. A teacher must keep attendance, grades and discipline records of the students.
14.Who chooses your textbooks and trade book? Who decides curriculum and methods to be used?
The state of Alabama chooses the textbooks and curriculum for all schools.
15.What is your best advice about classroom management?
You have to be firm and persistent. You can be kind and loving, but you can't let them get away with anything.
16.How do you motivate your students?
Mrs. Dunnam tries to make the learning fun so it's motivating in itself. She also has the negative motivational tools like taking away fun time if they don't do something.
17.What is the best way to deal with discipline problems?
If there is a large discipline problem, the first step is to speak with their parents. After this has been done, you just have to remain persistent. Don't let a student get away with something one day that you wouldn't let them do another day. Let the students know what you expect so you can avoid as many discipline problems as possible.
18.How are you held accountable for your responsibilities as a teacher?
Teaching responsibilities begin when you clock-in in the morning. Your reports have to be turned in on time. The office and principal keeps up with who is performing their responsibilities. Testing also holds teachers accountable. If your students perform badly year after year on tests, it is going to reflect on you as the teacher.
19.What are the demographics of the school where you teach? Do you feel prepared to teach all of these groups? Which are you most and least comfortable/prepared to teach, and why?
Mrs. Dunnam's class is 95% free lunch and 90% African American. The school is one of the lower in socioeconomic standing. Most students in her class live in rental property. Most of the parents are working little money and have more than one job. There is a teacher in each grade level that takes all ELL and special ed in her classroom. They are not separated from the general classroom, but they are all in one class. Mrs. Dunnam has been this teacher in previous years. She feels very prepared to teach these students because the system is very good at making sure you are capable. Mrs. Dunnam is less comfortable teaching special ed. It's not because she does not feel prepared to teach them. She likes to see the “light come on” when a student understands something and with special ed, you are less guaranteed to have this.
20.Do you multiculturize content, approach, discipline or classroom management? If yes, how? If no, why not?
Mrs. Dunnam has noticed a change in multiculturalization over the years. These days, Christmas is Santa Claus and Easter is the Easter Bunny, but teachers do not go beyond that. You have to be very careful because not all students believe the same things. She does not feel that her school is as multiculturalized as they should be.
21.What do you do to accommodate an English Language Learner when they are in your classroom?
The ELL students that Mrs. Dunnam has taught have been so eager to learn the English language that any accommodations made have not been that major. She may have to stop by their desk a few more times to make sure they understand or pair them with a peer that can help to explain things.
22.How do you communicate and collaborate with parents and guardians?
At her school, each student is given a planner. The student must take this planner back and forth from the teacher to the parents daily. Each parent knows to check the planner each evening for homework and notes from the teacher. Mrs. Dunnam checks each students planner in the morning for notes from the parents. There are progress reports sent home throughout the year to keep the parents informed. Other than this, there are face to face conferences occasionally.
23.What is the structure of the school administration? Who reports to whom at school? How are the school board, superintendent, and central office involved? Do teachers do administrative work?
Under the present administration, the principal makes the final decision in the school. The principal must report to the supervisor and members of the central office before she can approve of anything. There is a clear line between teachers and administration, so teachers do not do any administrative work.
24.What do you think about standardized testing? How does it affect your teaching?
Standardized testing does affect Mrs. Dunnam as directly in a K-5 classroom because she does not administer them to the students. In K-5, she must make sure that she covers all the objectives in the state curriculum. If she does not prepare them for 1st grade, they will fall behind and this will become obvious when they take their first standardized test in 3rd grade.
25.If you could improve anything about your job, your school or your district, what would you change and how?
If Mrs. Dunnam could change anything about her job and school, she would have less children in her classroom. She would also like teacher's aides that are not there to help the teacher, but to help the students. It would not just be for students who are having trouble, but also for those who are ahead of the rest.
26.Describe what your duties would be during each of the following emergencies: fire, tornado, intruder/lockdown, student with a weapon in class, and medical emergencies.
In the case of a fire or tornado, there are specific procedures for each classroom. These are given by the principal and state. For a fire, she is responsible for lining up the children and escorting them out the nearest exit to the playground. For a tornado, she must escort the children into the hallway and have then kneel down. For lockdown, she must lock her door and close all window blinds. The students must gather in a corner of the classroom and sit down. There are specific runners during each emergency that check to make sure everyone is doing what they're told and that no one has been left in the bathroom, etc. Your role is clearly defined in the safety plan given to the teachers at the beginning of the year. For medical emergencies, you send the child to first aid. If it is an immediate emergency, she buzzes the office using the intercom system and they send someone to her room and call 911.
27.What is your best advice for someone considering a teaching career?
If you are considering being a teacher, you must know that you are very busy during the day. Organization is key.
28. Are your children in public or private school? Why?
Each of her children went through public school. They did the magnet program for a few years. She did not want her students to attend the school where she taught, but she also did not want to pay for them to attend a private school. She has strong feelings that at a private school, the education the children receive is only as good as the teacher in the front of the classroom.
29. How does your family show support for your career?
Her family shows support by being patient. She is sometimes short with her children after dealing with 20 kindergarteners all day.
30. Did you have a favorite teacher when you were in school? Do you duplicate her methods?
Mrs. Dunnam really liked her 3rd grade teacher because she showed her students that she was interested in things outside of the classroom. This really fascinated her. It's different when teaching K-5, but Mrs. Dunnam does try to show her students that she genuinely cares about them.