Welcome to the first day of a new series: Homeschool Interviews where I will be interviewing different homeschoolers!
I created this new series because I thought it would be fun. If you want to be interviewed in the future, all you have to do is go here and answer the questions. Everyone homeschools in their own way, and it’s interesting to see how other people do it. That’s why I’d love to have a variety of interviews in the series.
But first I thought I would kick things off by answering the questions myself. I really wanted to add a lot more questions, but I chose not to because it would be too much.
Finding the perfect homeschool teacher for your child is a crucial decision. To help you make an informed choice, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of interview questions, drawing insights from two valuable resources
- Questions to Ask a Homeschool Teacher During an Interview by Hire 4 (Medium)
- A Homeschool Interview – Chantel by Intentional Homeschooling
General Questions:
- Experience:
- How long have you been homeschooling?
- What age groups have you worked with?
- Do you have experience teaching children with specific learning styles or needs?
- Qualifications:
- Do you have any formal teaching qualifications or certifications?
- What specific training or workshops have you attended?
- Are you familiar with the curriculum standards for your state?
- Teaching Style:
- Describe your teaching style and philosophy.
- How do you engage students and make learning fun?
- How do you differentiate instruction for students with different learning styles and abilities?
- Assessment:
- How do you assess student learning and progress?
- What tools and methods do you use for assessment?
- How do you communicate student progress to parents?
- Learning Environment:
- How do you create a positive and supportive learning environment?
- How do you manage classroom behavior and discipline?
- How do you incorporate social and emotional learning into your curriculum?
- Goals:
- What are your goals for my child’s education?
- How will you help my child achieve their academic and personal goals?
- How do you align your teaching with my child’s individual learning needs and interests?
- Communication:
- How do you communicate with parents?
- How often will you provide updates on my child’s progress?
- What is your preferred method of communication (email, phone, etc.)?
- Availability and Pay:
- What are your availability and scheduling options?
- What are your hourly rates or salary expectations?
- Are you open to negotiating pay or offering discounts?
Subject-Specific Questions:
- Experience:
- What specific subjects are you qualified to teach?
- What curriculum do you use for each subject?
- How do you make each subject engaging and relevant for students?
- Struggles and Challenges:
- How do you help students who are struggling with a particular subject?
- How do you challenge students who are excelling in a particular subject?
- How do you ensure that all students are making progress in each subject?
Additional Questions:
- Standardized Testing:
- What is your opinion on standardized testing?
- How do you prepare students for standardized tests?
- How do you use standardized test results to inform your teaching?
- Extracurricular Activities:
- How do you incorporate extracurricular activities into your curriculum?
- How do you support students’ involvement in extracurricular activities?
- How do you balance academic work with extracurricular activities?
- Field Trips and Real-World Experiences:
- How do you integrate field trips and other real-world experiences into your curriculum?
- How do you use field trips to enhance student learning?
- What are some examples of field trips you have taken with students?
- Social-Emotional Skills:
- How do you help students develop social-emotional skills?
- How do you create a classroom environment that supports social-emotional learning?
- How do you address social-emotional challenges that students may face?
- Professional Development:
- How do you stay up-to-date on the latest teaching methods and research?
- What professional development opportunities have you participated in recently?
- What are your goals for your own professional development?
- Strengths and Weaknesses:
- What are your strengths as a teacher?
- What areas do you feel you could improve in?
- How do you address your weaknesses as a teacher?
Beyond the Questions:
In addition to asking questions, consider these additional tips for interviewing homeschool teachers:
- Be prepared: Make a list of questions that are important to you.
- Be respectful: Be polite and courteous of the candidate’s time.
- Be honest: Be upfront about your expectations and needs.
- Follow up: Send a thank-you note and let the candidate know when you expect to make a decision.
Remember, the best homeschool teacher for your child is someone who shares your values and goals, and who is passionate about helping your child learn and grow.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF HOMESCHOOLING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?
Who came up with these questions?! There are so many great things about homeschooling! I love that we can go at our own pace, that we can make sure each child gets a unique education, that we can bring the Gospel right into our homeschool, and that my kids have become closer as siblings.
WHAT IS A COMMON REACTION YOU GET FROM PEOPLE WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT YOU HOMESCHOOL? AND HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
“Good for you, I would never have the patience to homeschool my kids,” is what most people say when I say them that. ” with the odd question about how we are handling socialization thrown in there.
Which sparked my next two questions:
Say This in Your Teacher Interview | Kathleen Jasper
FAQ
How would you deal with a difficult parent interview question?
How do you answer a teacher interview question?
This is one of the most common, as well as one of the trickiest, teacher interview questions. Don’t answer with a clichéd, generic response. In fact, your response is your teaching mission statement. It’s the answer to why you’re a teacher. It’s helpful if you write out your mission statement before the interview and practice reciting it.
How do you answer elementary teacher interview questions for an unstructured school?
Don’t answer elementary teacher interview questions for an unstructured school with, “I believe in structured learning.” Take the time to learn the school’s philosophy before the interview. I believe in teaching to each student’s passion. For instance, in one kindergarten class, my students had trouble with punctuation.
How do you prepare for a teacher interview?
This might seem like it’s just a way to wrap things up, but it’s actually one of the most important parts of the interview. In addition to practicing your answers to the most common teacher interview questions, you should prepare a handful of questions to ask your interviewer.
What interview questions do teachers use?
That answer uses the S.T.A.R. approach to teaching interview questions. It shows a Situation, a Task, an Action, and a Result. How much do you want to know about your students in order to be most helpful to them? This is another of those interview questions for teachers that depends on the school’s philosophy.
