It’s common to be asked about your strengths and weaknesses during a job interview. When you interview for a teaching position, you may be asked to explain some of your strengths or weaknesses as they relate to your teaching abilities. Preparing for your interview with a few thoughtful answers can help showcase you as an ideal candidate.In this article, we explain how to effectively answer questions about your strengths and weaknesses in a teacher interview and we provide sample answers to guide you.
Strengths and Weaknesses based Montessori teachers interview questions
Example teacher strength 5: Creativity
“In college, I double-majored in creative writing and education and minored in art. So when it comes to decorating my classroom and coming up with great hands-on activities for my fourth graders, I feel like I have an edge. I once taught math through puppet shows: My students measured and constructed a stage and set for the puppet play they wrote themselves. Once a semester, I hold a “gallery night” for parents to come and see the creative expressions of their students on display.”
Examples of weaknesses
When choosing weaknesses to mention in an interview for a teacher position, be honest and aim to explain how you adjust your work accordingly. Here are some examples of how you can describe a weakness in a manner that shows you are working to improve:
Example teacher weakness 3: Overplanning
“As a teacher, I’ve always planned every lesson meticulously and well ahead of time. My students know exactly what homework, quiz and test lies in wait for them every day of each nine week grading period. However, I found it difficult to deal with unplanned events, such as fire drills, snow days and other unexpected events that interrupted teaching time. With the help of self-help books and colleagues, I am learning to become more spontaneous so I can pivot from my fixed position and accept changes.”
Using the STAR interview response technique
During an interview for a teaching position, your interviewer may ask behavioral questions so they can see how you have managed specific situations in the past. Behavioral interview questions that inquire about your strengths and weaknesses include “What is something you are especially proud of?” or “Tell me about a time when you made a mistake.”
The first of these questions can illustrate a strength (such as creativity or empathy) and the second can show how you overcame a weakness and learned from the mistake. When answering interview questions, try to use the STAR method by describing a situation in which you showed strength or overcame a weakness.
7 sample answers to: “What are you strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?” interview question
The passion for my profession is undoubtedly my greatest strengths. I believe it reflects in each lesson, in each talk I have with the students. They can feel that I really want the best for them, and try my best in each lesson, which of course motivates them to also try hard, or at least to stay disciplined. And to be honest, the same attitude–or to say it more precisely, the consequences of such an attitude to teaching, is also my biggest weakness. Because I care so much that I struggle to maintain professional distance. I often take the problems from classroom home, and cannot get them out of my head. This is definitely a problem I am aware of, and try to eliminate.
My communication skills, and understanding for the emotional world of children–especially at elementary level, is my strong point as a teacher. I do not find it hard to gain trust of the students, because I understand how they feel in different situations and can choose the right words in my lessons. My biggest weakness is definitely lack of experience. I taught as a part of my studies, but that was only six months and always in the same classes–students were not disruptive at all in these classes. I am aware that I lack experience with some tricky situations. And they will happen, sooner or later. I will have to adapt, and hopefully I can learn from my more experienced colleagues how to deal with the tricky situation in the classroom.
In my view, nothing can beat the twenty years of teaching experience. That’s my greatest strength. I’ve seen it all–good students, bad students, violence in school, chicane, but also strong friendships and students who excelled on a national level in various competitions. I’ve tried both conventional and unorthodox teaching methods. My experience is vast, and hardly anything can catch me off guard in the classes… During these long years I also understood my weaknesses, and eventually got rid of some. But there is still something I’d like to improve on. Sometimes I talk too much in the lessons, and do not involve the students as much as I’d like to. That’s not the way to help them improve on their communication and interpersonal skills, something we have to work on in the 21st century.
* Do not forget to check also: Why do you want to become a teacher? 7 sample answers.
To be honest, I cannot tell. This is my first job application. I’ve never taught anywhere before, and though I have some expectations and good understanding of the job, I cannot really tell how I’d do in a real classroom setting. I believe that I have to do the job first, at least for a few weeks, to understand in which areas of teaching I excel, and which areas I have to improve on. Certainly I won’t excel in everything and it’s a process–one does not become an excellent teacher by earning their degree. We need practice, and a desire to constantly improve on our skills… (this one will work great on an essay for a fresher, trying to get their first teaching job)
I’d say that my greatest strength is an ability to build respect in the eyes of the students. I know that your school faces a lot of problems with discipline, that it is your biggest challenge. Under my leadership, however, even the most disruptive students eventually started to behave, or at least they did not disturb other students anymore. As it often happens, however, this strength sometimes turns into a weakness… Because I like to have strong rules of discipline in classes, not tolerating any misbehavior. This is good in some cases, but in some classes it can “scare” some students, and eventually they will not express their opinion, or feedback on my teaching, for example when they do not understand something. So it’s about finding the right balance, something I still struggle to do effectively, lesson after lesson.
If I should point out one thing, I will go with creativity. Students definitely won’t get bored in my lessons. I do not stick to lecturing, at least not all the time. Learning by playing, using interactive technology in the classes, changing roles of teacher and students–are just some of the teaching methods I use. So far the feedback has been great. The children pay attention in the classes, because they enjoy them. My biggest weakness is probably being impatient. I am sometimes concerned about staying on schedule with the lessons, and progress to quickly for the students. I definitely have to work on this, asking for their feedback, avoid rushing things.
As we speak about University teaching here, my greatest strength is definitely my expertise with the subjects I teach. I’ve published dozens of research papers, and continuously work on keeping my knowledge up to date. If the students really want to learn something from the subject, to rise above the rest of university students, I am the right person to lead the lessons. On the other hand, and that’s my biggest weakness as a teacher, I sometimes overestimate the abilities of my students. Sometimes my lectures are just difficult, at least for the majority of the people in the audience. Not sure how you look at such an issue, but I try to find a good balance between teaching something extra, and at the same time ensuring that students are getting it.
Anything you say, ensure them that you aren’t complacent with the status quo
As you can see on my list of answers to “What are your strengths and weaknesses” interview question, you have many options when it comes to answering it. But all of them have one thing in common–you should strive for improvement, regardless of where you stay at the moment with your teaching skills and other abilities. That’s the attitude the interviewers are looking for.
Maybe you excel in this, and struggle with that. And maybe such things have an impact on your results in the classroom. All of it is fine, as long as you are aware of your weaknesses, and have an honest desire to better yourself down the road, to become the best teacher you can be. This is what they want to hear from you before anything else. And a bit of humility is always welcome in the interviews…
Special tip no. 2: Download TOP 3 answers in a simple, one page long PDF, print it, and practice your perfect answer anytime later, for example right before the start of your interview:
Why Employers Ask About Strengths and Weaknesses
This question can feel like a trap. It’s reasonable to assume that highlighting one’s weaknesses can do you out of a job in the education sector. However, weaknesses are only a problem if you are unaware, unwilling to acknowledge them, or unwilling to do anything about them. Plus, that isn’t why you’re being asked.
To clarify, you’re also not being asked to confess trivial habits like leaving the toilet seat up or drinking milk straight from the bottle. Your weaknesses should be more in line with you as a person. Things like poor time keeping or letting challenging situations bother you.
You should also be prepared to give examples of what you do to offset them. Remember, having weaknesses isn’t a problem, doing nothing about them is.
FAQ
What are your strengths and weaknesses examples for teachers?
These example answers may help you prepare for your interview:
Example teacher strength 1: Collaboration. …
Example teacher strength 2: Empathy. …
Example teacher strength 3: Order. …
Example teacher strength 4: Technology skills. …
Example teacher strength 5: Creativity. …
Example teacher weakness 1: Lack of technological skills.
What is my weakness as a teacher?
And to be honest, the same attitude–or to say it more precisely, the consequences of such an attitude to teaching, is also my biggest weakness. Because I care so much that I struggle to maintain professional distance. I often take the problems from classroom home, and cannot get them out of my head.
