Teacher Interview

1.) How do you write a typical lesson plan?

Formal lesson plans are not required by our new principal. What I do to prepare for the

week is to write out an outline with the different topics we will be covering in each

subject and activities we will be doing. I also write down notes, such as reminders about

individual students.

2.) In what ways do you accommodate individual differences in the classroom?

I differentiate mainly with my second block of students. They are not as advanced as my

first block students, and need a lot more scaffolding. I provide support to these students

by constantly walking around during independent work time and pulling small groups.

An extra teacher also helps in the classroom often. There is one child that is in the

autism spectrum. What works for him is to be sitting in a spot where he doesn’t feel

crowded or overwhelmed. He often finishes his work early and he already knows what

to move on to next.

3.) What are some instructional challenges you face as a teacher?

Having two blocks of students that are at completely different levels would be the

greatest challenge for me. One group is very high and the other is very low. Also, just

having 60 plus students in itself is a challenge. The other challenge for me would be

getting through all of the objectives and not having too much freedom for creativity.

4.) What do you consider are essential characteristics for successful teaching?
 A teacher definitely should be organized. Being able to multi task is also key in this

profession. Having good time management skills is also important in order to get

through all the subjects and activities in a good pace.

5.) How do you prevent negative behaviors and what are some consequences for them?

I use a ticket system to reward the students. I give out tickets throughout the week to

students for making good choices such as following directions, turning in work, applying

our character education for the week, etc. At the end of the week, the students can turn

in their tickets and choose a prize from a treasure box. Another way of promoting

positive behavior in the classroom is by using dojo points. If a student behaves

negatively, I take off points. Students and parents can log in to see the points. Each

student creates their own avatar. One thing we do as a whole class is have class

meetings. Whenever I notice that the class has been off task or we need to address

something, we talk about it as a group. For students that persist on a negative behavior,

there is a school wide protocol that takes place. If after talking to that particular student

about their behavior and giving several warnings, administration and parents are

involved. This does not really happen in this classroom though.

6.) What role do parents play in your classroom?

In this grade level parents are not involved as much. We do have a “room mom” who

helps us organize parties.

7.) How often do your students receive social studies and science instruction?

We alternate between science, social studies, and health throughout the week, and we

get about 45 min for that. Last week we focused on science. We were finishing up our
 plant unit and the students had their test. This week we will be starting to get into forms

of government in our social studies block, and the students will work in groups to

research and create a presentation on their findings.

8.) What is your classroom community like?

Most of the students have known each other for a while. A lot of them live near one

another and have grown up together. The students care and are always looking out for

one another. It is a very warm, family-like environment.

Reflection

I highly enjoyed conducting this interview with my clinical teacher. She is very

experienced in the field, and it was nice to hear what she had to say. I also appreciate

the fact that the interview played out as an actual conversation. It wasn’t awkward and

felt more natural. I really liked learning about the classroom management system the

teacher has in place. In the clinical experiences I have had in the past, I noticed most

teachers used the typical “clip chart.” It was very interesting to see something different

and I think it is an excellent way to prevent bullying and students/parents knowing

about other students. After speaking to the teacher about this and actually seeing it

done in the class, I would like to implement this in my own classroom. I also hope that I

can foster a family like environment in my future classroom. I want the students to

know and feel that I truly care about them, and also for them to care for and value each

other. I think this is definitely needed for students to actually have the motivation to

learn and participate in general. One thing that stood out to me was the challenge that

the teacher faced with the two blocks of students. I can see how having blocks could

have its benefits, but I also think that it could be extremely difficult to have such an

advanced group of students while at the same time have a group of students that are

very low level. If it’s a challenge for an experienced teacher, I can’t imagine how much

of a challenge it would be for a novice teacher. One thing I really liked is that there are

no official lesson plans that the principal requires from the teachers. Of course, having a

plan and being organized as a teacher is a must, but I think that not having to turn in
actual lesson plans is great and takes a big load off the teacher. Overall, this interview

went great, and I learned so much from my clinical teacher.