Interviews are a great way of showing a prospective employer what you can do for them.
There is so much that you can prove to an employer when you are sitting across the table from him or her. Your confidence, eye contact, and manner of speaking can do wonders for your chances of gaining employment.
However, you cannot expect to be successful if you are not prepared for the possible questions.
Remember that it is not just the questions that can put you in a quandary when appearing for an interview, although questioning is a significant part of a conversation.
Generally, interviewers attempt to gauge candidates on several scales which include mannerisms and over-confidence.
The trick is to provide them with as much as they require of you and that too in a self-assured manner.
What you show to an interviewer depends on how well you can present yourself.
So if you are a preschool teacher appearing for an interview, you will have to show your compassionate side along with the ability to handle a group of children from diverse backgrounds.
Here is a set of interview questions and answers you may be asked during an interview for a preschool teaching job:
Preschool Teacher Interview Questions and Answers
1. Why is working as a preschool teacher important to you?
As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed being around children. I am an ambitious individual and have a flare for ensuring children’s personal, social, and cognitive development. These factors are of my interest in working as a preschool teacher.
2. But isn’t this work extremely challenging?
For sure, it is! Working as a preschool teacher means that you are molding lives. And it is a great responsibility. I believe that I am ready for this responsibility, though.
3. What have been your principal duties as a preschool teacher in the past?
I have been actively involved in creating preschool curriculum and lesson plans and implementing both according to the protocols of the school and state.
Imparting education to young students according to their specific learning speeds, ensuring that they are kept comfortable during their time at school, and making sure that behavior models are maintained, were also part of my work.
Additionally, I was responsible for creating and maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to young students’ development and learning.
4. What skills do you possess that make you a great preschool teacher?
I am patient and flexible – two attributes that are core ingredients that should be present in a preschool teacher.
Since I am a trained preschool teacher, I am well aware of creating and using age-appropriate teaching materials, evaluating student performances, and providing them with a safe and nurturing environment to thrive.
Additionally, I am proficient in handling in-class problems before they become crises.
5. How do you handle adversity from children?
I do not think of what is considered bad behavior as adversity. It is alright for children to question and be stubborn at times. I take it in stride and make sure that I respond with positivity.
6. Have you ever had to handle an in-class emergency?
One of the students that I was teaching seemed to go into an epileptic fit all of a sudden. Thankfully, I had read his file just that morning because he was a newly admitted student, and I knew exactly what emergency procedures to follow and did the needful.
7. What is your method to incorporate play into regular school work?
I am all for incorporating play into regular school work, which makes the latter interesting for young students. I use technology, usually smart boards, to help me do this, along with making sure that I bring in as many interactive activities as possible.
8. What are your lesson plans aimed at?
All my lesson plans are aimed at organizing and leading school activities that promote the physical, mental, academic, and social development of each child, based on his or her ability to cope and learn.
9. Do you think students with special needs should be enrolled in a regular program? Why or why not?
It all depends on the nature of the disability and the student’s own ability to cope. If the student does not get traumatized, I believe there is no harm in enrolling him or her into a regular school program.
10. Do you have any experience with students with special needs?
While my experience isn’t too vast in this area, I have handled a couple of students with physical and mental disabilities throughout my career – and have done well in adjusting them!
11. How do you handle behavioral problems in class?
Students at the preschool level are in the initial learning processes, which is why it is essential for a teacher to come down to their level.
I rarely reprimand my students for bad behavior, although I do speak to them in a calm and controlled manner by explaining to them why they have behaved wrongly.
In the end, I always encourage handshakes or high fives, which helps in minimizing hard feelings.
12. What is your belief about the most crucial aspect of preschool staff?
It is the primary duty of a preschool staff to ensure that students are taught to develop a positive attitude towards education.
It is important to build independence, raise confidence, and celebrate students’ differences. It is also vital to ensure that students interact positively with each other.
13. How important do you believe the first five years of a child’s life are and why?
The formative years of every child are extremely important. This is the time they are provided with a foundation on which they work for the next decade.
Also, the first five years are important because children can absorb a lot at this time, and we as instructors need to ensure that they make full use of this.