Comment

Comment by Dr. Timothy Mundell on May 27, 2012 at 8:17am

 Idenitfy, affirm, and celebrate the good work already happening in the setting.  Ask alot of questions and listen carefully.  Synthesize the good work with district goals and NYS initiatives as part of the collaborative development of a long-term plan.

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on May 22, 2012 at 11:21am

A Favorite Question:

Assume you get the job and you are new to the school and the district. What is your first 100 day plan?

Let's hear from you. What is your rationale for the aspects of your response? What image you want to project? Remember, you always want to distinguish yourself from other candidates.

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on May 13, 2012 at 10:27am

Great question Tim. The most significant difference is that you're no longer in regular contact with your kids. As a Central Office leader there is a big shift, a re-definition, in how you fulfill your vision on a system-wide basis. The advantage that a principal has in moving to Central Office is your ability to relate to school principals, use your valuable experience and help coach them and teach them through their problems. That's one example of what I mean by re-defining your practice-- a shift from coaching teachers and students to coaching principals.

 

Another critical shift is that you lose your constituencies. As a principal, parents, students and teachers are your constituents and you are the leader of the school. In Central Office you have one constituent-- The Superintendent. You must put your ego aside and serve your Superintendent and his/her team. You lose your visibility.

 

Comments are always welcome.

Comment by Dr. Timothy Mundell on May 13, 2012 at 9:14am

In working with the veteran teacher who is not responsive to feedback, I have had success meeting the individual where he/she is, using their interest, and supporting their work.  Over time, a sense of appreciation and trust builds.  Once I have some capital with the person, he/she will be open to suggestions or alternatives.

Comment by Dr. Timothy Mundell on May 13, 2012 at 9:08am

Thanks for the welcome, Dr Aronstein.  I'm curious about the transition to central office from a building principal position.  Any thoughts on the differences in skills and perspectives between the two?

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on May 11, 2012 at 12:30pm

QUESTION: HOW DO YOU SUPERVISE A VETERAN TEACHER WHO MAY NOT BE RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK?

 

I am interested in getting your thoughts on this question. This is an often used question for aspiring leaders. It gets out your knowledge of supervision, your judgement and your inter- personal intelligence. What are some of the "guiding principles" that will guide your thoughtful response? Please share. I'll be happy to add to the conversation!

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on May 9, 2012 at 10:30am

THERE ARE ONLY 6 TO 10 QUESTIONS

 

Once you get an interview, it's all about preparation and delivery. You can't do anything about the competion-- insiders/outsiders; more experience; local people... The key variables under your control are the quality of your preparation and delivery. Anticipating the questions that will be asked is fairly predictable. Questions generally fall among about 6 to 10 themes. The specific wording of the question is somewhat inconsequential. Here are the themes: (1) tell us about yourself; (2) supervising the veteran teacher who may not be responsive; (3) teacher obsevation/evaluation; (4) use of technology; (5) helping teachers who are having student discipline problems; (6) relationship with your supervisor; (7) what kind of leader are you; (8) effective approaches to staff development; (9) dealing with difficult parents; (10) what do you know about us.

 

There may be other questions you encounter, but these are agood starting point. The strategies you take in responding are crucial.

 

Question: What strategies do you have in order to craft your answers? NO STRATEGY = NO PREPARATION!

 

Let's here your ideas and questions.

 

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on April 29, 2012 at 12:50pm

What Questions Do You Ask at Interviews?

 

It depends on where you are in the process. Always be sensitive to the needs of the people on the interviewing committees. They are busy people who have volunteered to serve. The time allotted for each interview allows them to stay on time. I have often felt like a captive on the committeee as a candidate, who is allotted 30 minutes for an intitial ineterview, is asked "do you have any questions"? This is done as a courtesy. It's not an open invitation to pull out a long list of questions and take over and extend the process. If you move on in the process, you will have ample time to get your questions answered.

 

The only question you should ask at the intial interview is "what is the next step and what is your timeline"? Often the moderator will have already answered that question. It's okay to say, "I have many questions, however, I'll hold off hoping that I'll have an opportunity to get my answers as the process progresses." This demonstrates your sensitivity to their time constraints.

 

Comments? Questions? Opinions?

Comment by Dr. Larry Aronstein on April 14, 2012 at 6:08pm

THE LIKEABILITY FACTOR

 

With regards to interviewing, perhaps the most important factor is likeability. Likeability usually trumps pedagogy. Interviewers often decide within the first few minutes as to whether or not they like you. Over the course of the interview, interviewers can change their opinions in either direction. What can you do to get them to like you? What can you do throughout the interview to sustain the LIKEABILITY FACTOR?

Comment by Michael Keany on April 9, 2012 at 12:06pm

I advise candidates, if possible, to create their bullets in problem-action-resolution  (PAR) format.  I perceived a problem, took action and here's the result.  Districts are more willing to hire problem finders, rather than merely problem solvers.

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