Candidates for leadership positions are often asked: “What do you look for in an excellent teacher?” My response to this question is the ability to teach for student understanding. The learning of knowledge and skill are at the core of education. We want students to deeply understanding the important concepts in all the subject areas. Understanding does not mean that a student can memorize and recite minute facts and demonstrate routine skills with very…

Being Interviewed by a Board of Education

Over the last several years boards of education have become more actively involved in interviewing and selecting candidates for leadership positions. State law dictates that only the Board can make personnel appointments. Of course, board members are elected officials and as such they have their own…

Resumes That Get You Interviews

Resumes and cover letters should be designed to get you an interview. If you’re a fairly well qualified candidate and you aren’t getting interviews, or if your rate of getting interviews is low, then your resume and cover letter are probably your problems. Well qualified candidates should be getting interviews at…

Dealing with Difficult and/or Resistant Staff

Every faculty has difficult and/or resistant people. I think that most supervisors would agree that dealing with them is the most challenging aspect of their job. Being a difficult person is a personality trait. Difficult people come in several varieties. They are often whiners, judgmental, opinionated, and negative. Resistant…

The Inside Candidate

Should you even bother to apply for a job when you know that there are inside candidates? Can you beat out an insider? Are the cards already stacked against you? The short answer is that you should apply—there is nothing to lose. The actual status of the insider or insiders is unknown. The “powers that be”, the superintendent, board members, other administrators, may not favor the insider. The insider may have been on the wrong side of some…

Coaching vs. Supervising

During a lunch time conversation with a veteran teacher, the discussion turned to the value of supervision; that is the ability of a supervisor to help a teacher improve upon his or her instructional practices. My colleague was brutally frank, “I’ve been teaching for more than twenty years. I can honestly say that I have never received feedback from a supervisor that was valuable enough to make me a better…