Assistant Principal

I find it most difficult to get along with people who get angry over a situation and then refuse to accept reasonable solutions to a problem. I would refer to them as unreasonable people.

For example, sometimes parents get angry when a child is held responsible for misbehavior. Nothing will make them happy except for their child to be “let off the hook.” I handle this by remaining calm and polite and pointing out that the school has specific rules and consequences that the student is aware of and that I cannot show favoritism to one student over another. I sometimes commiserate with the parents stating that he or she is justifiably angry, but that they are not mad at me, but with their child for misbehaving and getting into trouble.

This is a difficult question as you cannot rely on your education and experience to sell yourself. What hiring panels are looking for when they ask this question is whatever you feel is most important to share with them. They’re looking for candidates who avoid canned responses. They are seeking to learn how you see yourself and what you value about yourself.

You should focus on your best qualities, such as your work ethic: Did you work your way through college? Or were you the first in your family to earn a university degree?; your background in other areas: finance, fund-raising, charity work, adult education, training student teachers, ability to speak a second language, grant writing; maybe you have a license in special education, and so forth. Interviewers like to hear about your tenacity or “stick to it” attitude even when things get difficult.

Interviewers also want to hear about responsibility, integrity, kindness and a love for children, as well as a desire to make a difference in their lives. But don’t just focus on your love for children. That is not enough to set you apart from the other candidates. The panel wants to detect a sense of professionalism and wants to hear what is in your heart. Make sure you express a real passion for improving education and helping students maximize their potentials.

Try to make your response to this question as personal and as sincere as possible. Maybe you will need to spend some time thinking to figure out the real answer to this issue. The panel wants to know your motivation for entering into the education sector and if there was anyone that influenced you and how you discovered your passion.

Mention one or two university professors, other educators, or family members who have positively impacted you and tell how they did it. Maybe you had a special teacher growing up that made you want to become a teacher. If none come to mind, consider mentioning the mentor/coach who guided you through student (intern) teaching or your current principal. You could further say as you read and learned more about education and learning your interest in becoming an educator continued to grow.

The school principal serves as the educational leader, responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure all students are supervised in a safe learning environment that meets the approved curriculum and mission of the school.

As the educational leader of the school, it’s my job to demonstrate and embody the ideals of a learning institution and uphold the highest integrity and leadership skills. People in the school community are always turning to the principal for answers as well as for a model for behavior, leadership, and academics. I am excited at the prospect of taking on this role and feel that my excellent communication skills, dedication, work ethic, and education leadership skills will help me to excel in this environment.

One of your duties may be to conduct evaluations of teacher performance. If a classroom scores lower than anticipated on a standardizes test or if the school has received numerous complaints about a particular teacher from parents, students or staff you may be required to investigate the situation and confront the individual. The interviewer will want to understand your method for evaluating a teacher’s instructional effectiveness as well as their behavior towards students, parents and coworkers, including how you would gather all relevant information. The hiring manager will also want to know that you are capable of confronting a coworker while maintaining a good working relationship. You should be able to detail how you would work with the teacher to design a plan for improvement and a means of evaluating the effectiveness of that plan. As with all questions, include real examples from your own experience whenever possible.

☛ Tell us about your professional experience in the field of education.

☛ In as much detail as possible, describe your vision of a highly effective (elementary/middle/high) school.

☛ What are your personal benchmarks for success in this role?

☛ How would you rate yourself as a leader? Describe your leadership style.

☛ How would you rate yourself as a disciplinarian?

☛ How does this role differ from the role of the Principal?

☛ Describe a time you disagreed with the Principal’s decision-making.

☛ Discuss the relationship between teacher evaluations and student achievement.

☛ How do you involve other staff in organizational decision-making?

☛ Describe a time you suggested a way to cut costs in order to maintain a service or activity.

☛ In what ways have you helped teachers improve their methods of instruction?

☛ What classroom management strategies do you recommend?

☛ What guidance would you give to teachers during their first year on the job?

☛ How would you give negative feedback to a veteran teacher?

☛ Describe a time that a student complaint resulted in reprimanding a teacher.

☛ How do you know when a parent organization is effective?

☛ Describe a time you involved a parent in disciplining a student.

☛ How would you organize and promote a new student activity?

☛ How would students at your school describe you?