At some point, most of us will decide to leave our current school. It could be on good terms or bad; either way, preparing for your new position sooner than later will put you in a great place when it is time for you to start applying to schools. To be a top candidate, you need to have a few things on hand to stand out and to show the interview panel how awesome you are. Check out the three things you can do right now to prepare for your transition.
Save Your Evaluations
Your classroom observations are an excellent way to show that you’re an effective teacher. When you go to interviews, you can use them as evidence to show what you do in class works. The interview panel will more likely think you. For your weaknesses or grows, explain how what you’ve done to turn them into strengths. For example, if one of your evaluations said that you need to differentiate your instruction. Show what you’ve done to improve your grows.
Save Your Data
In interviews, I would tell the principals how growing students was a strength of mine. I would say to them how I would get them to grow and how long it took, but I didn’t have proof. During my last job search, I brought my data with me to interviews, and it made me more confident and credible. When you print off your data, remove student identifiers, you want to keep your students’ personal information confidential.
Save Your Lesson Plans
Nowadays, many administrators want teachers to deliver a mock lesson to give them an idea of their teaching ability. Some schools let you pick the lesson you want to teach. So, it is essential to keep a handful of lessons that you can present to the interview panel. They should be lessons that you can do in your sleep. Pick lessons that are interactive, engaging, and use manipulatives!
Whether you have months left at your school or weeks, you can start preparing your departure now. Collect your evaluations to show your potential new school your strengths. It is also a great way to show how you take feedback and apply it. Gather your best lesson plans and be prepared to share them. If you get to pick what mock lesson you can present, you will be prepared. Finally, save that data! You worked hard all school year, so show it off!
Looking for more tips? Grab the How to Land Your Dream Teaching Job Workbook to not only get more tips, but to also get the tools you need to prepare to change jobs. Even if you’re months away from applying to a new position, get started now!