Section 6: Teacher Candidate Teacher Interview Video

Introduction to the Teacher Candidate Interview Video

The link to my Weebly website: http://msdobrucki.weebly.com/

Putting together my Weebly website was actually a fun experience for me, I enjoyed

thinking about what my students and families would benefit from seeing and playing around with

the different features available through Weebly. I felt comfortable using Screencast-O-Matic

when it came time to create my screencast video showing my website, portfolio, and answering

the mock interview questions. I have participated in many job interviews previously, as I have

moved around fairly often for school, and I feel that I interview well, however trying to answer

interview questions at the same time as maneuvering through the website was very challenging

for me. In general, I try to avoid multitasking because I am aware that it is not a strong suit of

mine, I would rather take a little more extra time to do things one after another. I restarted the

screencast multiple times, which was a little frustrating, but eventually I captured everything I

needed to from my website and answered all the interview questions to the best of my ability.

Teacher Candidate Interview Video

https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYiZ0PEw5q

Teacher Candidate Interview Questions & Responses

Q: Briefly share a little about your background experiences that have led you to choose a career

in education.

A: After working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor I realized that I loved teaching children

how to swim and that I would really enjoy a career working with children in the future. While

completing my Early Childhood Education diploma, in my last semester I completed a placement

in a kindergarten classroom and enjoyed it so much that I decided that was where I wanted to
work. I bridged into the third year of a Bachelor of Early Learning Program Development degree

and was able to apply to the Master of Science in Elementary Education program at Medaille

College after that. After working in childcare for a few years, currently I work as a supply ECE

for my local school board and I am still enjoying being in the kindergarten setting and look

forward to being able to work full time in my own classroom someday.

Q: What have you learned in your teacher training program that will make you an excellent

classroom teacher and colleague?

A: Each semester I have learned many valuable things that will make me an excellent teacher

and colleague. From learning about lessons plans- standards, objectives, anticipatory sets; how to

communicate with families; creating engaging social studies, math, and science lessons; learning

the basics of special education- different diagnoses, accommodations, modifications, services,

and about IEPs; technology that we can use in the classroom as well as with families. One of the

most important things that I have learned is how to be a caring educator, because of all the caring

educators that I have had over the past year.

Q: Provide us with an example of a lesson you taught. How did you integrate it with other

curriculum areas, address the CCLS, technology, student engagement and motivation? What

were the results of the lesson?

A: I referred back to section three artifact #2 which was an ELA lesson plan. I integrated math in

this lesson through the use of Venn diagrams, included both NY and Ontario learning standards,

incorporated the use of a SmartBoard for technology which would also increase student

engagement and motivation.

Q: How will your knowledge of the current trends in education inform you as an educator in our

district/board/school?
A: Currently, technology is a big trend in education, particularly with the online learning that has

been happening due to COVID-19. I have learned about many different forms and uses of

technology both in the classroom, as well as for students and families at home. I plan on using a

website to share what we are doing in the classroom, to communicate better with families, and to

have trusted resources for both students and parents. In the classroom, I will utilize the

technology that is made available to me in order to better engage and motivate my students. I

will also advocate that the appropriate technology be made available for any students that require

them. Being a student of online learning myself these past few months, I know what has been

working for me and what did not, so I will be able to better support my future students and

families. On my Weebly website I have a page for virtual tours, since we are not able to

physically take students on trips, these resources are great to utilize. I share a particular museum

that I really enjoyed as well as some associated activities for learning.

Q: Why should we hire you instead of the other applicants we have interviewed?

A: What puts me ahead of other applicants is the experience I already have. During my ECE

diploma as well as during my BELPD degree I was require to complete a placement every

semester, I spent two summers working full time with school age children, and for the past

school year I have been supplying in kindergarten classrooms for my local school board. I have

hands-on experience and confidence working in the classroom setting already, I have seen and

worked with many different teachers, so I know what works well and what generally does not.

Conclusion

In this last section of the portfolio I have shared my Weebly website, as well as a

screencast video sharing about my portfolio and answering some mock interview questions. By

answering these questions, I was able to wrap up the portfolio and bring everything together in
demonstrating my readiness to become a professional teacher through my background

experiences, what I have learned at Medaille, and how I will continue to keep learning. I am very

excited to begin my journey as a professional teacher and to see what the future holds for my

educational journey.