122. How to Nail Your Teacher Job Interview + 3 Mock Lesson Ideas

03/18/24 • 33 min

In last week’s episode, I asked you to examine your current job situation to see if there were more things causing you stress than things that brought you joy. One solution might be changing your scenery, such as switching schools or even districts, which would mean a teacher interview is in your future. Or even if you’re a beginning teacher looking for their first teaching job, this episode is for you!
One request I get a lot is to share my teacher interview tips, which is exactly what I’m going to share in today’s episode. To help get you ready and confident to nail your job interview, I’m sharing four tips and giving specific examples of what each of these four tips entails and how to impress the interview team.
Additionally, teacher interviews are moving towards interviewing candidates performing mock lessons as part of their interview process. If this is a new concept for you, I share what these mock lessons look like and the different components you should display in your lesson. I also give you three mock lesson ideas that show your skills as a science educator that will also engage students.
Interviewing for a job can make you nervous and anxious, but I want you to feel confident and ready to tackle your next teacher interview. So whether you’re a new teacher looking for their first job or a veteran teacher looking to try out a new school or district, these job interview tips and mock lesson ideas will help you land the job!
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode122

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode122

Previous Episode

121. Burned Out? When It’s Time to Make a Change

It’s no secret that teachers are constantly overwhelmed and stressed and often don’t feel appreciated for their work. Especially during this time of year, it can be hard to determine if the exhaustion you’re feeling is just temporary or a feeling that won’t go away. Trust me, I’ve been exactly where you’re at and want to help. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing my process to see if the burnout you’re feeling is fixable or if it’s time to make a change.
Make no mistake: deciding to make a career change is a big decision. That’s why the process I share provides you with the opportunity to assess where you are and make changes accordingly. After making a list and labeling your priorities, it will make it easier to see what’s making you happy and what’s holding you back. Additionally, I give a list of things to consider before making a change in your career that will show you a different perspective and help you be sustainable in where you want to be professionally.
Teaching is a mentally tough job. We’re juggling a lot of plates, and our responsibilities are endless at school, let alone when we go home. So it’s no wonder teachers are feeling exhausted and experiencing burnout. By sharing this process, I hope it clears up whether the feelings you’re experiencing are just in season or time for a permanent change.
Resources Mentioned:

Download your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge
Send me a DM on Instagram: @its.not.rocket.science
Send me an email: [email protected]
Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode121

Next Episode

123. What to Do When You Care More Than Your Students Do

As educators, we decided to make this our career because we love to help people and care about students and their success. However, just because that’s our personality and mission, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that’s how our students feel. One of the resounding themes from the survey I sent out was how do I get my students to care as much as I do? I’ve heard this a lot, so I wanted to address it on the podcast. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing why this seems to be the case and what you can practically do to move forward and keep serving your students.
It’s no secret that we seem to care more about our students’ success and learning of the content. Due to this, we need to always be reminded of the reality of our situation and how this impacts the disparity in how much our students care. But truly, what can we practically do? There are three things both you and your students need to implement and realize. While some might seem harsh, it’s what students need to realize or experience in order to change their outlook and work ethic in the future.
Our students not caring as much as we do is a tale as old as time, but the disparity seems to be greater in recent years. This has sparked concern from teachers and required a need to take action in order to best serve students. So, if you’re looking for ways to get your students to care as much as you do or change your perspective on it, this episode is for you!
Resources Mentioned:

Download your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge
Send me a DM on Instagram: @its.not.rocket.science
Send me an email: [email protected]
Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts

Show Notes: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode123

Secondary Science Simplified™ - 122. How to Nail Your Teacher Job Interview + 3 Mock Lesson Ideas

Transcript

Rebecca 0:00
In last week's episode, we talked about dealing with teacher burnout. And I shared a process that I found personally, really helpful for auditing my work and just reflecting on my practice. So if you did not listen to episode 121, which was the one just before this, it might be worth giving a listen, because at the end of that episode, I really encouraged some of you to maybe consider a change of scenery, before you jump to the extreme of considering a change of career and lea