Semcac Head Start

Center Base Teacher

Interview Questions

Applicant ______Interviewer ______

Position/Location ______Date ______

1. Why are you interested in working with Head Start? / 1 2 3 4 5
  1. Tell us about your previous work and training experiences that pertain to this position.
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  1. We ask staff to maintain a commitment to professionalism. What does it mean to you to be a professional?
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  1. If you could change or improve something about yourself, what would it be?
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  1. What two or three things are most important to you in a job?
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  1. Head Start serves diverse families. What experiences do you have in working with others from different backgrounds that yours? For example: different languages, cultures, traditions, etc.
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  1. We use a team approach in our work. Describe what that means to you.
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  1. Give an example of how you have handled a challenging situation.
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  1. What experiences have you had working with children with special needs?
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  1. If a child refused to participate in an activity, what would you do?
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  1. Parent involvement is core to our program. How would you encourage families to be involved in their child’s education and Head Start experience?
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  1. What are your views about working with families that are affected by chemical dependency or mental illness?
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  1. In your opinion, what causes people to live in poverty?
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  1. What is confidentiality? Why is it necessary when working with families?
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  1. What is your philosophy about Early Childhood Education?
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  1. Describe your ideal early childhood classroom. What does it look like? What are the activities? What are the teachers doing? How are the parents involved?
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  1. What would you do to build self-esteem in the children you work with? In a parent?
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  1. You are on a home visit with Michael’s mom. She asks, “What’s going on at Ricky’s house? I heard they were having a lot of problems?” What would you say or do?
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  1. What would you do if a child has a temper tantrum on a home visit? In the classroom?
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  1. How would you convey the idea to parents that they are their children’s first and most important teacher?
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  1. If a child came to school with a black eye and said, “My dad/mom hit me”, what would you do?
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  1. We strive to meet the diverse needs of families in the program. We have different means to connect with them to support our trusting relationships which include home visits, conferences and parent meetings. How would you prepare for these interactions?
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Please describe your computer literacy skills. We would like to understand how comfortable you are using technology for your work.

  1. In summary what makes you the best candidate for the job?
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  1. If you are offered the position, when would you be able to start?
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  1. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?
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Do you have any questions you would like to ask us?

Please share your classroom activity that you brought along today and discuss the objective and how you would present it.

Total score ______out of 125