I recently applied for a teaching position whose application included the following questions:
Why do you wish to join the XYZ school system?
How do you feel you can contribute to XYZ's educational excellence?
Here are my answers. Arriving at them required some thought, which I describe below.
Why do you wish to join the XYZ school system?
With a background in business and technology, I'm looking to work in a school district where professionalism, quality, and teamwork are valued, and where a need to make secondary education relevant to today's society is recognized. As a parent and student, I also value personal growth, individual differences and preferences, and a questioning attitude. I found similar values in [XYZ]'s Mission and Belief statements. In addition, I got to know a little of the community and surrounding area while my son attended the local college (class of 2010) so I know it's a location where I'd enjoy working.
How do you feel you can contribute to XYZ's educational excellence?
First and foremost, I can bring technology into the classroom, both as an instructional tool and as an introduction to the technologies that students will encounter in higher education and the workplace. Second, as a lifelong learner who re-entered the educational world only recently, I can bring a different set of experiences and a fresh perspective to the community's pursuit of excellence.
I had not previously encountered the first question on other applications, so without a canned answer at hand I was forced to interrupt my routine and craft a new statement. The shallow, snarky answer would have been "because I'm unemployed, and you have an opening" but of course I wasn't about to say that. My goal was to write something that (a) I believed in, could support, and re-use if possible; and (b) might actually persuade the hiring manager at XYZ that my goals were aligned with theirs.
I've never visited the XYZ district, nor do I know anyone there, so my only immediate source of information about their school system was their website, where I found the mission and belief statements of their high school.
"Mission: We will ensure that rigorous and relevant curricula will pave the way for challenging and diverse opportunities for all students. Small learning communities will be the vehicle through which we pursue our mission by focusing on strong relationships, learning preferences, performance levels, and interests. Students, staff, parents, and community members will remain dedicated to supporting one another in achieving these essential goals."
"Our Belief Statements:
Effective learning is relevant and rigorous.
Ongoing and meaningful professional growth is critical to success.
Professional learning communities create the optimal conditions for learning.
Everyone deserves to be valued and successful.
Communities model the behaviors that they value.
There must be opportunity to question ideas and beliefs.
People who engage in activities aligned with their needs and interests will reach their highest potential.
Physical, intellectual, and creative activities are essential for personal growth.
Cultural and individual diversity enriches learning.
Accountability and responsibility apply to all."
After noodling around various components of a response for a while, I realized that my goals (see above) would be well served if I included something about my business background. I then remembered a campaign that my previous employer conducted many years ago to publicize internally the five "Values" of the corporation (two more, and then a third, were added after various corporate mergers, then they were scrapped altogether, but that's another story). I took them seriously, and committed them to memory: Professionalism, Quality, Respect for Each Other, Customer Focus, and Teamwork. Three of these matched up with parts of the mission/belief statements and with points I was trying to make, so they served as the focus for the first part of the response. The other points I wanted to make were more individual-related, not corporate, so they went into a second, contrasting sentence (the same contrast that I'm trying to work out in my educational philosophy). In the third, I wanted to show some familiarity with the community without overstating the case.
For the second question, I combined a sentence from my standard letter of introduction ("bring technology into the classroom") with a newly-crafted statement about my own situation and my developing interest in lifelong learning, one that I hope puts my lack of teaching experience in a positive light.
Why do you wish to join the XYZ school system?
How do you feel you can contribute to XYZ's educational excellence?
Here are my answers. Arriving at them required some thought, which I describe below.
Why do you wish to join the XYZ school system?
With a background in business and technology, I'm looking to work in a school district where professionalism, quality, and teamwork are valued, and where a need to make secondary education relevant to today's society is recognized. As a parent and student, I also value personal growth, individual differences and preferences, and a questioning attitude. I found similar values in [XYZ]'s Mission and Belief statements. In addition, I got to know a little of the community and surrounding area while my son attended the local college (class of 2010) so I know it's a location where I'd enjoy working.
How do you feel you can contribute to XYZ's educational excellence?
First and foremost, I can bring technology into the classroom, both as an instructional tool and as an introduction to the technologies that students will encounter in higher education and the workplace. Second, as a lifelong learner who re-entered the educational world only recently, I can bring a different set of experiences and a fresh perspective to the community's pursuit of excellence.
I had not previously encountered the first question on other applications, so without a canned answer at hand I was forced to interrupt my routine and craft a new statement. The shallow, snarky answer would have been "because I'm unemployed, and you have an opening" but of course I wasn't about to say that. My goal was to write something that (a) I believed in, could support, and re-use if possible; and (b) might actually persuade the hiring manager at XYZ that my goals were aligned with theirs.
I've never visited the XYZ district, nor do I know anyone there, so my only immediate source of information about their school system was their website, where I found the mission and belief statements of their high school.
"Mission: We will ensure that rigorous and relevant curricula will pave the way for challenging and diverse opportunities for all students. Small learning communities will be the vehicle through which we pursue our mission by focusing on strong relationships, learning preferences, performance levels, and interests. Students, staff, parents, and community members will remain dedicated to supporting one another in achieving these essential goals."
"Our Belief Statements:
Effective learning is relevant and rigorous.
Ongoing and meaningful professional growth is critical to success.
Professional learning communities create the optimal conditions for learning.
Everyone deserves to be valued and successful.
Communities model the behaviors that they value.
There must be opportunity to question ideas and beliefs.
People who engage in activities aligned with their needs and interests will reach their highest potential.
Physical, intellectual, and creative activities are essential for personal growth.
Cultural and individual diversity enriches learning.
Accountability and responsibility apply to all."
After noodling around various components of a response for a while, I realized that my goals (see above) would be well served if I included something about my business background. I then remembered a campaign that my previous employer conducted many years ago to publicize internally the five "Values" of the corporation (two more, and then a third, were added after various corporate mergers, then they were scrapped altogether, but that's another story). I took them seriously, and committed them to memory: Professionalism, Quality, Respect for Each Other, Customer Focus, and Teamwork. Three of these matched up with parts of the mission/belief statements and with points I was trying to make, so they served as the focus for the first part of the response. The other points I wanted to make were more individual-related, not corporate, so they went into a second, contrasting sentence (the same contrast that I'm trying to work out in my educational philosophy). In the third, I wanted to show some familiarity with the community without overstating the case.
For the second question, I combined a sentence from my standard letter of introduction ("bring technology into the classroom") with a newly-crafted statement about my own situation and my developing interest in lifelong learning, one that I hope puts my lack of teaching experience in a positive light.
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