So on the lovely campus of CMU, we host a special day just for future teachers. It is a wonderful conference that allows us to learn about being a better teacher, but also gives us a chance to meet other people that share our passion. Central invites people from our campus, as well as other campuses around the state to attend for just a small fee. It is from 8am-3pm on a Saturday and there is a keynote speaker, then you choose 4 sessions from the booklet that you want to go to.
Each participant receives a certificate as well as lunch, and a t-shirt. And who doesn't want another t-shirt? It's great because you can go to specialty workshops for your major, or check out any workshop you want!
This is my first year going, and I can honestly say it was a valuable experience not only for my future job, but also for my resume. Any opportunity like this one is a great one to take advantage of. I attended the following four sections:
Musical Ideas for the Classroom - presented by Kathy Wheeler
Finding a job - presented by Mark Moody
The new teacher preparation kit - presented by Lucas Foster & Greg Decourval
How to get and keep families involved in your program - presented by Mari Potter & Charlotte Galgoci
These were all valuable opportunities. I plan to post things that I learned from each of them throughout the rest of this month.
The fact that I want to share today is from professor Mark Moody. He is one of my professors, he teaches classroom management for special education. He is a wonderful teacher and is very knowledgeable. His presentation was about how to get a job:
For teachers it's important to have a portfolio when you go to an interview. The portfolio should include anything (besides babysitting) that involves children, especially volunteer experience. For questions about what else to include, ask your education department at your university or talk to an advisor. You could even go so far as to call the school and ask what they're looking for specifically. It doesn't matter how long it is, but make sure it's enough to show off how awesome you are, but not too long to overwhelm the interviewer. It is also important to make references to your portfolio during the interview when answering some questions.
A well done portfolio can give you that little extra lift that gets you hired. On the flip side, it can also be that one thing that loses the job for you. So make sure everything in your portfolio is important, spell checked, and personal. Leave your portfolio behind after an interview (unless specifically instructed to do differently) that way you can go back and pick it up later to make contact with your potential employer once again. This gives you a chance to ask any questions that may have come up since the interview. It's these small things that can make all the difference in the interview process.
Moral of the story is, make a portfolio and MAKE IT COUNT!
I hope this is helpful information! Stay tuned for more information about my experience at the LTTT conference. If you want more information right now, visit their website:
http://www.lttt.org/index.html
Enjoy!
