Episode #110: Get a Job!

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #110: Get a Job!

In this episode, Carrie and Tanya talk about tips and strategies for finding and landing your next job.

Main Theme: Get a Job!

Job Searching: Make Connections
-Ask around about jobs that might be opening up in your district, area, or state or the place you want to be.
-Networking: Join organizations and attend conferences/workshops.
-Remember to ask for letters of recommendation and references early, even if you think you might not need them!

Interview Specifics

-Research the school where you are interviewing. Be sure to look at their mission/vision statement, demographics, special programs, social media content, classroom teachers' pages, calendar, parent organizations, etc.

-When preparing for interview questions, remember to give specific examples that speak to your experiences and strengths.

-Also remember to keep it brief and not ramble too much on specific questions.

-It's always a nice touch to send a thank-you email to the principal or interview lead when you get home.

Common Interview Questions to Prepare

-Tell us about you and your experience and how you think you'd be a good fit for our school.

-Tell us your philosophy of classroom management. Tell us about a time you had a challenging discipline situation. How did you handle it?

-What is your philosophy of music education? Tip: It's a great idea to type this out on a one-page summary that you can distribute during your interview.

Communication and Transparency

-Inform necessary parties of your intentions in the correct order and at the correct time. Before you apply, notify your principal and folks who are your references. You also may consider telling your teammates when you are applying and/or interviewing.

-If you are accepting a new job, decide when you to inform your departure to your staff, students, and families at your current position. Consult your current administration for guidelines around this.

Know Better, Do Better

We love this list of Songs with a Questionable Past, compiled by Lauren McDougle. Tanya reminds us that this list is not intended to be a list of songs that cannot be done in any circumstance. Remember that this list is meant to bring awareness and is a great jumping off place for you to do your own research to make the ultimate decision on the inclusion or exclusion of a particular song from your classroom.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Google Classroom update: You can now schedule assignments and material to multiple classes at once! When scheduling to multiple classrooms, a pop-up window will open with dropdown menus allowing you to choose the assignment post date, due date, and topic for each classroom. 

Coda

Tanya recommends the song/picture book There's a Hole in the Bucket! as adapted by John Feierabend and with illustrations by Marissa Madonna. It's also fun to tie in this performance by Harry Belafonte and Odetta.

Carrie recommends the 2nd season of Get Organized with The Home Edit on Netflix.

Did you find this show entertaining or helpful? You can thank us by buying us a coffee! Click the link below!