Pre-interview jitters are common—most people get them. But practicing answers to common teacher interview questions beforehand goes a long way in helping you feel confident and prepared for any teaching interview.

Need an interview refresher course? We’ve prepared a study guide for your teacher job interview. Read through these seven examples of teacher interview questions and answers for an A+ performance.

7 Common Teaching Interview Questions

1. Who is your role model?
2. How do you motivate students?
3. How do you manage students who have an IEP?
4. How do you handle conflicts with parents?
5. What steps do you take to make your lessons culturally responsive?
6. Can you describe a situation where you successfully managed challenging classroom behavior?
7. How do you evaluate if a lesson was successful? If it wasn’t, what do you do next?

Teacher Interview Question #1: Who Is Your Role Model?

Since teachers aim to inspire and motivate their students, you might be asked who you look up to. This can reveal what drives you and what values you teach in the classroom. Naturally, it’s ideal if your role model is a teacher. An instructor who motivated you during your time as a student is a predictable but inspiring answer that can rarely go wrong. If you didn’t have great teachers, there are other options.

• Consider teachers who have been in the news for going above and beyond in their job, and describe what you admire about them and how you’ll implement the lessons you learned in your classroom.
• Another option is a colleague who has been in the field longer than you and serves as a personal mentor.
• You can also mention role models who aren’t teachers, but represent similar values—maybe they motivate children and inspire learning outside the classroom.

How You Could Answer:

“I saw a documentary about a nurse at a children’s hospital who uses donated books to teach children about perseverance, bravery, and optimism. Because her job keeps her busy, she stays after her shift to read books with lessons relevant to the child in question. I think she’s a great role model when it comes to how to personalize the lesson to the child, use available resources, and prioritize what children need to learn—even if it falls outside of the academic curriculum.”

Teacher Interview Question #2: How Do You Motivate Students?

Student motivation will come up in one or more teaching interview questions, especially if you work with older students who are no longer motivated by simple reward systems like stickers or recess time. These are some motivation methods you could discuss:

• Make an effort to include more positive feedback than negative.
• Show your excitement about a topic.
• Allow students to learn about topics that interest them.
• Reward students with a field trip or a class party at the end of the semester, if budget allows.
• Teach students to take pride in their work, by displaying it the classroom or bringing it home.

How You Could Answer:

“I like to motivate students with a combination of rewards, inspiration, praise, and events. I’ve also found that encouraging parent involvement makes students prouder of their work, so that school involvement extends past the last school bell. This could for include hanging student projects in the classroom for the open house or taking pictures when they’re working hard and posting them on our social media account that a lot of parents follow.”

“If motivation continues to be an issue for individual students, I may reach out to the school guidance counselor or the special education team to see if there are other issues at play.”

Teacher Interview Question #3: How Do You Manage Students Who Have an IEP?

If you’re a special education teacher, all students will have individualized education plans (IEPs). But general education classroom teachers also need to know how to help students with IEPs, in conjunction with the special education team.

• Say that you work with the student to offer the accommodations in the IEP, and suggest new ones when necessary, such as flexible seating, more time to take tests, or headsets to reduce noise.
• Say that teamwork is important and that you collaborate closely with the IEP team (parents, speech therapists, occupational therapists, special ed teachers, etc).
• Say that the IEP is a work in progress, and that you’ll work to modify it if the student needs new goals.

How You Could Answer:

“I understand that the IEP is a work in progress that needs to be adjusted as students develop and face new challenges. I make sure to suggest new goals during IEP meetings when a student needs them, such as if they have met their goals or need more work in a certain area, or new accommodations.”

“IEPs are a team effort; I work closely with all members of the student’s IEP team by attending IEP meetings and regularly communicating with the special education teacher and the parents about the student’s progress.”

Teacher Interview Question #4: How Do You Handle Conflicts with Parents?

Conflicts with parents can come in all forms, from caregivers who don’t agree with their children’s grades, to those defending disruptive behavior in the classroom. Disagreements can also arise around minor issues, such as lack of recess due to weather conditions.

• A good start to most conflict resolutions is to first listen and acknowledge that you understand the concern, even if you don’t agree.
• Explain your side of the story.
• Apologize if you made a mistake.
• If you don’t have a solution to a problem or lack information about what happened in a specific situation (such as during a break), say that you’ll look into it and get back with more information.
• Say that you’ll involve administration in major conflicts or those over policy issues you have no control over.

How You Could Answer:

“First, I would make sure to listen to the parents so that they know I hear their concerns. A common technique with children, that also works well with adults, is to acknowledge that I hear them and to say something like, ‘I understand that you feel that Chris should have received an A in this class. Chris did really well this semester, but his classwork and tests, which I have sent home with him, didn’t reach all the way up to the level of an A grade. I have no doubt he can raise his grade next semester.’”

“I will then explain what I offer to my students in terms of study materials, review sessions, and extra credit to help students who are struggling.”

Teacher Interview Question #5: What Steps Do You Take to Make Your Lessons Culturally Responsive?

Culturally responsive education incorporates the experiences and perspectives of students from various cultural backgrounds to make education more accessible to all students. There are several different components to this that you should include in your answer, for example:

• Educating yourself on different cultural experiences, traditions, and historical experiences—especially the cultures of students in your classroom.
• Making sure that images, books, art, and other visual elements are inclusive.
• Including culturally relevant examples when using storytelling techniques, anecdotes, and historical descriptions.
• Setting high expectations for all students.

How You Could Answer:

"I start by educating myself on the gaps in my own knowledge regarding various the cultural differences and experiences of the students in my classroom, as well as the cultural context of different historical events and periods. The second step is to make sure that the material that I use is culturally responsive. I then make sure to incorporate culturally responsive education methods into my own teaching, for example by considering the examples I use for math problems and grammar questions.“

Teacher Interview Question #6: Can You Describe a Situation Where You Successfully Managed Challenging Classroom Behavior?

All teachers will encounter challenging behavior at some point during their careers. This can come in many forms, but it’s likely that the interviewer is thinking of students who are disruptive or noncompliant. These are some strategies you can use when answering this question:

• Avoid labelling students; for example, don’t use the term “a difficult student” in your answer.
• Discuss how you would calmly address the behavior during and after the event.
• It’s often easier to prevent than stop a behavior. Discuss preventive methods you would use to decrease the likelihood of it happening again.
• Say that you would consider underlying factors that might cause the behavior.

How You Could Answer:

"I noticed one of my students would doodle instead of completing the assignments on the white board. I redirected him to the work, but he would not comply. After the class I pulled him aside and asked him why and he said the work was “too hard,” but he performed well completing worksheets.”

“I then moved his seat to the front row of the classroom, and he had no problem completing the work. I suggested to his parents that he might need an eye exam, and we found out that he was nearsighted, which impacted his performance when the instructions were far away.”

Teacher Interview Question #7. How Do You Evaluate if a Lesson Was Successful? If It Wasn’t, What Do You Do Next?

Interviewers will want to know whether you’re constantly seeking to improve your instruction methods via self-evaluation. Your answer should briefly mention that success in the classroom encompasses student understanding as well as well-behaved and engaged students.

• During a lesson, you can gauge if students are following the material by observing their body language, as well as asking if they have any questions.
• You can evaluate if students understood the material afterwards by a variety of methods, including worksheets, homework, tests, and other assignments.
• If a lesson is unsuccessful, you’ll need to re-teach the material in a different way. Take a step back first and reflect on what went wrong and what to change. See if you can go over the lesson in your mind and identify when students got distracted, or ask your students what parts were confusing.

How You Could Answer:

“I encourage students to ask questions when they don’t understand something, so that I can evaluate if they are following the material. I also use brief quizzes to make sure they retained the knowledge. During a lesson, I will carefully observe students to see if they look confused or uninterested. I considerate it a successful lesson when students not only learn well, but also stay focused and engaged. When a lesson does not work out well, I will evaluate what went wrong by asking students what parts were confusing and then re-teach the material later.”

Get an A+ on Your Job Search With Jobpress

You’re an expert in the classroom, but when it comes to job hunting, we may be able to teach you a thing or two. After you practice answering these teacher interview questions, follow our simple outline: Create a profile and upload your resume. Set it to be visible to recruiters, so they can find you whenever new teaching jobs open up in your district. Browse our job ads to find more open positions. And last but not least, sign up for notifications of new teacher job openings.