The Third Time!!!

Today, I interviewed for a job. I interviewed for the same job, at a different school, in 2021. I did not get the job. I was too inexperienced. I had less than 100 days of supply teaching, and one online teaching experience. This was a job posting for an ASD classroom. So, I went and got some experience. I applied for the same job, at another school, in 2023. I did not get the job. I also did not get any feedback! So, I went and got qualified with a course that is about communication needs of students with ASD. Last Friday, I applied for the job once again, at yet another school. Today, I interviewed for that job.

The toughest question was - how do you get your students to think? That got me thinking. Long time ago, in another lifetime, I was a facilitator in a postgraduate diploma program. One of the buzz phrases we used then was ‘cognitive apprenticeship’ and we loosely described it as a teacher making their thinking visible to their students, as they work through whatever it is that they are trying to teach their students. However, I didn’t think about that at all. I literally went blank. Finally, I said something like ‘by putting them in situations that get them questioning’. What?! At that moment in time, that was my answer. And I guess I was saying that when students start questioning their learning is when they start thinking about its value. Interview questions, on the other hand, do not allow you to think too much. The irony!

I don’t know if I will get the job. Hans was on his way out just before the interview. He casually said that the third time is the charm. I guess I will find out.