With a huge shortage of teachers across the United States, many schools are struggling to find teachers that are the right fit for their students.
The hiring process at Lakeland involves numerous interviews, followed by a criminal history background check often administered through the District Office. These steps are necessary to ensure a safe and adequate teaching environment for students not only at Lakeland High School but all over the country.
“I want what is best for our kids and our staff,” Assistant Principal Dustin Frank said.
The process
The interview process is when administrators test out the applicant’s ability to answer certain questions on the spot, and also test their communication skills.
“They posted the job and I applied, and once I applied they got back to me a little bit later. They set up the interview process, and when I came for my interview it was a little bit intimidating because I was with Mr. Hoffman, and other administrators. They asked me several questions, and at the end they said that they would speak to my references. Then I got a call back a couple days later and they told me I got the job,” Lakeland teacher Lauren Faulkner said.
The biggest thing most administrators look for during this time is someone with excellent character and a drive to not only help their students, but ultimately to help better the community.
“To me, having high character and being a good role model is very important, and in order for you to influence your students to be good people and make good choices both inside and outside the classroom you have to have high character,” Frank said.
When do most hirings take place?
Here at Lakeland High School, they open the application process in July. Then, after filling out applications, they begin to reach out to applicants and schedule interview times.
“I applied in July, and the interview process for me was early August. I then heard back a couple days after the interview, and had 2 weeks before school started to decorate my room,” Faulkner said.
The Right Fit
Certain characteristics like good leadership, patience, flexibility, collaboration, teamwork, and ultimately a passion for helping students learn to their full potential, are just some of the things administrators look for in a candidate.
Good leadership is a quality that not only affects a student’s ability to learn but also helps to shape their character and helps them to become better leaders in their community. It is important for students to have a good leader as a role model, so they are able to pick up on these attributes.
Having extreme patience is also an important aspect to look for when trying to find a good candidate.
Someone that is willing to help students, even when the material they are teaching seems to be straightforward. Every student learns at a different pace, making it hard for everyone to always be at the same level of understanding. This is when a teacher’s patience and willingness to go further into a topic for certain students comes into play.
Skills
It is crucial for teachers to have this patience to run a well-functioning classroom.
Flexibility ties into the need for patience, as students may need to stay after school to reach the understanding that the rest of their class has.
Teachers need to have the flexibility to be able to alter their days at times, so students can reach their full potential in the classroom.
Not only does this flexibility come into play with students, but also with classwork. A lot of times teachers will go home with hours of work to grade, or to prepare for the classes the next day. They need to have the flexibility in their schedule to accommodate for this, while also still having time for themselves.
A Team Player
Along with flexibility, collaboration and teamwork pose a huge part of the teaching process. Educators must have the ability to collaborate with their students, as well as other teachers in the school. This ties into the need for good teamwork and communication skills in candidates. Without these attributes, it becomes difficult for teachers to reach their full potential and give their students what they need to become successful.
“Our whole school is a big team, our admin have to work together with teachers and with support staff. Our teachers also have to be able to work with admin, support staff, and each other. We are all connected with a common goal to try to help kids become better,” Frank said.
Passion for the job
Lastly, and most importantly, when looking to hire a candidate for a teaching position, administrators look for a passion to help students succeed within applicants.
A good teacher not only wants to teach material to earn a paycheck, but rather they do it because they have a drive to see their students succeed.
“If someone is in it for the wrong reasons, it is something that sticks out. If you get someone who is just in it to collect a pay check and is not in it to help better out students and out community, that is the number one red flag that I have,” Frank said.
A good teacher is not without a passion to help better their students’ minds and character throughout the year.
So once the administration sees these characteristics in a candidate, and offers them the position, there are added steps that need to be taken before a teacher can be hired.
“If someone feels like they are in it for the wrong reasons. If you get someone who is just in it to collect a pay check and is not in it to help better out students and out community, that is the number one thing that we see that makes us think they are not a good fit,” Frank said.
A Bit of Background
A teacher must undergo an extensive criminal history background check before being added to the team. At Lakeland High School, the District Office runs this background check to ensure student safety.
A criminal background check and a regular background check are two very different things.
A criminal history check may report things such as crimes that the candidate has been charged, tried, or convicted of.
These checks are designed to verify that the employee has not been convicted of a misdemeanor or any felony crimes.
Without these background checks, it would be difficult to ensure students’ safety among new employees.
