Education

What Can I Do With This Discipline/Major?

For helpful resources on your career opportunities, explore the “What Can I Do with This Major” guides for education.

Some common career titles for this major include:

  • Early Childhood Teacher
  • Elementary School Teacher
  • Middle School Teacher
  • High School Teacher
  • Special Education Teacher
  • Music Teacher
  • Dance Teacher
  • Art Teacher
  • Physical Education Teacher
  • World Languages Teacher
  • Educational Consultant
  • After School Program Director
  • Instructional Designer
  • Curriculum Evaluator

For additional career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations, visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Internships and Research Opportunities

TU interns in Educator Preparation Programs are required to complete internships for state certification. TU arranges internships where interns are engaged in their school community learning to teach and having experiences with students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. For more information on internships as part of TU Educator Preparation Programs, please contact:

TU Center for Professional Practice
Hawkins Hall, Room 303
410-704-2567

See the resources below for additional internship opportunities:

Recruitment Events for Public School Systems

For a comprehensive list of recruitment events for all types of education jobs, log in to Handshake and click “Events.”

Careers and Jobs

Use the resources below if you are seeking a teaching position outside of a Maryland public school system. In addition to making use of the Internet to do research, we encourage you to talk to people in the fields you are interested in (don’t forget to use TU’s Tiger Mentor Network) to learn more about specific opportunities and organizations.

Sample Resumes and Interview Questions

For major specific resume samples, we encourage you to look at the Sample Education Resume (PDF) or the Sample Master of Arts in Teaching Resume (PDF) in addition to our Sample Resume Database.

Below are sample interview questions for your field. In preparing for the interview, you’ll also want to review common interview questions (PDF) asked of all majors, thoroughly research the organization, dress professionally, and visit the interview skills section of the Career Center’s website. You can practice your interview skills online via Big Interview or schedule a mock interview with a Career Center staff member.

Interview Questions

  • What would past employers say about you? How were you perceived as an employee?
  • When you say, “thorough,” what do you mean?
  • Are you a good listener? How can you tell when you are doing a good job of listening?
  • What do you know about this [school/system/community]?
  • How well organized are you? Give examples.
  • Tell me about your relationships with people.
  • List any special abilities, interests, community activities, high school and/or college activities which would enhance your opportunity for employment, including unique or special achievements.
  • List any professional activities, including professional or honorary organizations, research studies, publications and/or presentations.
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses (in the teaching field)?
  • Why do you think we should hire you?
  • What three things do you want to know most about your students?
  • What are your three most important reasons for wanting to be a teacher?
  • Can a teacher be too empathetic?
  • Do you want your students to like you?
  • What do you think you’ll like most about teaching?
  • What are your homework and discipline policies?
  • What are your long-range goals in the teaching field?
  • Explain the statement, “A school is a home for the mind.”
  • Tell us about a creative lesson that you facilitated. How were students engaged in their own learning?
  • How could you facilitate students’ critical thinking skills?
  • How would you plan a lesson to incorporate Maryland’s College and Career-Ready Standards? Give an example.
  • What are the components of an effective lesson?
  • Describe a guided reading lesson in your class.
  • How would you incorporate phonemic awareness and/or phonics skills into your reading program?
  • Give us an example of how you used student centered learning in your classroom.
  • What is your training and background in dance?
  • What style of dance are you most interested in teaching? Why?
  • How do you handle difficult students? What do you do when your students are not listening or paying attention?
  • What are your strengths as a dance instructor?
  • What has been your most memorable moment in dance performance?
  • What are your long-term career goals?
  • What experience do you have with contracts in the dance industry?
  • What samples do you have to demonstrate your work?
  • What role has dance played in your culture, community, and/or family?
  • How long have you been dancing?
  • How do you measure your success as a teacher?
  • Describe the way that you create a sense of community in your classroom.
  • Provide an example of how you integrate technology into the curriculum.
  • What is it about teaching at the early childhood level that makes you want to spend your life doing it?
  • Tell us about yourself, your background, and your experience working with children.
  • What is one thing you would like parents and students to say about you?
  • What is your understanding this school’s mission to mean? How does your teaching philosophy fit with that mission?
  • Give an example of how you would handle a peer conflict in the classroom.
  • How do you feel about including children with special needs in the classroom?
  • How do you measure a child’s educational achievement in ways other than testing?
  • Why do you want to become an elementary school teacher?
  • What do you think are the key characteristics of being an effective elementary school teacher?
  • Discuss two problems that teachers currently face. How would you solve these problems? What approaches would you take in your education in order to deal with them?
  • What is your opinion about information technology at an elementary school?
  • How would you improve the overall study environment of your classroom?
  • Where do you see yourself five years from now?
  • If we walked into your classroom during reading time, what would I see?
  • What is your personal education philosophy?
  • How would you go about planning a lesson?
  • What was the last educational book you read?
  • How do you measure your success as a teacher?
  • Provide an example of how you integrate technology into the curriculum.
  • Tell us about a lesson you taught that really excited you and what was your students’ reaction to it. How did you feel after you taught it?
  • Describe a personal experience that had an impact on your teaching.
  • How do you feel about including children with special needs in your classroom?
  • Do you feel that children with special needs deserve a fair and equal education?
  • How do you measure a child’s educational achievement in ways other than testing?
  • What are three things that are important to consider in early childhood education?
  • Think about differences between early childhood education and elementary/secondary school education.
  • Define the meaning of “teamwork” in the special education field.
  • What areas of special education are you most interested in? Why?
  • How would you use and assess a paraprofessional effectively in the classroom?
  • How do you insure that your teaching skills and special education knowledge are both kept current?
  • How do you motivate a reluctant teacher?
  • How do you personally feel students learn?
  • Describe the main points of an IEP.
  • A general education teacher is concerned that a child with an IEP does not belong in her classroom due to behavior problems. How do you respond?
  • How do you integrate technology into your teaching? Describe any experience with specific technology to support the needs of special education students.
  • Describe how you will determine and provide the appropriate individualized instruction to students with disabilities.
  • Why do you want to become a teacher and what do you hope to accomplish?
  • Please review your background and tell us how your educational experiences have prepared you for the teaching profession.
  • What experiences have you had that have prepared you to teach middle school students?
  • What instructional skills should an effective teacher demonstrate and what methods should be used to implement those skills?
  • What is your strongest asset that you will bring to the teaching profession? Please share that strength and provide an example of that asset.
  • How would you prepare yourself and your classroom prior to the first day of school?
  • Describe your classroom management style and discuss discipline strategies you would use for middle school students.
  • If you ended up working here, what would you think about calling another middle school teacher and asking about what she does to help her students get off to a positive start?
  • What are some ways that you may enhance our middle school program?
  • How and with whom do you see yourself interacting in this teaching position?
  • Provide an example of how you have worked with individuals and describe how you handled a situation that was difficult or sensitive.
  • How will you differentiate instruction in your classroom for students with disabilities and diverse needs?
  • What do you do with a student who resists music?
  • Describe your lesson planning procedure.
  • How would you integrate the music program with your classroom instruction?
  • Briefly describe your philosophy of music education.
  • When should students start playing musical instruments?
  • Why do you want to be a music teacher?
  • Describe your experience working with special education students.
  • How important are ensemble trips to you?
  • If offered the position, how do you see your involvement in the music program?
  • How do your students describe you?
  • A benchmark for third graders is that they have learned quarter, half, dotted half, whole and pairs of eighth notes with corresponding rests. How would you assess that learning has taken place?
  • Our district has a team of general music, string, and band teachers in each elementary school. All of these persons share a student population. What personal qualities do you have that would make you an effective team member?
  • A parent comes to you and tells you that he/she is unhappy with the way another music teacher in the building is approaching something regarding his/her child. You also teach this student and, privately, you believe that the parent is correct. What would you do?
  • Describe a lesson in which you would use classroom instruments. What would be the process? When would you use the instruments?
  • Briefly, tell us about your background and experiences that have prepared you for a physical education teaching position.
  • If I were to walk into your gymnasium, what would I see and hear, but perhaps more importantly- what would I feel?
  • Explain how you differentiate your instruction to meet the diverse needs of your students with minimal disruption to the instruction time.
  • Please provide examples of some activities that you plan that will address students' needs and meet the goals of your PE program.
  • Explain how you plan to become involved in the total school community and climate.
  • Explain how you plan to handle difficult students: Provide some examples of situations where you have had to manage difficult students and behaviors.
  • What do you know about the Common Core Curriculum and do how you plan to implement CCC themes in your curriculum? How does physical education contribute to the total school curriculum?
  • Explain the elements of an effective lesson. Describe your best lesson.
  • What do you feel are the most important characteristics/behaviors of an effective physical educator?
  • How do you incorporate state and national standards into your curriculum?
  • Assessment has become increasingly important in physical education. What role will effective assessment play in your program?
  • What experience have you had in incorporating technology into physical education?
  • What role do you feel technology will play in your program?
  • How do you plan to involve parents/ families into your program?
  • What experiences have you had with students with special needs/adapted physical education? What is your comfort level in APE?
  • How do you ensure the physical and emotional safety of all of your students? How will you handle bullying?
  • How do you feel about coaching, after school programs and clubs? What are you interested in developing?
  • What is your philosophy of education?
  • How do you handle classroom discipline?
  • What three things do you want to know most about your students?
  • What are your three most important reasons for wanting to become a teacher?
  • Can a teacher be too empathetic?
  • What are your long-range goals in the teaching field?
  • Tell us about a creative lesson that you facilitated. How were students involved in their own learning? In planning a lesson, how would you incorporate/use dimensions of learning strategies?
  • How would you use the essential curriculum to plan instruction?
  • Describe a directed reading lesson in your class.
  • How would you incorporate phonics into your reading program?
  • What are your homework and discipline policies?
  • Are you a good listener? How can you tell when you are doing a good job of listening?
  • How well organized are you? Give examples.
  • Tell us about your relationships with people.
  • List any special abilities, interests, community activities, high school and/or college activities which would enhance your opportunity for employment, including unique or special achievements.
  • How will you involve parents in the classroom?
  • If you were doing something for your students that you felt was right but your principal told you to stop doing it, what would you do and why?
  • Describe a challenge you encountered during student teaching. What did you learn from it?
  • You are out on the playground supervising your class and another teacher’s class. You see two students yelling at each other. As you approach the two students, you hear one call the other a derogatory name that is a racial slur. What do you do and why?
  • Define the meaning of “teamwork” in the special education field.
  • What areas of special education are you most interested in and why?
  • How do you personally feel students learn?
  • How do you respond to individuals who might be negative or discouraging within your job? For example, how might you respond to a regular classroom teacher who does not follow the IEP guidelines for a particular student?
  • How do you integrate technology into your teaching? Why is this especially important for special education students?
  • Describe how you would determine and provide the appropriate individualized instruction to students with disabilities.
  • What materials have you found most effective when teaching special needs students?
  • What do you do to support and challenge students with exceptional abilities?
  • You witness a student bullying another student in the hallway. How would you respond?
  • Describe the main points of an IEP.
  • What is your philosophy on inclusion versus segregated special needs classrooms?
  • What do you believe are three major challenges facing special education today?

Professional Associations

Professional associations offer many benefits to students, often including reduced-price membership, mentorship programs, “careers in…” information, job and internship listings, field-related conferences and publications, and much more. Be sure to check out sections on the associations’ websites related to students, education, careers, etc.

 

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