Take Me Back to Face to Face Interviews!

Today was an incredibly long day of online meetings with caregivers. Although there are several positives of being online (especially the ability to say I need to move onto the next meeting being much easier than face to face), I really did not like it. Being seated for that long (interviews were 10am to 7pm) should not be a thing - it was a great reminder that I could never be in an office job!

Parent interviews 10am-7pm online today. I’m just over halfway and about to have two hours back to back. My brain hurts. My eyes hurt. My back hurts. Whyyyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/xbsyAKnztT

— Georgia Dougherty (@_gmdougherty) May 9, 2022

I was very disappointed that we were not allowed to be at home, but at least this meant we had on site support if needed. I liked that there was greater flexibility throughout the day though, managing my own time and breaks as needed. Historically, when in person, gaps between interviews invited anyone to sit down and have a convo. Being online has meant these impromptu chats have not happened, which has reduced the workload and the feeling of not being prepared! (Don't get me wrong, I love a chat with home, but 9 hours of this is not ideal). I did also like that because I needed to be on my own in a classroom to reduce ambient noise, this meant there was plenty of quiet time to be able to complete my own work between interviews.

I actually generally enjoy meeting with families, especially when I have the time to prepare what I want to say. Something I have reflected on though, is how there doesn't appear to be a lot of preparation for teachers to actually hold interviews. Looking back, I cannot recall anyone sitting down with me in my beginning years (or offering in recent years) to give me some help around structuring an interview. I think it would be incredibly beneficial for mentors to sit with their mentees and run through practice scenarios. Although this may not be necessary for all teachers as some do feel comfortable diving straight in, I do know some teachers find conversations with caregivers confronting and/or uncomfortable. I hope I can be a mentor for someone in the future, as I think I would be helpful and receptive to their needs.

If you aren't sure of some of the questions you may be asked as a teacher during a caregiver interview, here are some of the common ones from my experience:

- What is my child learning about right now?

- How are they interacting with others in the class?

- What are their areas of improvement?

- Do you have any concerns with their achievement and/or behaviour in class?

- How can I support them further at home?

- What are their expectations moving forward?

Of course the conversation should not be one way. Encourage the student to be involved in the discussion and for the caregivers to comment their observations too. I've witnessed "interviews" where the teacher has literally spoken the entire time. I empathasise we have a lot to discuss and sometimes having only 5 minutes like I've had previously is not a lot of time! But we need to remember these chats should be as three way as possible! I love that some schools are starting to have student conference style "interviews", as these are giving the kids so much more agency and involvement in their learning journey. I'm hoping future schools I am part of move more towards this style. Below is a great little video with some tips for interviews from one of my current colleagues.