oooooh, that is tough. thinking, thinking.....
As a mom, for me the best teachers don't just teach math and spelling, they also help build character. DD's teacher, who was teacher of the year in our county three years ago, had a chinchilla and a crab in her classroom. Each weekend, a different child got to take the crab home and take care of it, and each week someone was responsible for cleaning the chinchilla's cage and for feeding it. This really helps the kids grow in responsibility. She also gave the children "money" when they went out of their way to help someone, when they did well in their work, when they showed honesty, or showed respect or restraint when someone was making them mad (plus other things that show strong character). Every other month, she would bring in some things that she bought at yard sales and would set up a shop she called "Adam's Mart" and let the kids "buy" whatever they wanted as rewards. This way, they didn't get immediate rewards but they learned the value of perserverence and determination, and that you don't always get rewarded right away but you have to work at something to get the best rewards. She didn't have any trouble makers in her class because she created a safe and calm environment for all of the students, and those that were trouble makers the year before she gave special "missions" (taking notes to the office, giving an envelope to another teacher) to make them feel valued. You are only as good as your weakest link, and she really made sure to brink up those that were behind in all skills, social and academic. DS teacher, who was Boone County teacher of the year last year, was loved by everyone because she didn't let the kids get away with anything and she loved them like they were her own. She hugged them, handmade gifts for them, made birthday kids "king" of the day, she really went out of her way to make sure the kids all felt special and important. One thing that I really love about DD's teacher this year is that she is not afraid to tell parents what is really going on with their kids and how it will effect them in their adult life if they doing help them change it now. I could really go on about that... I just love her for it!
So, I guess I would ask:
What do you see is a major problem in education and young children?
How do you plan on changing that problem?
What in their opinion makes a great teacher?
How do you handle children who have behavior problems?
What is a teacher's most important role in their classroom?
Why do they love teaching?
What is their favorite aspect of teaching?
What for them has been the greatest challenge in teaching?
How have they grown as a teacher?
What have they learned from their students?
How do they view their role as a teacher in relation to the parent?
What do they dislike the most about teaching?
At the end of the school year, how do you measure your success for that class?
What is the one thing that you want your kids to take away with them as they go on to the next grade?
I am sure that I will think of more, but that is all I can come up with right now. I know that they may seem like really hard questions, but teachers have such an important job. My children leave me to be shaped and molded by someone else for most of the day, and that shouldn't be treated or taken lightly by either party. We have a lousy teacher right now, and when DS comes home DH and I do a lot of "damage control" because this teacher is so lazy and just yells at the kids, she doesn't really teach anything, even the cirriculum. There is no communication between us, so it is like pulling teeth to find out from her what is going on and if there are any problems. A good teacher is hard to find, but should be able to answer those questions, at least!
Missy
ETA, sorry this is sooooooooooooooooooooo long! I have very strong feelings about this, in case you couldn't tell!
