As principals, we want to find and hire the absolute best teachers. Qualities principals look for in teachers include being able to provide authentic, high-quality education to all students. However, that general statement is more involved than you can imagine as it is not an easy task. I find it to be true for both the principals and the teacher candidates.

Teachers are degreed professionals who can either come with a degree in education or a degree in another profession and acquire a teaching certification via an alternative certification program. It will be ideal if a degreed teacher is fully prepared for all the challenges he or she will face. That is not the reality.

Professional development is provided because it is essential to develop a teacher’s craft. By attending professional development, teachers gain content knowledge and learn how to break down classroom barriers. 

Principals must look for specific qualities depending on the assignment, the campus, and the community.

One of the most current conditions include teaching remotely from home. The standards are just as high with virtual teaching as with face to face.   

Here are four general steps a principal takes when looking for a teacher. These can generally give a teacher an advantage over others when a principal is looking through candidates:  

1. Resume, cover letter, and references are all up to date and crisp with reasonable timelines, proper grammar, and academic language. The principal reviews these documents in detail before reaching out to the candidates.

   -Up to date: Everything is current such as: phone number, address, and details of recent employment. List employment that will showcase good work ethic, ability to be flexible and multitask, be adaptable, and a problem solver. Make sure recent supervisors/appraisers are listed as references and contactable. 

   -Reasonable timelines: If there is teaching experience, then teaching assignments should have consistency from one year to the next. The same goes for other employment that is not teaching and listed on the resume. This means that the less a teacher moves from one school/district to another, the more it demonstrates commitment to the campus’ consistency and sustainability.

Principals are looking for sustainable systems to develop on their campuses, so it is important to find teachers that are likely to commit to the vision and mission set forth with longevity in order to improve student outcomes with the best possible opportunities. 

2. The candidate has brought the “A game”! The principal looks for candidates that can demonstrate their content knowledge. The teacher’s primary function is to display a clear understanding of the position they are applying for.

-Candidates should show they are expert instructors or willing to learn how to become one. They should understand the goal is to have children conceptualize content/concepts and apply them with mastery while also meeting social-emotional needs.

 -Artifacts from previous teaching assignments should be provided by the candidate to showcase his or her knowledge.

The items can include classroom setup, usage of data to inform teaching that shows improvement in student performance over time, intervention instruction, student projects, improved discipline for children that struggle with behavior, and any efforts to support social-emotional needs. 

  -The candidate has chosen a state standard to speak on. He or she should be able to articulate and explain step by step how a lesson is planned, including what materials are needed for prepping the lesson.

Candidates should also be prepared to share how the standard will be presented and taught to the children (gives the lesson delivery format). The candidate can even articulate how the standard will be scaffolded, how checking for understanding will occur with an actual data point, and how it will be retaught in a small group based on data. 

3. The candidate understands how to empower parents to enhance student outcomes. 

  -Some parents need a lot of guidance and help. They don’t need help because they are bad parents, but because they are trying to find the best way to help their kids. The individual issues with this occur due to a variety of reasons. The candidate must understand that they must empower parents and involve them tirelessly in various ways to get the best response possible.

A way to help parents is to help them develop a plan on how to implement routines at home.  The candidate should relate to parents and show genuine care for the child by helping parents with skills that will benefit the student.   

  -Relationship building with parents can go a very long way. Candidates need to give detailed examples of how they genuinely helped/or plan to help parents. 

4. The candidate must demonstrate professionalism, adaptability, collaborative teamwork for empowerment, flexibility, and humility.

    -The candidate should be able to demonstrate how to make changes and move forward even if it means that the original plan is obsolete. Many times, in education, new and unexpected things come up. We do not have time to be negative, gripe, and complain.

Positivity and solutions to the challenges will get you closer to the goals at hand. Remaining objective and goal-oriented makes the situation more manageable for everyone involved. Attitude will impact the climate and culture of the entire team.

Remember to always work toward the common goal. Therefore, being a positive team player and including the rest of the grade level or department in an empowering manner will be essential to get everyone moving in the same direction.  

   -Humility and willingness to grow are critical for a candidate to have. The candidate must articulate eagerness to grow and be coached when things can be improved. 

Always have the humility to accept constructive feedback and act on it rather than be defensive and offended. The teacher should also ask questions and use the learning to improve his/her skills.   

In conclusion, the overarching idea is that teachers that can genuinely demonstrate all of this will be successful. Candidates should showcase their purpose and goal with a commitment to do what is right for children, and it will undoubtedly stand out amongst other candidates.  Principals work very hard to keep absolutely everything on campus moving in the right direction.

Finding candidates that are there to help, problem solve, empower others, and use their knowledge and skills to support the vision and mission is essential. All principals want teachers who will roll up their sleeves and get in the work with them and all highly effective teachers want to have a leader that expects this from all teachers in order to have collective success in the impact of children’s lives.