Interview Project
Stephanie Losee
Salt Lake Community College
Communication 1010-048
June 16, 2011
Document #1: Interview Schedule
Background Information
My Interviewee
I am planning to interview Todd Hubbard. He works for the VA in West Valley City, Utah as an instructor.
I will interview Todd over the phone. Originally, I planned to interview him at a restaurant across the street, but he was sent out of town to Leavenworth, KS, to complete some necessary trainings. However, he has agreed to keep the original interview time and talk on the phone with me.
I chose to interview Todd because he is a neighbor of my parents, so I felt comfortable asking him for an interview. We have no previous communication, so the interview will be formal. I am interested in interviewing a secondary teacher, but was unable to find a secondary teacher on short notice that would allow me to conduct an interview. Based on this, I felt that it would be appropriate to interview an instructor because the jobs are very similar.
Career Research
I have been tossing around the question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” for many years now. I have bounced around between everything from scientist to doctor, optometrist to entrepreneur. I finally settled on teacher of secondary students based on the combination of income and interest. I could focus merely on income with a profession but realize that my life has to be filled with the enjoyment I receive from changing the lives of others. I love teenagers, I know the influence that a good, effective teacher can have on their lives, and I want to be a role model for children. I also realize that I possess the skill set necessary to be a successful teacher.
Being a teacher is extremely important in our society. However, a successful and effective teacher is hard to find. I would like to interview someone who is skilled, effective and passionate about what they do. I would prefer that they teach English, History or a soft science, since my interests lie in those same groups.
I want to pull from a base that I have not worked with before. Meeting with a teacher at a local school or speaking with one online will greatly benefit me because they can give the honest truth about teaching and the pros and cons associated with the field. I would also love to find a teacher who has experience teaching in many different fields to see what the opportunities are to move around once you are established as a teacher.
Based on my needs, my goal will be to find a teacher to interview that is able to accurately describe the field of work to me, help me discover if that field is right for me, and if I am majoring in the appropriate topic to teach.
Interview Schedule
Opening
Hello Todd! Thank you for allowing me to ask you a few questions. While I have little experience personally to the VA hospital, I am married to a veteran and greatly appreciate the work that you do for our troops on a daily basis.
We have spoken before regarding the purpose of this interview. Just to recap, I am trying to decide if the career as a teacher/instructor is a good fit for me. This is an assignment for a college course, but I do feel it is necessary for me to interview people who work in this career field before making such a major life decision.
I expect that this interview will only last 25-30 minutes. Are you ready to begin?
Body
A typical day
1. What does your job entail? (Primary, Open)
a. What tasks do you enjoy the most? (Secondary, Closed)
b. If there was anything you could change about your job, what would it be? (Secondary, Open)
2. What led you to teach at a VA hospital? (Primary, Open)
a. Do you feel that you are meeting all your career goals by working for the VA? (Secondary, Closed)
3. What does it take to be an effective teacher? (Primary, Open)
a. What advice would you give to someone starting in the teaching field? (Secondary, Open)
b. What do you consider the most important quality to being an effective teacher? (Secondary, Open)
4. What happens if you are unable to work one day? (Primary, Open)
a. What happens if you schedule vacation time off? (Primary, Open)
Getting Starting in the Education Field
1. What led you to become a teacher? (Primary, Open)
a. Have you ever taught anywhere else before the VA? (Secondary, Closed)
i. If so, where? Did you enjoy that? ( Secondary, Closed)
2. What is the most effective degree to obtain for teaching, in your opinion? (Primary, Closed)
a. What is the least effective degree? (Secondary, Closed)
b. What degree have you obtained? (Secondary, Closed)
3. Is there any additional training you would recommend before becoming a teacher? (Primary, Closed)
4. What did you see yourself becoming as a youth? (Primary, Open)
5. What experiences do you have teaching different types of students? (Secondary, Open)
a. What do you feel was the most rewarding experience? (Secondary, Open)
Continuing Education
1. Are there required trainings or programs for your job/field? (Primary, Closed)
a. What types of programs have you recently completed? (Secondary, Open)
2. What is a desirable skill or certification to have, beyond a 4 year degree, when applying for a teaching position? (Primary, Open)
3. Do you feel it is necessary to learn an additional language to be an effective teacher? (Secondary, Closed)
4. In what ways do you go above and beyond to influence students? (Primary, Open)
a. How do you feel you have impacted different students over the years? (Secondary, Open)
Clearinghouse question
1. Is there anything else you can tell me about the field? (Primary, Open)
Closing
Those are all the questions I have! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me over the phone and discuss your career with me. I have learned quite a bit!
I love that you pointed out that teachers will always be in demand, and public school teachers have been awarded tenure, which is great for job security.
Please remember to fill out this short form and mail it back to my teacher. Please be completely honest. I will be graded on the comments that are made in the form, however, my grade does depend on the form being filled out and returned. Thank you again, and have a wonderful day!
Document #2: Interview Analysis
Date: June 16th, 2011
To: Professor Cordova
From: Stephanie Losee
Subject: Interview Project, Comm 1010-048
I interviewed an instructor that works for the federal government, more specifically the VA (Veterans Administration). My husband is a disabled veteran, and my parents live down the street from Todd Hubbard, so I felt comfortable requesting an interview from him.
I feel that my calling in life is to become a teacher, however, like most people in this world; I was not born with definite knowledge of what I was meant to be. I want to ensure, through interviews, that my major is sufficient to land me a teaching job, and that the pros and cons are acceptable, even desirable. During the interview, I found out that Todd felt the most important quality of a teacher was leadership. I felt that this coincided well with my personality because I am often told that I am a natural-born leader.
Here is a summary of the useful information I gathered from the interview.
A typical day
Todd focused on his passion for teaching and helping students to learn. He said that his favorite part of the job was being able to present to the class and then interact with the students. He enjoys watching the light go off when they understand a concept.
I was glad to hear that Todd felt fulfilled by his job. He is challenged at work, always teaching a different group of students, learning new things himself, and teaching new courses. Because of the constantly changing environment, he is able to grow as an educator while helping his students to grow.
The key items that Todd stated were necessary to be an effective teacher were: Communication, Organization, and a drive to better and teach students and peers. Most important, however, was the ability to be a leader. I felt that he touched base with all these items. Communication is huge; you cannot teach a course without the ability to communicate and expect the students to learn anything from you. Organization becomes extremely important, especially when planning courses and lesson plans. Having the drive to better the lives of students and teach them a new skill is the drive behind the field. That is exactly what drives me, knowing that for an hour a day, or 4 hours a week, I am their mentor, filling their minds with tons of information, hoping they can grasp the concept and apply it to future endeavors.
An important question to me was regarding the schedule. Todd has the ability to schedule his courses around vacation time. While this is great for forecast vacations, he does not have the same ability that a school teacher has with substitutes. A teacher has the ability to call in sick and know that her students, while not in the most effective hands, will be taken care of during their slotted time in her class. The upside, then, to Todd’s job, is that he can schedule time in advance. A teacher has to take time off when they are able to – around the school schedule. That would leave you, mostly, taking vacations when they are most expensive – during the summer months.
Getting Started in the Education Field
I learned that Todd loved the communication aspect of teaching. He was president of the debate team during high school and thoroughly enjoyed the ability to disseminate information quickly and accurately. He is known as a great public speaker. This is a fear for me, and something I must overcome. I am not a fan of public speaking. I see the benefits of it and hope that I can fine-tune my technique to become a better public speaker, and more comfortable overall.
Todd has recommended that I seek a bachelors degree. I have been focused on obtaining this level of degree and feel wondering knowing that a working professional feels I am on the right career path.
The most interesting thing I learned about Todd is that he wanted to become a Police Officer as a child. He changed his goal after starting school and learning that his associates, and eventually bachelors degree, in criminal justice would not help him obtain a decent job after working in the police field.
One quote that stuck with me while I was speaking with Todd was “The most rewarding experience is when I get through to someone and I can see they benefited from the knowledge and truly understood it.” I felt moved by this statement because I could tell he shared the same passion for teaching that I have started to develop.
Continuing Education
To work as an instructor for the VA, Todd must complete multiple trainings and requirements to fulfill his position. He has to follow an Individual Development Plan and complete annual training hours. I believe this is fairly standard across the board with all teaching positions. As information is changing, you have to keep up with it. Especially in a fast paced environment such as technology.
A major issue being discussed is whether a minority teacher, that has learned English as a second language, should be given the final test in their native tongue. I have discussed this topic in my Education 1010 course and felt it would be interesting to ask Todd during our interview, to see what a working professional felt on this subject. He disagrees, stating that a student must be taught by a person who fluently understands English. If they are taught by someone who has a language barrier, the teaching and communication will not be effective.
Todd is continuing to take new trainings, the most recent being in updated software that he must now teach to his students.
Clearinghouse Questions
Todd wrapped up the entire interview in one simple answer “Enjoy what you do and never stop.” I felt this was a fit ending to the interview, where passion is such a focal point of the profession.
Interview Analysis
This interview has helped solidify my idea that teaching will fulfill my goals in life. I feel strongly that I will perform well at this job and will be satisfied with my work. I felt that this interview helped curb several doubts I had about myself and the career. I also felt that I have improved from this interview and will be able to interview others more effectively in the future.
Analysis of Teacher as my Career Choice
This job is a passion for me and it greatly helped me to meet someone who shares the same passion for the career as I do. I feel that, while I may not know with certainty where I want to teach and what I want to teach, I know that my life needs to be dedicated to learning and helping others learn.
Analysis of my Interviewing Process
I was unable to gain additional interview experience face-to-face, however, I was able to conduct a very effective and, I felt, professional interview over the phone with my interviewee. I am comfortable speaking one-on-one, but definitely need to work on group speaking.
I had my interview questions typed out in front of me on my computer and referred to them as I spoke over the phone with Todd. I also typed the answers onto the computer in order to save time, as I type faster than most people.
I hope to have the chance to use these skills in the future, again as an interviewer. However, I know they will come in handy when interviewing for a job position. Seeing the flow of how an organized interview should go can help me predict the next questions and be ready with an answer to avoid an awkward pause.
Document #3: Letter of Thanks
1972 Lone Tree Pkwy
Eagle Mountain, UT 84005
(801) 725-5060
June 16, 2011
Mr. Todd Hubbard
180 S Eaglewood Dr
NSL, UT 84054
(801) 797-2397
Dear Todd,
I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to grant me an interview. I realize it may have been more difficult to conduct an interview over the phone from several states away, but I want to thank you for keeping the interview. I learned quite a bit from the time you talked with me.
First, I greatly admire your passion to the career. It is something that few people seem to have these days. Your passion for your career has helped me grow my own passion for teaching. I realize that there are so many details to each position and it is hard for one small interview to convey the entire meaning of a career and specific job requirements. However, I feel you did a great job, especially when you talked about the fact that we should enjoy what we do and never stop.
I have learned a lot from you about the career and want to thank you. I may have not been a student for the interview, but I learned a lot from our talk! You definitely made a big impression on my life!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Losee
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