2y
We remember this interview well. It was more than 8 months ago, and we’re sorry this candidate felt the way she did. But, changing the status quote for young people in the Bronx means being a self-reflective practitioner, and being very open to learning and feedback. This candidate had only pre-k and kindergarten experience and was looking to teach high school English. We asked if she had ever read a book about teaching in her 2-3 years on the job. She was honest and said it never occurred to her. In the hope of salvaging the interview, given that we genuinely liked this candidate, we asked some hard questions to evaluate growth mindset, including whether the candidate was open to learning a new content area, age group and style of instruction. She initially seemed unreflective and in an effort to push her thinking we offered the truth—at first she would have little to contribute, and that it would take time and effort to build the skill necessary to truly serve students. She was not open to that idea—as some young teachers aren’t, and so we passed on the candidate.
We strive to treat all our candidates with respect while pushing them to think hard about the work and what it means to serve students in the Bronx. Sometimes, that leads to more honesty than people are comfortable with. We never want to make anyone this upset; but we are unapologetic about the need to test candidates to make sure they have the drive, skills and mindsets to help our kids succeed.
