An organization is no better than the people who work there. This is equally true for a school as it is for any other type of business.
The most successful schools tend to take the time to find and hire the right people who tend to make few mistakes. Schools that hire in haste find themselves reluctant to let someone go if they don’t fit in with their personality and objectives.
The secret is to understand that there is a correct fit for everyone, but not all prospective employees will do well at your school. A teacher can be well trained and very skilled but be a complete mismatch with one school, while having been very successful at another.
Seeking the right staff members is a two-way process. The candidate is considering the same questions: is this school a good match for me? Don’t try to sell your school to a candidate, and don’t expect the candidate to sell himself or herself to you. Just relax, be honest, and take your time if possible. Get to know each other.
To hire the right person for the job, we must remember to consider that there are three elements of the job-match equation:
1. How well trained must a new staff member be to succeed in your school?
Are you willing and able to train them yourself, or do you need master teachers from the first day? The answer will often vary according to the position. You may be willing to train a new aide but expect each Montessori teacher to be thoroughly grounded in philosophy, curriculum, child psychology, and classroom management.
2. How much on-the-job experience do we expect from new staff members?
While previous experience is no guarantee that an individual was paying attention and learned from her experience, it is often an important consideration. You may or may not be willing to accept an inexperienced staff member on your team, and your needs may vary according to the nature of the position.
3. Will the new staff member fit into your team?
This is often an important consideration in a Montessori school, but may not be a primary concern in some other business. The candidate’s attitude toward your school’s expectations is equally important. It can be a disaster to have a superbly qualified faculty member who disagrees with your philosophy, policies, or practices. Each school has its own expectations. For example, you may expect your teachers to stay after school for staff meetings and come back for parent events. Some teachers would regard that as an inappropriate expectation.
The goal is to find people who want to be part of your team, understanding the job conditions and expectations that go along with a position at your school. It is far better to weed out candidates who will be disgruntled before you bring them on board than to be frustrated with them afterward.
After you have clarified your school’s needs and expectations, how will you objectively determine how a candidate stacks up? Here are some strategies for your consideration:
As an exercise, ask yourselves to define the characteristics of an ideal teacher at your school. Some issues include:
Cultural literacy
Commitment to teaching in Montessori at this age level
Personality
Attitude
Relationships with parents
Relationships with fellow teachers
Relationships with the Administration
Style with the children
Teaching style
Energy
What do we expect to find in their classroom?
Loyalty issues
Common sense
Perhaps the standard protocol is to review the candidate’s resume and college transcripts, and conducting interviews (by telephone or face-toface) that involves the administration, selected teachers and sometimes parents and older students. To determine whether a person has many of these characteristics, or the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in your school, additionally you may:
Carefully check each reference
Contact previous employers
Ask the candidate to teach in your school for a day
Speak with parents from the candidate’s present class, if possible
Visit the candidate’s present classroom, if possible
Ask the candidate to respond in writing to specific questions
Ask the candidate questions that amount to an oral exam on Montessori theory
Review the candidate’s Montessori albums (if he/she has undergone some form of teacher training)
Only hire candidates who have already served as an intern or assistant in your school
We don’t suggest that any school can employ all of these methods to find the perfect match, but these ideas may get you started on defining your own strategies.
Tim Seldin is the President of The Montessori Foundation & Chair of International Montessori Council. This article is condensed, with permission, from The Montessori Leadership Magazine (Volume 17 Issue 2, 2015), an official magazine of the International Montessori Council.
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