When I was interviewing for the job I have now, I went through a 45 minute preliminary interview, where I spoke to someone from HR and the Director of the division I now work for. I was them subjected to an additional interview with managers and supervisors of some of the departments I would be supporting. Lastly, I had a 30-minute interview with some of the folks who are now my collegues. And this was AFTER the background check, personality tests, etc... But it seems that teachers don't call for such intense perusal. It sounds like Wake county hires teachers using about as much time and effort as McDonalds or Walmart. Below is a description of the Wake County school system's recently held job fair to hire teachers: Note that the "rounds" of interviews doesn't mean meeting with different folks within a school. Each 20 minute interview was the only face-to-face time the applicant got with each school representative. In other words, the candidates that the Holly Springs Principal hired...he hired based on only 20 minutes of face time. This is unbelieveable.
Mag, I can't answer for Wake. I do know that chances are that these folks will be vetted further, to confirm degree, educational attainment, references, etc. Chances are that the system hired them "subject to" confirmation of qualification, etc. And, hopefully, some background checking will include references from the last educational institution at which they taught, or attended, if a new teacher. The need for science and math teachers is so great, that perhaps Wake would hire them and then do their due diligence as soon as they can. I would be skeptical that the entire process of hring a teacher would be so minimal or apparently so cavalier. The process that I underwent for becoming a substutute teacher for JoCo was not a quick or easy process. I had to "volunteer" 30 hours at school, provide complete references and background check. And it took a while for the sytem to complete this process. As frustrated as I was with that, I also understood the absolute requirement for the system to know, as much as possible, all they could know about someone with whom they would entrust teaching our children. I fervently hope that administrators are able to find the best qualified, and hire them, rather than hiring the minimally qualified, or offering these positions of such responsibility to those that just showed up.
They are only let into the job fair after thier "credentials" have been checked out, so degrees, etc have already been looked at. I don't believe you can tell anything about someone's character by spending 20 minutes at a long table along side distractions such as other interviews going on. And a big problem we have with teachers these days is lack of character. My daughter's 8th grade math teacher was an electrician (and a pastor) who got a teaching certificate in a matter of weeks at Elon. She had no knowledge of how to teach, no idea how to relate to children, and no character. She was a bold-faced liar and was caught by several parents lying about things she said children had done - but it turned out there was evidence they had not done those things. She didn't like children who could not quote scripture by heart, and made no effort to hide that fact. Parents from the class finally met as a group with the principal, who told us her "hands were tied" for the year, at least. Two years later, I found out that this woman is still teaching there.
I too decry the idea that education is something that can be relegated to just anyone. Teaching is as much an art as it is a science. And those that are truly passionate about it should be recognized and appropriately compensated. Those who are unqualified, or else were at one time, but have taken the path of least resistance and are, in effect, "phoning it in" shoudl be dismissed. The future is much too critical for us to devote less than the best we can all do to ensure its success. Not exactly a ringing endoresement of Elon or the school system is it?
