The dreaded interview, the moment you look into the eyes of a potential employer who has just asked you to list your greatest weaknesses.Do you respond by telling him or her of your poor organizational skills?No, say the professionals.Campbell University education students learned how best to approach this obstacle and others when they participated in an interview with real public school officials.According to Dr. Lorae Roukema, coordinator of Middle Grades Education at Campbell, there is only so much a teacher can do to prepare students for the inevitable moment when he or she conducts the first professional interview, so Roukema designed an activity in which graduating students in Education 402 (Writing Methods) prepare a resume and cover letter and conduct an interview with actual public school principals.”I figured why not take the next step and have them talk to the people who will likely be interviewing them,” said Roukema. “The students learn how to present themselves in a way that positively reflects their abilities, and they gain confidence in their own interview skills.”Principals from both Harnett and Johnston counties participated in the interviews. They included Johnston County principals Rodney Peterson, of Meadow Elementary, and Betty Bennett, of Corinth-Holders Elementary; and Harnett County principals Witt Bradham, of Coats-Erwin Middle School, and Chris Mace, of Harnett Central Middle. Assistant Principal Sharon Johnson, of Buies Creek Elementary, and former principals Drs. Sam Engel and Peggy Smith, of the Campbell University School of Education, also conducted student interviews.”It was a great experience interviewing with actual principals,” said middle school education major Kim Godwin, of Dunn, N.C. Godwin interviewed with Chris Mace of Harnett Central Middle. “In my interview, we went through the questions and answers that he actually asks in an interview and, after each question, he would give me feedback on things that he thought I could add to what I had to say.”Godwin, who is the mother of two children, said Mace told her to use her experience to her advantage. “He told me to play up the fact that I’m a mother and not your typical 22 year-old,” she said, “that I already have a connection with children.”For John Wood, of Clayton, N.C., teaching will be a much desired second career. Wood spent 14 years as a broadcast journalist and won a television Emmy award for best local newscast, but he was beginning to get burned out. Wood was interviewed by Witt Bradham, of Coats-Erwin Middle School.”I’m sort of like a lateral entry student because I’ve already had 14 years of journalism experience,” Wood said. “My principal said to really emphasize that experience on my resume because it automatically sets me apart from a person right out of college.”The professional interview has been one of the most popular activities in Roukema’s course since it was introduced four years ago. Students cite it in their evaluations as something that should always remain in the course curriculum.”Before they participate in the interview, they are required to write their thoughts in a journal,” said Roukema. “They always speak of having butterflies and being nervous, but afterwards, they say they are amazed at how prepared they already are.”Three students who are interning as assistant principals for their Master of School Administration degrees also participated in the interview, gaining experience for their roles on the other side of the table as professional interviewers.Photo Copy: From left: Elementary Education major Jennifer Brinkley, of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., interviews with Assistant Principal Sharon Johnson of Buies Creek Elementary. The interview with a real education administrator is a course requirement for the Campbell University School of Education. (Photo by Shannon Ryals)
Campbell students face real principals in interview