Our last meeting together as a group I found really interesting. Being involved in conversation about hiring a new teacher and what to look for while doing that. In doing this, the question came up often as to what is the ‘right stuff’ that a prospective teacher needs to have in order to stand out amongst the rest?
One thing that I found made people stand out amongst others was volunteer hours. Seeing a list of multiple places that the individual has volunteered at allowed me to see what that individual values. Coaching or being involved in team sports is also a quality that stands people out from the crowd. Coaches in schools are few and far between, and extra curricular sports are something most school districts value.
Aside from the previous mentioned qualities an aspect of a persons resume that stands out from the rest is the personal interests and hobbies that that individual has. For example, people that have a passion for music or drama may stand out in our district right now where we are going to be opening a school that has a focus in the fine arts.
After all of this consideration to the qualities that stand out when looking at prospective teachers I am still left wondering what is the ‘right stuff’?
GPCSD Leadership Academy Blog 
That is a good question, “What is the right stuff” I think for each school it may differ. Some schools may look for fine arts background, and others sports background. I think a communication, teamwork and leadership skills are all very important qualities to look for when hiring a teacher. There may be teachers that have all the “right stuff” but do not fit with the direction the school or district is going, so do you still hire them and hope for the best, or let them go and hope to hire another teacher that hopefully has the “right stuff”?
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From the words of New Kids On The Block having the “Right Stuff” is so important. Every person brings different tools to work. A potential employee must be aware of what are the needs of the district they are hoping to work for. Doing some research and background work will help with making your Resume stand out. What are you going to bring to the school / district that will make it better because of you, They want to hire people that will make a difference in the lives of the students. Is there a recipe for a great teacher? One cup of passion .. Add a dash of teamwork.. a pinch of flexibility. It can’t be recipe otherwise, we would have buildings full of the exact same type of people.
http://newsletter.scsbc.net/2014/02/hiring-the-right-teacher/
Todd Whitaker, in his book What Great Principals Do Differently -18 Things that Matter Most (2012), focuses on two basic ways to improve your school. First, improve the teachers you have, and second, hire better teachers. He suggests that “a principal’s single most precious commodity is an opening in the teaching staff. The quickest way to improve your school is to hire great teachers at every opportunity.”
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The last paragraph of my response is taken directly from the attached link. It is not an original thought.
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Instead of using the term the “right stuff”, I view it more as teachers that provide opportunities for their students – in and out of the classroom.
We didn’t become teachers to teach the curriculum – we all became teachers to make a difference in the lives of youth. (Although I believe that you must also be able to teach the curriculum well :-). )
The right stuff is a bogus term – I would look for those teachers that go the extra mile because they enjoy what they are doing, it engages them and as a result their students(and also builds relationships), and that they don’t view it as a chore – although at times teachers will become tired doing this and will have ups and downs.
I have been the Athletic director – at two schools – for number of years now, and can’t stress enough how hard it is to find coaches willing to not only coach but to do it with a passion and provide these great opportunities. It’s really frustrated to not have a coach for a sport and actually places an enormous amount of stress on the athletic director/principal because we know that these students would miss out on these positive interactions that build so many life skills. The guilt is what causes the stress. And as a colleague of mine once so beautifully put it( at least in my mind) “The gym is the heartbeat of the school. ” If your sport scene is pumping then all of the other programs will also benefit. Only an athlete can understand this one but numerous studies will back this fact! Unfortunately, many principals, may not have the same view as they have difference life experiences. However, I have absolutely noticed the difference between principals that support sports versus ones that don’t place an emphasis on them.
Moreover, I don’t think the buck stops at athletics. Drama, Music, the Arts, Social Justice/Interact, Destination Imagination, Glee Club, Science Fair, are all outstanding opportunities for teachers to provide outstanding opportunities – just to name a few.
The point is…..Teachers need to view their profession as more then just the classroom and curriculum. Somehow, someway, we need to acknowledge this, accept it, and then strive to provide these opportunities. And there will definitely be times where teachers will need to pull back – personal issues, family is a big one for me, etc – but we must plan on rekindling the efforts in the near future. A good counterpoint is that too often it falls on the same certain teachers to provide the majority of the opportunities. But could you imagine if everyone strived to provide these “extra” opportunities? If all staff had this view? Wow, would I love to be a student in a school like that!
Darren, I agree with you – I only glanced at the academic sections of the resumes we viewed and first searched for all of the volunteered opportunities that these candidates have provided for youth – espeacially the non-teacher teaching ones i.e. Coaching, lifeguard etc. When I saw something I liked, I then went back to see what else they had done.
The right stuff seems to vague and unfindable but if we look for those who instinctively want to provide the opportunities for their students then the enrichment would be incredible.
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If I had to pick one characteristic that makes a teacher stand out, it would be having a growth mindset. I think that teachers can learn classroom management, they can learn content, they can learn assessment, they can even learn to coach volleyball. I want to work with teachers who are passionate about all kids of learning, who embrace change, who are striving to improve (themselves, others, and the world), to collaborate, to reach high and dream big.
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