You cannot have a good school without having good teachers onboard. Regardless of how well the administrators handle their job, and what students attend the place, great teachers form the core of each excellent educational institution. Principals and other people sitting in the hiring committee are aware of that, and they will always try to understand your strengths, the value you can bring to the classroom. They will try to understand it from the way you talk and conduct yourself in the interview, from your answers to all their questions. But they may also inquire directly about your strengths, and I will analyze the question right now.
Let’s move straight to 7 sample answers to the question. Of course, each of us is a unique individual, and can bring something special to the classroom as a teacher. Certain strengths are always valued, however, and I included them in my selection. You will find also some unconventional answers on the list, bordering philosophy, or showing humility. Such answers may help you stand out especially in a scenario when you compete with many other candidates for a teaching job, and want to say something special, something the hiring committee will remember you for. In any case, I hope you can pick something from my list of seven answers, and convey the right message in your interviews.
7 sample answers to “What strengths do you bring to the classroom?” interview question
- I want to bring enthusiasm, communication skills, and individual approach to each lesson and class. Judging by experience, I can adjust my teaching to the situation in the classroom, as well as to the lesson I teach, which helps me to make the lessons more engaging and interesting for the students, which eventually leads to better results across the board. I believe to bring these strengths to the classroom, and hope I will get a chance to prove my words in the job.
- Empathy, patience, and ability to explain Math in a simple way. These are the core strengths I hope to bring to the classroom, and believe they will help me to progress with students with special needs. I know the challenges one faces while teaching Math in this environment. The progress can be incredibly slow, and at times you have to explain the same thing a dozen of times. But I am patient, aware of both my limitations and the limitations of the students, and ready to try my best with everyone. Slowly but steadily we will progress.
- I would say my attitude to teaching is my greatest strength. Because I am never complacent, and I always strive to improve. And I believe children can feel the difference. I always try to come up with something new, to break the routine, to make sure that they are engaged and participate actively during the lesson. And I collect a lot of feedback form the students, in order to understand how they perceive my teaching, and what I can do better. I can assure you that I plan to continue with the same attitude in my new teaching job with you–if you hire me, of course.
- I bring twelve years of teaching experience to the classroom. In my opinion, you can learn certain things only by experience. Challenges you face, such as problems with discipline, conflicts between students, or even more serious issues such as bullying or chicane. And of course, with years of experience, you understand better which teaching methods work in each setting, and can make your teaching more efficient, achieving better results with the students. I honestly believe that I’ve learned a lot over the years as a teacher, and my students can benefit from it in the classroom.
- Speaking honestly, enthusiasm is probably the greatest strength I can bring to the classroom right now. This is my first job application in the field, and I am yet to understand my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to teaching. But I want to do well, I see meaningful purpose in elementary school teaching, young children typically enjoy my company, and I am brimming with enthusiasm to finally start teaching. At the same time, however, I know I will find certain things hard, and it will take time until I perfect my teaching. But I believe my enthusiasm will carry me over the initial difficulties, and soon I will be able to bring also other strengths to the classroom.
- I bring real experience from the field. Many people teaching at colleges have never worked in the field they teach. But I’ve been managing over hundred employees in my last job, and I’ve been running my own business for seven years now. So when I teach management or HR here, I do not have to follow books of theory only. I can talk from real managerial experience, which I believe is a tremendous value for the students. What’s more, I always encourage people to think and question commonplace opinions, which helps them to develop creative thinking and other important skills. Please tell me if you’d like me to elaborate more on my strengths.
- I bring effective classroom management and an ability to motivate the students to each classroom where I teach. In my last place they struggled a lot with discipline in the classes. But I developed my own system of steps to improve the overall level of discipline. The two main pillars are: First, setting clear and easy to follow rules of discipline right from the start. Students should know exactly what will happen if they follow the rules, and if they do not follow them. And second, I use technology a lot in my classes, to make the lessons more engaging and interactive for the students. It helps a lot with discipline, because when the students at least somehow enjoy the lesson, they will behave better. I hope to get a chance to apply this concepts at your school as well.
Regardless of your strengths, show a desire to keep improving your teaching
You should show confidence in your teaching ability, and name at least one or two strengths you can, and want to bring to the classroom. At the same time, however, you should show your desire to keep working on your skills, because that’s the attitude they are looking for in the best job candidates.
Regardless of whether you have taught for ten years already, or are just starting your professional career in the field, ensure them that you want to continue working on your skills. Sure enough, you do already bring certain strengths to the classroom, but you do not plan to stop there. On the contrary, you will keep working on your teaching skills, and each year you’ll do at least slightly better.
Good research should help you find good answer
If you aren’t sure what to say, or have many strengths but do not want to sound overconfident mentioning them all, and struggle to pick just two or three for your answer, think for a while about your future place of work, and the challenges they face. A good research you do about the place–including talking to some teachers, students, and other insiders before the start of your interview, will help you understand the challenges.
Some places struggle with attendance or enrollment, other with discipline, in some places special education plays a major role, and so on, and so forth. Understanding what they are struggling with at the moment will help you pick the right strengths for your answer–strengths that will help you address the challenges they face…
Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also answers to other tricky questions you may face in your teaching job interview:
- How do you assess the progress of your students?
- Why did you decide to become a teacher?
- How do you keep students engaged and motivated?
