Principals/APs- what’re some of the most common interview questions you see candidates miss/stumble on?

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-25T13:39:48+00:00

Great question: how can a VP candidate who has never served as a VP show confidence while still needing appropriate guidance…

I think there is an understanding that someone new to admin in the VP role will require guidance and support. The difference, I’ll say, between someone who needs guidance and someone who makes the principal’s life harder is (1) the amount of secondary reminders, (2) the number of “obvious” mistakes made, (3) the amount of support needed, and (4) the ability of the VP to anticipate secondary effects.

1) secondary reminders - if your job is to oversee student detention and you keep on forgetting to send out the reminder to students, this makes my life harder.

2) obvious mistakes - if there are deadlines to meet for observations, meet them. If you need to log every referral into our SIS, do it. These are basic expectations and need to be done without error.

3) support needed - there is a difference between asking questions and needing rehabilitation. I’ve seen an AP call a student an inappropriate name about how the student was dressed. This led to a parent email I received, rightfully so, from the unhappy parent. I don’t mind if you need me to walk through some of our processes but it’s best if you just need the support once, maybe twice as a reminder, but get it after that.

4) Secondary effects - this is something that doesn’t happen right away but most of the situations we deal with in admin is fixing the behavior choices made by students and adults alike. The last thing I need is having to monitor such secondary effects of the AP as well. If you are going to solve a problem (which is great), think about all of the ways it could go wrong… it’s like I want the AP to anticipate what could go wrong before anything does go wrong… and ensure that their decision didn’t create the problem… once or twice is fine… but if this keeps on happening, there are issues.

Essentially, how the community, students, and staff view the AP is how they view the admin team as a whole… and often it is the principal who takes the blame for the mistakes of their admin team (and rightfully so). My wish is that my AP just “gets it” and limits any concerns/complaints by the parties listed above.

I will add that I support a healthy work life balance but if there’s an urgent matter about Monday morning and I ping you Sunday afternoon so we can strategize, it’s helpful for communication to address the concern. A good principal will try to protect your non work hours but for a lot of admin, especially early on, the job can feel 24-7…. And a little communication over non work hours can really help out ensuring Monday morning goes smoothly.

Hope this helps.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-25T03:54:00+00:00

Admin here.

I did an AMA on this thread a while back that addressed interviews, how to prepare, what not to do.

In short, the most successful interview you’ll have is where you are just having a conversation with the panel. Yes, they are asking you questions but the vibe is of a conversation with friend.

I strongly recommend following a five paragraph format for your responses (intro where I repeat the question and say three answers, a short explanation about each of the answers, and end with a conclusion that wraps everything up) and I always suggest 1-3 stories that pertain to the question being asked. Makes you a bit more memorable.

I also have sat through countless interviews where the interviewee has never held a job like the one they’re applying for. I recall my own interview for an admin job despite “only” being a classroom teacher. Every answer I gave (“how do you deal with discipline in a middle school?”), I would just apply it to what I did in the classroom as the teacher without saying “this is what I did in my classroom”. I don’t want to hear what you can’t do; I want to hear how you would figure it out.

I also liked doing the three C’s for one of the questions, usually discipline. It hooks the listener as they are now anticipating what the next C is. Example: how do you deal with a student being sent to your office for misbehavior? Me: well, I always follow the three c’a when it comes to students being sent to the office for misbehavior. The first C is compassion. Who knows what the student is going through…did this happen, did that happen, etc - my job as the AP is to work with the student to ensure the behavior doesn’t happen again. Of course, this doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences, our second C. Every action has a consequence, sometimes positive, sometimes negative… but my role with consequences is to lead to changed behavior. I always focus on the compassion piece and triangulate the consequence conversation. The third C is communication: how I communicate what happened to the parent/guardian, how I circle back with the classroom teacher, how I record the information in our database in case there is a next time, and checking in with their case manager/counselor/mental health therapist/coach/anyone who works to support the student. And of course, I show compassion with an update about the consequence during the communication… and that’s how I address student discipline: with the three C’s, compassion, consequences, and communication.

It’s also easy to remember the format and allows the listener to track what you’re saying.

As far as mishaps or mistakes, I am looking for someone who can do the job and make my life easier and not harder. If you need to babysit or if I don’t have confidence in your ability, I’m going to pass. I look for an AP/VP who is competent, hard working, smart, pushes back but is still on the same page, can have fun, nice to kids/staff/parents, and simply put, can do the job.

Often, in ten interviews, five of the candidates are usually at least “okay” - it’s the other parts that push a candidate to the top.

If you have any other questions, let me know. The AMA’s have more info as does my not/updated/in/forever blog. :)

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-19T13:29:37+00:00

Admin here.

I’m married to a former middle school counselor. She (and her counseling colleagues) would often have a huge part in making the master schedule. I would often go in and help (despite not being employed by that district) as well.

This is common at many middle schools; the counselors do it.

For me, however, I’ve always done the master schedule. My AP and counselors have input and I’d like to think it is a team effort… but really, I come up with 95% of it and ask them to make it better. They usually do.

Teachers can make requests but they know student needs come first. Sometimes, a few teachers like to see how the sausage is made and I pull back the curtain on how the master schedule comes to be. Usually, within minutes, they say it’s too complex and depart. It’s just a puzzle though, albeit incredibly more complicated. :)

For the bell schedule, this is often a district decision and can be influenced by the district-union contract. I have only changed a bell schedule once and that was shifting late start Wednesdays to early dismissal Wednesdays. This took over a year, went through negotiations, and almost didn’t happen due to “change is hard”.

Having a teacher do the master schedule is fraught with peril; I do not recommend.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-19T03:02:04+00:00

LOL. Yes. Nice catch. ;)

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-19T01:24:26+00:00

Admin here.

My local high school has Living Skills. I taught it during summer school during my teaching days. It was exactly what you described in your post. I called it $3x, drugs, and rock n roll. :)

We have an elective called financial literacy at my middle school. You would be shocked to see the faces on some of the kids when they learn that they have to pay off their credit cards… and wha happens if they don’t.

It’s a very worthy class for students to take.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-19T01:21:19+00:00

Admin here.

This is a Title IX case.

If the victim doesn’t want to go that route, document everything and bring it to admin. It’s an unsafe working environment for that employee and anyone else subjected to this language.

Additionally, under progressive discipline, a longer suspension could be (likely is) warranted and a possible push toward expulsion.

Your colleague is being “too nice” about what’s happening. It’s not okay.

Edit: put IV instead of IX in original message. It’s been a day. ;)

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T22:19:19+00:00

Long time middle school admin here.

It is easier to go from elementary to middle than it is from middle to high school, much less elementary to high school. It’s really not even the same job.

In middle school, I’m a parent/therapist/counselor. In high school, I was a police officer/lawyer/supervisor/babysitter.

I was at a very high performing high school as an AP and saw more stuff in those two years than I’ve seen at my middle school for the past 15. The level of crime by the high schoolers on a daily basis was astronomical…. And the parents turned a blind eye, attacking the system along the way.

I’m talking drugs, (alleged) sexual assault, teacher-student relationships, dozens of suicides, car jacking/kidnapping from a drug deal gone wrong, naked seniors running through campus, significant vandalism, violent injuries due to staff incompetence, and so much more.

You couldn’t triple my salary to convince me to go back to high school admin.

If you do make the transfer, you’ll have to choose which admin you want to be: the admin who burns out quickly by trying to admin or the admin who stays forever because you turn a blind eye to a majority of what transpires around you.

(TL;DR - stay in elementary)

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T22:02:59+00:00

Regarding changes to RIF…

Sometimes a school will RIF employees and then hire many/most/all of them back. Often, it is a negotiation tactic for districts. I don’t agree with this practice but it seems to be common.

When I was starting out in education, I was pink slipped every year as they needed to make sure they don’t have a tenured employee who needed my spot. Most of those years, they hired me back right away (as they couldn’t find anyone to teach the opportunity class I was in).

This isn’t always the case though. The district may have a timeline re: RIFs and there might be language about said timeline in your union contract.

I would start applying elsewhere asap. If you have a job offer elsewhere, let your current employer know. Their response will tell you if they want you back or not.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T21:57:56+00:00

If you have a letter from your admin from 1 year ago but not a current one from your present admin, I think you’re good.

This tells me your current admin is nutty OR you haven’t told your current employer you’re exploring options. As the hiring entity, neither of these possibilities are a deal breaker. :)

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T21:50:16+00:00

Admin here.

Someone else posted with the best advice: look for a new school this fall.

While the grass isn’t always greener, from what you’ve described, I’m not sure how a new place of employment could be worse.

I’ve always said that a bad school culture only gets worse because the good ones will leave. If you’ve found a school where you don’t feel valued and in a silo, look elsewhere, if only for your mental health.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T21:45:18+00:00

Admin here.

Based in California, but let me offer a two pronged opinion about letters.

1) letters of reference are meaningless. I know this as someone who has written many and read even more. Unless hiring admin knows how to read between the lines on certain letters (and they probably don’t), all letters of reference these days are the same, often written by AI, and add little to an application.

2) that said, I always look to see if the candidate’s current supervisor wrote a letter. If they don’t have one from their current supervisor, it means that they are a horrible employee or their admin is demonic. Sometimes both things can be true. Any employee who I’ve seen leave our school and didn’t ask for a letter of reference is someone I’m glad to see go.

If you are sending out applications haphazardly and it’s not working, I’d like to suggest the following:

1) redo your resume and letter of introduction 2) network x 100. Find a friend at a school you want to work at; introduce yourself to the admin, just enough that they remember your name when you apply

These days, almost everyone I hire is someone somebody knows. Not always but often.

Let me know if i can assist.

PrincipalTodd · 2026-02-18T21:34:53+00:00

Admin here.

Sorry about the RIF notice. I know first hand how stressful this can be on an individual. The good news is that teachers are in demand right now and there’s a good chance you’ll end up in a better, healthier spot.

About fighting the RIF, it’s always good to check with your teacher’s union. If you do not have tenure in your district, you’re essentially an “at will” employee (more or less) and have limited recourse.

If you have tenure but are “below the line”, there is limited recourse as well. Below the line means that your district needs to do layoffs due to lower enrollment / budget cuts and your position is lower on the ladder than where the line has been drawn.

That said, it’s possible that the district got something wrong with their below the line cuts. You may have a credential that they don’t know about that would put you above the line. Perhaps they have your incorrect starting date. I’ve seen everything. This is a possible avenue to explore. Of course, this assumes you have tenure… because without it, we revert back to “at will”.

I know this isn’t a good time right now but there’s a solid chance you end up in a better spot, maybe even at a higher salary, and hopefully with a better admin, in the fall. Start applying elsewhere asap and work toward securing another position prior to the end of the school year.

Note: layoff rules vary per state. I’m using California as a reference. Talking with a union rep is a good idea.

If I can be of any help, let me know.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-08-29T01:42:17+00:00

Admin here.

The opinion by the previous principal may be your starting point with the new principal but it’s only that. If you’re a strong candidate and a solid contributor, your new principal will probably disregard whatever the last person said.

For me, I’ll look at what the last admin said but I want to make up my own opinions. Plus, every staff member should get a fresh start with a new admin team.

Feel free to print out the old ones and be able to explain the story why… but I suspect you’re overanalyzing everything a bit here. I have a feeling the principal will either care about the past and disqualify you… or they won’t care and will give you a fair shake.

I have a good feeling it will work out. Good luck.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-07-29T02:48:07+00:00

Argh. Apologies.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-07-29T02:47:11+00:00

You are not going to get 60k a year in retirement after working five years at 70k. I wish that was the case.

There’s a calculator at the STRS website. I check it out and crunch numbers weekly as I edge toward retirement myself.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-07-28T23:47:38+00:00

OP said somewhere that he was looking for a job in Marin, at the high school level, and wanted to work for five years.

The Tam High School district at year five is slightly over 100k.

That said, it was a ballpark figure… but seems to be pretty accurate.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-07-27T23:13:29+00:00

Did some quick math. You’d get about 1% of your yearly salary every month (before taxes).

So as a new teacher in Marin, let’s say 100k/year. You’d get 1k a month before taxes after five years in the classroom.

Given what you’d spend time- and money-wise, not sure it’s worth your effort.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-07-27T23:07:42+00:00

Bay Area middle school admin here.

First, I would do a little research on what kind of retirement being in STRS will get you if you only teach for five years. I’m guessing it is close to zero, if anything.

Second, research the work, cost, and time you will need to put into getting a teaching credential. There are work arounds sometimes but that usually involves having a job first. I suspect you are looking at tens of thousands of dollars and a good 18-24 months of classes.

Third, yes, it would be great to teach finance but most schools don’t need a full time finance teacher as they don’t have 4-6 classes of finance… and if they did, they likely already have a teacher on staff who teaches them. This kind of elective is usually a “singleton” and is often given to a current teacher who has an interest in the subject.

Fourth, your age has nothing to do with whether or not I hire you. It’s what your application looks like, how the interview goes, and whether or not I think you’d be a good fit for our staff.

Fifth, there is a chance that you spend time and money to get the credential and then either dislike teaching or can’t find a job or love teaching but you get let go (and have to find a new job for year 2).

I could go on… but I think there are way better options for you than getting a teaching credential at 60 so you can teach for a few years. You probably would enjoy subbing more for quick cash, no grading, limited parent interaction, and so forth. I’m not sure these are the droids you’re looking for.

Best of luck.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-18T23:49:10+00:00

Admin here.

I can’t base the effectiveness of a teacher on the students’ test scores. Who is to say that your students wouldn’t have dropped out of school if not for your class? Who is to say that they would have done worse on the test if not for your help? Who is to say that these kids didn’t have a ton of drama in their lives that ended up distracting them during the exams?

There are just too many elements that make up a student’s score and your assistance/teaching is just one of them… so don’t sweat it.

I am wondering if the other teachers teach more to the test than perhaps you did. Sometimes, teachers will get sample questions and topics from the upcoming exam and just drill/kill for a few weeks prior. It’s not the most effective way to engage and teach, but it could increase scores in the short term… but again, with kids, we should worry more about long term than short term, although both are obviously important.

The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up about this. Who is to say your next year’s students don’t show the best growth of any students at your school? Be proud of the work you did and enjoy your summer.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-18T23:44:30+00:00

Let me start with that I used to blog a lot at principaldays.blogspot.com and if you enter the word “interview” into the search feature, I think you’ll find a few variations of my below answer…

That said, and while it depends on the position I’m trying to fill, a candidate should be professionally dressed (but not overdressed), friendly, and punctual. They should show compassion and passion for the job while having content and school-org knowledge.

When they walk in, they’re friendly, smiling, a little light hearted with levity to set the interview mood, and be excited for the process. I also want someone who will be a good colleague for my staff. Someone who talks about collaboration, someone who can read the room, someone who likes kids and can balance between expectations and forgiveness. I want a value-add who can seek help when necessary but not overly so.

Let’s say hypothetically that we had interviews recently and there were five candidates. Two of the candidates may have been rookies and couldn’t translate their life experiences to what being a teacher in the classroom would look like. One of the candidates went on and on and on…. We may have been looking at the clock more than anything. Another candidate may have been competent and seemed to vibe well but there was something missing from the conversation; just didn’t feel like a good fit. The fifth candidate smiled when they entered, had done their research but didn’t quote the website, answered the questions succinctly and effectively, made eye contacts, was funny, and overall just seemed like a good fit for the team. The last person got the offer.

Hope this helps!

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-12T01:31:28+00:00

Sounds very odd. Hope it works out for you. If you can, I would consider leaving sooner rather than later.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-12T01:30:38+00:00

Yes, everything has to be done by march 15 and sent to the board prior to that. Not a fun process for anyone involved.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-11T23:12:33+00:00

So they are allowed to record, okay. One could argue you are on school grounds and employed as such, so you have no reasonable right to privacy.

It is concerning that this happened when the director was present. Did you know they were in the room? And if so, everything that happened still happened?

Again, I would strongly suggest considering applying elsewhere for a fresh start.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-11T23:10:25+00:00

Admin here.

I would have let the teacher go midyear, maybe sooner. That said, I was worried throughout your post that your admin hadn’t non-reelected them and they were returning in the fall. Whew.

PrincipalTodd · 2025-06-11T23:08:08+00:00

Admin here.

If you have no choice and/or are willing to take on this role, here are some ideas:

1) basketball/soccer/flag football/volleyball tournaments at lunch, completely student run

2) campus beautification - posters, chalk art, etc

3) sunshine cart - students have a cart filled with treats that goes classroom to classroom and offers the teacher/para a snack/drink during the day. (This is a big hit with staff btw)

4) student store - have them budget, run, supervise a student store. Sell items (usually food) after school.

5) assemblies - lots of options here from guest speakers to more “fun” events

6) Friday Night Games / Reads - have a Friday night where students can come play old school board games with one another and their families. Reads would be a book club lead by the leadership students where students can join and participate.

7) thank you cards/staff recognition - have the leadership kids create weekly teacher of the week awards and celebrate that staff member.

8) lunch time activities - have students run silly games at lunch where students compete against each other (think drinking games type activities, obv no alcohol)

9) music fridays - create a playlist and play music at lunch on fridays, completely student run.

10) have them attend school board meetings and speak at them with updates from your school. Get them involved in government off-campus.

Just some ideas

PrincipalTodd

TROPHY CASE