The Pathway Battery
Forty Questions to
Explore Your Pathway
The Pathways Podcast features a battery of forty questions designed to explore each stage of a professional’s career to truly understand what makes a quality educator. Each guest is asked the same forty questions:
1
Introduction
Can you tell us your name and where you currently live?
2
What subject and level do you teach and how long have you worked in the education profession?
3
What motivated you to work in the education profession?
4
Stage 1: Youth
Can you tell us briefly about your childhood, where did you grow up, and a little about the culture you grew up in?
5
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever think you would become a teacher?
6
Looking back on your childhood education, what do you think has changed the most in our education systems since then?
7
Who was your favorite teacher in grade school and why?
8
Think back to any class during grade school: What classroom activity do you remember to this day because it made learning fun?
9
How do you want the American public school system to change in the future?
10
Think about someone who's in high school that may be considering entering the education profession: What electives, activities, or extracurriculars would benefit them throughout their careers?
Stage 2: Higher Education
11
Can you tell us briefly about your higher education and how that led to a career in education: Where and when did you study, what was your major, and what degrees or certifications have you earned? What made you choose that school and that major?
12
What professor positively influenced your career the most during your higher education and what did they do to leave that impact?
13
Think back on any class during your higher education: What classroom activity do you remember to this day because it influenced your understanding of the world?
14
Looking back on your higher education, what do you think has changed the most in our higher education systems since then?
15
How do you want higher education to change in the future?
16
Think about someone who's about to start their higher education who may be considering becoming a teacher: What advice would you give them to best manage the responsibilities and stress in this early stage of their careers?
Stage 3: Novice Years
17
Think back to post graduation: what was one of your first jobs? How'd you get it? What were some high points and low points?
18
Look back on the first five years of your career: How has your practice or skill set changed since then?
19
Who is a mentor, leader, or role model that you are thankful to have had as support in those first five years of your career and what did they do to support or encourage you?
20
Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers: What teacher tip do they have to know?
21
What is one hard lesson you learned in those first five years that helped you to better manage your professional responsibilities?
22
Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers: What advice would you give them to manage symptoms of burnout?
23
Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers: What should they keep in mind when they feel like quitting? Why should they push through the tough times?
24
What is one thing you hope will be different for novice teachers in the future?
Stage 4: Career
25
Where are you currently working and in what capacities? What projects are you currently working on?
26
What was your favorite professional experience during your career?
27
Look back at your entire career: Can you think of a job you took or something you accomplished that you had no prior intentions of doing, that your younger self would be surprised by?
28
Do you consider yourself a leader? If so, what leadership roles have you held or what leadership responsibilities have you taken on? When and how did you become aware of your leadership potential?
29
What is one teacher skill or practice you think all educators should adopt?
30
Think about the professional development activities you have participated in during your initial training, or that were provided by your employers, or that you sought out on your own: What kinds of activities were beneficial and what kinds of activities were not quite as useful?
31
Teach Me Sum'n: In one or two minutes, can you teach us a concept that is one of your absolute favorites to teach in class?
32
Can you tell us about a moment in your career where your practice was significantly altered, where you learned a trick that made your job a lot easier?
33
What accomplishment in your career are you proudest of?
34
What's the funniest moment of your career?
35
Who is one of your favorite fictional educators and why?
36
If you could start over and do it all over again, knowing what you know now about all of the successes and all the challenges you faced, would you still choose to be an educator?
37
What is one problem or challenge you faced during your career that you want educational leaders to focus on now so that it isn't a problem in the future?
38
What is a moment in your career that you are thankful to have experienced?
39
What is one self-care habit you practice to avoid burnout?
40
What is one self-care habit you practice to avoid burnout?