Interview with a Student

During my clinical I interviewed two students. Both were high achievers. The first, Student A, is a quiet student. He doesn't speak up too much in class. He volunteers some, but not on a regular basis. The second, Student B, is an outgoing talkative student during class. She is constantly volunteering. Both students are quick learners.

Here are the notes from my interview. Some of the student responses have been paraphrased.

Q: Do you enjoy school?
Student A: Yes.
Student B: Yes.

Q: What kind of student are you?
A: Good listener, funny.
B: Good.

Q: How would your classmates describe you?
A: Annoying and talkative.
B: Friendly and fun.

Q: Who are you friends with? What do you do together?
[Both students gave the names of their friends. For confidentiality's sake I will not include the names.]
A: [Listed 7 male friends] We ride bikes and play X-Box.
B: [Named two female friends and Student A.] Me and my friends talk and play games.

Q: Tell me a good memory you have about school.
A: One of my best memories is of winning the county spelling bee in 5th grade.
B: I liked nap time in kindergarten. I also liked dissecting a frog in my science class.

Q: Tell me about a bad memory.
A: I can't think of any.
B: Being bullied in school. It happens a good bit.

Q: Describe a "good" teacher or tell me about a favorite teacher you had in the past.
A: A good teacher gives you plenty of time to learn.
B: [Gave the names  of two teachers she liked]. They both are nice and they give a lot of help.

Q: What is one thing that you wish your teacher knew about you?
A: That I'm good with technology. I've learned a lot from my uncle about computers.
B: That I can be shy.

Student A, with his technology skills, was able to help me one day when I was teaching and was having trouble getting the Elmo and projector to work. It seemed to boast his confidence to be able to help me during class. Student B has seemed to open up to me a bit more since the interview.

I think that the interview process is very important. It is also very helpful for the teacher to know students, their opinions about school and themselves, their interests, and who they are.