Physical Education Teacher Job Application Essay Prompt

Please answer this section as best you can. The quality of your writing will be evaluated.
Applicants who plagiarize or submit essays that do not use proper language, tone and grammar
or fully answer the questions presented may not advance through the hiring process. To avoid
timing out, we strongly suggest that you compose your essays off line and then paste them into
the appropriate boxes, below. To avoid potential formatting issues, you should paste from a text
document (.txt).Please note that your essays are not editable after you submit your completed
application. Please be sure to save your work often, by clicking the “SAVE” buttons next to the
essay questions, to avoid losing any work due to timing out, or losing your internet connection.
You can also write and save your work on a separate document in advance and paste directly in
the fields below.

* Essay Question (400 – 700 words)
Instructions: Reflecting on your current or past teaching experience(s) [including student
teaching], your professional experience(s), educational background and pedagogy as a Physical
Education teacher, construct an original response to the scenario and three required questions
below. Concisely respond in three separate paragraphs ranging, in total, between 400-700
words.
Scenario: You have recently been hired to teach at a New York City public school. Prior to your
first day of school, you receive some background on your new class. Reviewing the information
you see that roughly 30% of your expected students are currently performing below grade level.
What steps will you take during the first few days/weeks of school to orient yourself to the needs
and context of your students and to familiarize yourself to the school community (e.g. coworkers, administration/principal, parents, etc.)?
Describe your end of academic year goals for your students. What do you hope they will be able
to achieve? How will you know if you are successful? How might you adjust your goals and
strategies to meet the needs of learners below grade level or learners with other special academic needs?
What specific strategies or next steps would you pursue if your instructional efforts are not
yielding your expected results by the first-half of the school year?