Episode Details

Colin Andrews, a principal in New Zealand for 12 years, explains how he works on hiring teachers: a sense of humor and a gift for relationships with kids come first. He reads CVs closely, cuts about 200 down to 50, then lets his two deputy principals and board chair run the interview while he watches.

Andrews also explains how he makes learning authentic. An environmental report that goes in a folder has little purpose, he says, but compared with a report from kids on Kodiak Island, the learning gets richer. His school has sister schools in China, Korea, Japan and the US. When he took over the school it had $800 in the bank.

What you'll learn

• Hire for relationships with kids and a sense of humor first, then look for academic rigor and involvement in the wider school.
• Ask for electronic CVs, read between the lines, and cut a pile of 200 down to about 50 before you interview.
• Sit quietly in the interview and let others ask the questions, so you can watch body language and enthusiasm.
• Give students a real audience, such as a class overseas writing about the same topic, instead of a report that goes in a folder.
• When a teacher brings you an idea, say let's talk about it, then tell them to give it a go.

Chapters

• 0:00 What Colin looks for in a teacher
• 1:43 Narrowing 200 CVs to an interview team
• 4:23 What he watches for during interviews
• 5:55 Online absence forms and attendance texts
• 8:16 Making learning authentic with global connections
• 11:55 Sister schools in Asia and the United States
• 15:45 How he found partner schools
• 18:12 Open doors and give it a go

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Questions this episode answers

What should a principal look for when hiring teachers?
Andrews looks first for a sense of humor and the ability to build relationships with kids. He also wants some academic rigor in their degree and involvement in the wider school community, not teachers who walk out the door at ten past three.

How should a principal run teacher interviews?
Andrews uses a team of four, with his board chair and two deputy principals, and about eight to ten questions. He starts the interview, then sits, listens and takes notes. He watches body language, how deeply people answer, and their enthusiasm for life.

How can schools make learning more authentic?
Andrews says an environmental report that only goes in a folder has little purpose. If kids on Kodiak Island write a similar report and the two classes compare them, the learning becomes richer. His goal is for each class to link with two overseas classrooms.

About Colin Andrews

Principal of a New Zealand school for 12 years, with sister schools in China, Korea, Japan and the United States.

Links and resources

• Contact Colin Andrews at his school
• Sanebox email tool
• Sanebox sponsor page
• Transformative Principal website
• Transformative Principal on Stitcher
• Refer a principal form
• Best Tools for Busy Administrators survey

Working on this at your school? Get a free preview of a 10-week leadership pathway built from episodes like this one at transformativeprincipal.co