What was the most frustrating thing that happened to you as a teacher?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Answer Example
Community Answers

When the interviewer asks you about your most frustrating experience as a teacher, they are trying to gauge your ability to handle difficult situations and how you respond to challenges. They also want to see if you have the problem-solving skills needed to overcome obstacles and adapt to changing circumstances. It's important to be honest and provide a specific example demonstrating your ability to handle stressful situations and solve problems. The answer to this question can range from your student teaching, personal tutoring, or formal teaching experience. Remember to stay calm and professional when discussing your experience, and focus on what you learned from the situation and how you grew as a teacher.

"The most frustrating thing I experienced was a difficult parent who didn't understand why his child's math score didn't improve at the end of the term. It challenged how I perceived my ability as a teacher. In the end, I brought out all his major tests, quizzes, and projects to show that the student had been putting in consistently mediocre effort in class and was lying to his dad about the time he spent on his work. The parent finally saw that his child lacked follow-up and hired a tutor to follow up on his progress for the upcoming semester."

Anonymous Answer

"Implementing a teaching style I did not believe in. While student teaching, I worked closely with a teacher that did everything by the book. The teacher taught directly and did not generate an engaging conversation. And I just had to sit there and watch students look around the room, glance at the clock, then back at the board with disinterest. I hate to see this because students weren't enjoying themselves or learning. So when I took over classes, I asked more questions -- engaged students. The teacher would give me feedback like, "Please ask fewer questions and just model during instruction. It will save so much time." And I felt like I had to implement her suggestions, so she didn't think I was disrespectful, but it was frustrating because I saw that it was not the best way for students to learn; I just had to go with it."