Open Response Questions

There are five open-response questions in addition to questions about your personal information, education, and prior experience.  Please answer all questions in 2000 characters (about 300 words) or less:

• Self-Awareness: What are your greatest professional strengths and areas for growth? How do you anticipate leveraging these strengths in your practice as an educator, and what unique challenges might you face given your areas for growth?
• Learning Mindset: What’s been your most meaningful experience with children in grades K-12? From that experience, what did you learn that students need in order to grow and thrive?      
• Equity: What would a more just/fair society look like, and what’s the role of a classroom teacher in fostering it?
• Social Awareness: Why is it so important to build authentic, trusting relationships with students, families, and colleagues? What are the greatest barriers to forming relationships with others, and how would you prioritize relationship-building in your placement community?
• Growth Mindset: When was a time you received feedback with which you strongly disagreed at first, and what steps did you take to better understand the feedback and respond to it? What did you learn about yourself as a result of that reflection?

Supporting Documents

You will also be prompted to upload a cover letter, resume, and unofficial copies of college transcripts in one of the following formats: Word (.doc or .docx), PDF (.pdf), or Google Docs. Include your first and last name in addition to the type of document when you save and name the file (such as JohnDoe_CoverLetter.pdf).

• Cover Letter: Write and upload a cover letter (two page max) to demonstrate your passion for teaching as a career and for addressing educational inequity in Arkansas. In particular, please address the following questions in your cover letter: 
  • Who are you, what do you value, and why do you want to teach? 
  • Why do you want to join the Arkansas Teacher Corps specifically, and how do you anticipate changing and growing as a result of your participation with ATC?
  • How have your previous education and/or experiences prepared you for this opportunity, and how does teaching align with your long-term professional goals?
• Resume: Upload a resume (two page max) to demonstrate how your previous education and experience (including awards, licenses/certifications, professional learning and development, extracurricular activities, community service, leadership roles, etc) have prepared you to serve as a teacher.
• Unofficial Undergraduate Transcript: You may scan a paper transcript or save a comprehensive grade report from your online student account. Graduate transcripts (if applicable) are encouraged but not required.