Let me repeat that back, just to be sure...

"What would be your reaction if a child painted his whole arm and his face whilst exploring finger paint?"

well, commend him for his outside-the-box-thinking, of course!

...to which the program director replied,"you might respond differently if this happened in a group of ten...," while not completely disagreeing with me, and siting the sensory delight of such "exploration.";)

this was my actual answer to my favorite question during the college admission interview that almost didn't happen yesterday. if not for my very assertive decision to investigate, i might have been stuck with a grueling rescheduling battle, and quite possibly a crippling delay in my pursuit of employment security, aka License to Practice, in addition to possibly losing my "new immigrant credential updating/validating" funding(there's a time limit).

my admission interview adventure began at an information session, where i signed up for my interview time. after clearing the appointment with my employer, the program director called to request that i reschedule. my employer approved the new time, 2:45 on 6/23, yesterday. the next day, my employer, with a sense of urgency, graciously requested that i reschedule again, since she'd forgotten all about a commitment she'd made during that time, and had no available care for the girls. after several calls that day, and a few the next day, i was able to reschedule for 11am on 6/23, which i thought i had carefully confirmed...

at 11:05, sitting in a very quiet, empty corridor, surrounded by printed signs with arrows pointing to the dark, deserted room in front of me, reading "early childhood education interviews," i was fairly certain that something was up, even ay about 10:42, since receiving very clear instructions at the information session to arrive 15 minutes early to review questions that would be asked. it seemed very clear that i was in the right place, what with the extensive, explicit signage that began at the entrance to the college, but perhaps missed some rescheduling memo.

i set out with Waltson, who had so awesomely driven me, since i don't much care for downtown driving, to attempt to locate the program director's office. after a phone call and a directory search, we arrived, and i explained my situation to a very helpful receptionist, who dashed away to see if the director was available. to my delight and surprise, the director came out to the lobby where i waited. she checked her schedule, and had penned me for 11am on 6/21, instead of 6/23. despite the mix up, she offered to interview me alone, although the original plan was to interview in a group in front of a panel. she asked if i would mind this deviation. ha! the introvert in me cheered, since this scenario was exactly what i had sort of hoped for! :D provided, of course, that it wouldn't negatively impact my admission chances, which i was informed would not.

the director was absolutely lovely, and exemplified the ideal Early Childhood Educator. Although, looking back(as this never fails), i imagined several better answers to my interview questions(like, in addition to commending the boy, i might gently redirect him to use paper instead of his body, lest he give himself a new paint job every time), i am almost certain that i will be accepted. i should know by mid July...