Daycare Worker

This is a challenging question overall since it asks for you to be honest about something that you may not be comfortable with. But it’s important to answer it honestly because it’s a realistic question. Conflicts may arise but there’s always a way to resolve them. Be reasonable when you answer this question. Don’t get angry or defensive. Provide the scenario as objectively as possible and reflect on both sides of the argument. Be clear as to what happened step by step. Explain your side as well as the other position’s side. Explain how the situation was resolved. What the interviewer is looking for here is whether or not you’re a team player, and whether you have a reasonable state of mind. As long as you answer it providing the full picture and circumstances, you should be in the clear. Don’t discuss any major conflicts that might’ve led to enormous problems in your past.

This question is a variation of the classic "tell us about your previous work experience and education" and I like it better because it should tell you more than you'll find on their resume. When I ask this question I'm listening not just to find out where they've worked and what they've done, I'm asking what they got out of those experiences. Have they grown with each job experience, and how? Hopefully I'll know if their experiences fit with what we do and if there's a solid foundation to build on. If they answer with a recitation of what's on their resume then I ask them to clarify further what happened at that job that significantly affected how they now work with children and families. Let them tell you which of their previous experiences were important. Finding out which jobs weren't helpful to their growth and why can also be revealing.

This question is a good way to get to know the person behind the application. It asks them to talk about how their personality interfaces with their work. Asking them about what provides satisfaction will help you understand what motivates them to do high quality and help you determine if the applicant is likely to find that satisfaction in your program. By asking them what's difficult for them, you may learn whether or not this candidate will be happy working in your program over a long period of time. You may determine that it's unlikely you could provide those things that give them the greatest satisfaction, or prevent things that are problematic for them. This question will help you determine if it's a good match or a good fit between what it is that you do, and what they need to be a productive and happy employee. This question may require you to press a little bit further. It's not enough for them to respond that they do this work "Because I love children." They need to elaborate on this and be specific about what aspects of their work are the most exciting. It's also interesting to note how much they respond to this question by separating out the child from the family context. How do they feel about working with parents or other family members? Do they find satisfaction in working with children but frustration in working with parents? This isn't an unusual dichotomy, but it will be problematic further down the road.

Children often try to test boundaries but in my experience as a childcare worker I have found that the best approach is not to make too much of an issue of it. The more you try to get children to do something the more determined they tend to become. Shouting and telling children off in these situations can be useless, so try to remain calm. It’s can be useful to find out exactly why your child doesn’t want to do something; talk to her and ask her if there is a reason she doesn’t want to go into nursery. If there is persistent refusal to attend nursery I would suggest you speak to the staff and organise a little job for her to do before nursery starts, for example help set up a play area with toys. This way you and your child’s nursery worker can work to find a solution together.

To shine when you’re asked this question, pick a recent example that has as much relevance as possible for the job you’re applying for.

The STAR technique, which we’ve talked about before on this blog, is a good structure to use when working out how to answer this. Here’s how it works:

First, identify the situation in a few sentences – what was the problem that needed to be solved?;

Then clearly identify what your part was in solving the problem, including the steps you took; and

Finally, what was the result of the actions that you took?

It’s the result that you should focus on most when answering this question, as this will prove that you were able to deliver a successful outcome.

This is a tough one since the way of disciplining classrooms or students vary according to each teacher. It’s important that you stay apprised of on-going discourses regarding effective classroom disciplining in order to keep your teaching methods up to date. But the most important reason for having an answer in a case like this is to answer the question without offending anyone but also showing your effective teaching ability. The interviewer is asking this question to get a sense of who you are as a teacher, and whether or not you are prepared when it comes to disciplining students. Knowing the school district’s mission statement or discipline philosophy in advance will help you to answer this question best, so that you do not say anything out of line, but you must also remain honest to your own goals as a teacher. A good balance of these two elements will be the best answer. Try to provide a real scenario where you had to exercise discipline and it had an effective result. Explain why you felt that this course of action was best, and how it worked out for the student(s).

In my experience as a childcare worker I have found that the best approach would be to first explain how nobody likes to lose and that nobody wins games all the time. I suggest you let her follow your example and play a game where you lose and then show her how to respond to the situation, for example, congratulate the other person and shake their hand. Children learn most by watching their parents and so can you play a vital role in teaching her the correct behaviour. When she loses a game, you could remind her of a time when she won and tell her how this time it is the other person’s turn to win. When she behaves more appropriately, for example shaking hands with the winner, make sure you praise her for her good behaviour.