I had my phone interview for the volunteer center coordinator with the University of Central Oklahoma at six on Thursday. We’re supposed to get off at the warehouse at five thirty, but lately we’ve been working a lot of overtime. My last check had eight and a half hours of overtime on it. I’m not sure that working till seven at night is worth it, though.

I worked really hard all day to make sure we got off on time. We did.

The phone interview went fine, I guess. I don’t think I’ve got the sort of personality they’re looking for. They said they would give me a call the next day to see about coming in for a real interview this coming week. But I didn’t hear from them.

On Fridays I get off at one. I dashed home yesterday, scarfed down a hot dog, and dashed up to Oklahoma City for an interview with Temple of Faith school. As I was looking for it, I passed through a run-down black part of town, then little Vietnam. I turned on to the street where the school was supposed to be. The streets were all pot-holed, the cars that were driving down them all looked a block from breaking down, the houses were decidedly low-income. I saw a bigger building on the next corner and hoped it wasn’t Temple of Faith church. It looked fifty years old and crumbling. I pulled in front of it and considered calling and canceling the interview. This couldn’t possibly be worth it.

But I went inside anyway. The girl in running pants at the front desk took me to a conference room and gave me an application to fill out. I don’t know why one has to fill in all the information on applications that is already in printed form on one’s resume. But I had nothing better to do while waiting for my interview. Before I finished, an attractive young woman came in and introduced herself as the director. She waited until I finished and then asked me some more questions to fill out another form.

Finally she told me some about the school (the reason I’d have to come for the interview anyway, since the lady answering the phones would only make me an interview). The church had wanted to form a school for about four years, but they’d had to go through 30,000 dollars renovating the building.

And renovate it they have. We went on a tour of the facilities, and the school half of the building is beautiful, freshly painted rooms, each colorfully decorated and filled with great new toys. The church is just starting out with an all day school for infants through kindergarten with after school activities for school-aged children. They want to expand into a full elementary school in the future.

They’re opening at the beginning of September and still don’t have all the teachers they need (one for every age group and a part time position for after school programs). They pay between six and ten, and since I have a master’s degree, I’d probably be able to get nine or ten.

The director’s enthusiasm for her new school was infectious. I didn’t tell her it wasn’t enough money, wondering if this could actually work. The pastor’s wife, who is out of town this week, is the executive director and performs final interviews. I would get a call this next week.

Of course, after thinking about it more, I don’t think I should do it. But it was nice to have a positive interview…or any interview at all.