(For most of you that read here my "Just Curious" posts were started earlier this year to get people commenting, start a dialogue. I ask a question, you answer, then I give you my answer next week, or next JC post. Play along, won't you?)
My question this week has to do with volunteering at your child's school. Do you volunteer? What, specifically, do you like to do when you go to the school? Do you go weekly? monthly? Just for special events? PTA? No? Let me have it!
And, if you're curious about the "Just Curious" series, click the tag below and see for yourself!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Just Curious-School Volunteering
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13 comments:
I'm a work-outside-the-home mom for now, and can't volunteer physically at the school - so I do the weekly newspaper that goes out. I can do that from home. Quite frankly, it's a lot of work, but I can't do it late at night and on the weekends, so it works for now. In November, I'll be coming home for good, so that *might* change. But there's a lot of Buffys and Muffys so I might still just stay home, lol.
Correction to my comment - I CAN do it from home... which was the whole point, sheesh.
I worked for four years and put in thousands of hours. THOUSANDS.
I burned out and considered myself "DONE" and haven't done anything in, oh, 2 years.
But I guarantee that I worked more volunteer hours than most parents do in their entire parenting lives during those four years.
Oops. I forgot to add that I was a 3 term PO President for 3 years and on the board for 1. Of a BRAND NEW charter school.
It was a godawful amount of work.
when i was back in the states i didn't do anything with the school. when my oldest went to kindergarten i had a 6 month old and a 2 year old. when she went to first grade i was pregnant with baby number 4. needless to say i had no time to volunteer because of all the little kids at home. since living overseas i have done quite a bit of volunteering. mostly as a substitute teacher. our school here was brand new and they couldn't afford to pay subs so the parents were usually called on. i didn't mind since before kids i was an elementary teacher. i can say that after subbing in the high school i decided that i needed to stick with elem. school! i subbed once for a girl who had to leave the country for a visa renewal. for some reason it took longer than the week she had made lesson plans for. i can wing it in elementary for the most part, but high school history and secondary art was a little much for me!
When my oldest did K, I volunteered to help out and ended up being the Room Parent...what a lot of work! Last year, when he was repeating K and my younger was in K, I just volunteered for lunch room (once per child) and for mystery reader (2 times for each child)...I work full time and it was hard, but I also support through $ donations to the PTA and supporting the PTA events.
My oldest JUST started Kindergarten, so we'll see if my enthusiasm for volunteering wanes. But so far, I volunteer every morning for the first recess. I'm signed up to chaparone and drive for field trips. And today I'm bringing in some baby chicks for the class to see.
But also, since my daughter goes to a charter school, we're required to do 30 hours of volunteer work per family. So either way, I'm there!
I volunteer one afternoon a week at my daughter's school. I split my time in the library and also doing clerical work for her teacher. I try really hard to limit my time at the school to one afternoon a week, but I do try to help with other things throughout the year like parties and special events as time permits.
I don't volunteer at school right now. In part because I am doing freelance work during the time they are in school and in part because when I am not doing freelance work or taking care of them or the house, I am just freaking exhausted. Now that they are getting older I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
However, I think that when I do have the energy and inclination to volunteer, it will not be at my kids' school. My kids and their counterparts in our neighborhood already have much more than others in terms of opportunity and education. I would want to give back to some other segment of the population.
I volunteer for EVERYTHING. Seriously. If they ask I do it. I am a SAHM and I realize so many moms no longer get this luxury. But the schools needs are still the same (if not greater) so there are fewer and fewer moms avaliable to help out. So I consider it my JOY to be able to so. I do PTA (next year prez), I run the Art Docent Program, coordinate the annual district wide art competition, I photograph every school event, I help with the year book and I am room mom for both boys classes so I can organize all the parties and field trips. Over the top? Maybe. But my boys love it. The school needs it. And frankly....I enjoy it.
We do volunteer some up at our kids' schools because it allows us the chance to get to know the teachers and school better. However, some positions are definitely better than others. And you kind of have to figure it out on your own.
Heading of committees can be a nightmare. Passing out directories or t-shirts, no problem. Helping the teacher with copies or projects, usually a good idea.
Good question!
Ha Ha Ha! I guess you could say that I volunteer at my kids school... we homeschool. So from morning to night I'm volunteering at their school-- I do cafeteria work, social work, reading, writing, math, social studies, science, preschool, kindergarten and first grade. I'm the principal, teacher, coach, janitor, lunch lady, and recess lady. Most of the time it's a complete blast because I get to see their minds at work. But there are days when I envy the folks that get to pack a lunch in a bag and send their kids on the bus to school. Those days are very rare, but they do happen.
I applaud all you moms that do volunteer--good for you for showing interest in your kid's school lives!
When I finally decided to leave Twinlab and be a "stay-at-home" mom, we had a great summer with the boys. 2 weeks of them being in school, I was watching and waiting for the ice cubes to fall in the freezer... seriously! I then thought to volunteer at the boys school. When I did, they actually hired me to work in Kindergarten, and I truly LOVED it. I since have migrated into the computer lab where I teach the kids keyboarding and such and love it even more! I couldn't think of a better job than working with children. They are exhausting but well worth every minute!
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