Ron dreads the start of the new school year. He works afternoons, so he doesn’t see his children all week when they are in school. There must be some way he can spend more time with his kids.
Four weeks into the school year, Carol feels like she has dropped her son into a black hole called middle school. Without communication between his school and home, Carol feels disconnected from her son. She doesn’t know how to help him as he struggles with new responsibilities.
Let’s face it: school is not only important to children; it’s also important to parents. As parents, we want school to be a positive experience for our children. We want them to learn the information and skills that will help them succeed in life. At the same time, we don’t want to lose touch with our children. We want to stay involved.
Rather than just turning our children over to the school to do this important work, we can build a partnership with the school. Children whose parents are actively involved in their education are more likely to succeed. Volunteering in your child’s school is one of the best ways to be involved. It can improve your child’s experience and also make a difference in the lives of many other children.
The key to being a volunteer is matching your talents to the needs of the school. You may have a skill, such as typing or painting. Or you may have a resource, such as computers or lumber, to offer. However, the school’s greatest need may be for something that you never considered doing, such as coloring educational game cards or reading to a class. Be open to trying new roles -- you might like it!
Attitude Counts
When you participate in the school community, it’s like getting involved in a family. As in a family, your loyalty and courtesy will make you a welcome addition.
Offer encouragement rather than criticism. Discover ways to help rather than waiting for direct supervision. Be discreet about the details of your day at school; don’t gossip about the students and staff. You will be a vital and welcome member when people know they can depend on you to be there on time and complete your tasks.
It’s Elementary
When your child is in elementary school, you may want to volunteer to help his classroom teacher. The need for classroom help varies depending on several factors:
Age of students. Younger students depend more on adults to help with daily activities, like tying shoes and zipping coats. Students in kindergarten through grade three benefit more from individualized attention. That’s because they also are learning many important basic academic skills, such as letter and number recognition, reading and social behavior.
Class size. Research shows that students do better throughout their school years if they are in classes of 15 or fewer children through third grade. Most schools offer classes that are larger than that ideal, so having more adults to help students can increase the learning.
Experience level of the teacher. While a veteran teacher with a class of 25 students may not recruit help, a new teacher is very likely to welcome it. However, it is rare for any teacher, no matter how experienced, to turn down offers of help.
Experience level of the parent. Volunteers who have worked with students in the past will probably be on the school’s informal list of people to call when help is needed. However, even inexperienced parents will be able to find a niche if they are willing to be helpful.
Don’t Stop Now!
Volunteers in middle and high schools can offer their help in a special interest area, like sports, band, fine arts, quiz bowl or journalism. Each of these areas has its own set of activities that involve many students and require adult assistance. Parent booster clubs can help fund student activities and provide enrichment. Parents are always needed to organize chaperones, make phone calls or construct equipment.
Communication in high school seems to be a special challenge. Parents with desktop publishing or public relations skills can volunteer to assist with communicating vital information between the schools and homes. Volunteers can gather information for a school newsletter, organize a homework hotline to provide weekly assignments or orient new students and their families to the school.
Parents can be helpful by doing tasks that might not get done if school employees don’t have enough time.
I’m Too Busy
Working parents have a special challenge in finding time to support their children’s school. Some companies allow their employees to take time off from work to volunteer in the local schools; they recognize the success of the school impacts the quality of the workforce. Therefore, they invest in schools by helping parents who want to get involved. Your lunch hour also can be used to visit the school or make phone calls on behalf of the school.
Schools have weekend and evening events that parents can help organize and staff. Sporting events, fine arts productions and fundraisers rely on volunteer help for their success. School boards and other committees are always searching for people to represent the interests of parents in the community.
If you have time, schools will gladly fill it. If you have available resources, schools will gladly accept them. If you have a talent, schools would love to learn from it. If you would like to volunteer for your child’s school, they would love to hear from you.
Wendy L. Sellers, Heath4Hire, Inc. is a freelance author.