Do You Volunteer At Your Child's School?

[amydawnsmommy]

Do you volunteer at your child's school?

What do you do there?

[Mirzam]

Not this year so far, but I will. Last year I helped at DS's school with reading with the 1st/2nd grade class and taught knitting. I plan to do the same this as DS is in the same class only in 2nd grade. My middle DD is schooled part-time and goes to a homeschool group once a week, all the parents have to volunteer at least three times during the year, pretty much as a gofer and lunch/recess supervisor.

[marybethorama]

I work in the cafeteria, at Fish Dinners, and whenever else anyone asks. I generally do the non-glamourous stuff but that's okay with me.

[green]

I do very little but I voted yes. At the beginning of the year, I always sign up to host one of the school parties...and that is about all. I contribute to events whenever I can, attend any parent type functions possible but that is it. I wish I could do more, but my schedule is tight (as I know everyone elses is...). I just cannot and do not do more than this. I do what I can, which I know is little.

[wednesday]

My son goes to a Montessori preschool. I designed the school's website, and I update an online version of the school's newsletter on a monthly basis. I collected consignment items as a fundraiser. I also have gone on each field trip (only a couple so far) although mainly that's because I don't want some other random parent driving DS.

[peachweenie]

We go to a charter school where parents must work at the school 4 hours a month. In order to prepare for this year, my husband did carpentry work while I helped clean our son's classroom. We were in a co-op preschool so we are used to volunteering and happy to pitch in and help.

[beanma]

i voted yes, btu not so much in the classroom although i do read stories during drop off time to anyone who wants to listen. that's just sort of unofficial so my dd1 can settle in. (she has issues with separation anxiety.) i did just volunteer to cut some laminated stuff out for the teacher (no idea what right now) and have checked out library books from the public library for the class. there were sign up sheets for gardening and pet care and field trip coordinator and reading partners, etc.

[robin3]

I voted yes. My ds goes to a small Open Classroom program on another school's campus and we are required to volunteer 1 1/2 hours a week either in the classroom or taking stuff home. We also have several all school events each year that the parents help to run.

[LiamnEmma]

Originally Posted by amydawnsmommy

Do you volunteer at your child's school?

What do you do there?

Whatever they tell me to do.

I work in each (of two) child's classroom for an hour to 90 minutes on Fridays. I organize a fair number of PTA sponsored events so I spend a fair amount of time working on that as well. But really, I consider myself to be at each teacher's beck and call. If I'm asked to tutor, I do so. If I'm asked to file papers, that's what I do.

[Adele_Mommy]

I do not volunteer because I work fulltime. However, my dh, who is a sahd, volunteered last year and this year. Last year he did some sorting, collating, and copying type work for the teacher, but mainly he worked one-on-one with kids on sight words and gave spelling tests to small groups of kids. I know another parent who volunteered in my dd's class worked on printing with kids one-on-one. Today was dh's first day volunteering this year, so I will post again after I find out what he did!

[1xmom]

I usually help out at the Book Fairs we have. Last year I helped w/the Hearing/Vision Screening, chaperoned field trips, did some things at home for teachers, helped out at Field Day, w/Talent Show and this year I will be the secretary for our PTA.

I work right next door to my dd's school and have a great boss who has no problem w/me going down to the school whenever I want. Also, in my job I work pretty much independently (am recruiter) so I can work my schedule around school functions sometimes.

[UUMom]

I am on a small sub-committee, and work the fall fair and the the yard sale. I used to go once a week to the first grade for a couple of hours, when my kids were in first grade. lol I listened to kids read their journal stories. Nothing else, just listened. That was so nice. The kids were so eager to share their stories. Dang, I miss that.

[Llyra]

I would love to, but I have six month old twins. If I was going to do anything at the school, I'd have to bring the twins, so I wouldn't be much help at all anyway.

[Houdini]

I have volunteered to do things at home that my kids can bring to me b/c I only have Thurs. nights free b/c of college classes. I also go in for one party/child and I have told them I can help at the book fair this year.

[love2all]

Our charter is that all families must contribute 4 hours a month -or 2 if single parent headed. So we do loads of things- general classroom assistance, driving on field trips, playgound watch ( give the teachers time inside to prepare), work on projects at home--- a few I can think of doing so far this year!!

[CarrieMF]

I prefer to help with the cut & paste group. It's like kindergarten for adults.lol We colour, cut, glue, group, then recut after the stuff has been laminated. They meet the 3rd thursday morning of the month. The teachers have stuff piled together that they need cut out & such then we do it.

I have helped with the breakfast program which is just getting the food out, recording how many of each were eaten(though my kids do that part), making sure the kids only take the amount they are allowed to.

I have gone in the classrooms & helped with the guided reading, the kids doing work they haven't finished, marking tests(math, spelling, grade 1 stuff).

This year all my kids are in school, the youngest is in K but goes all day every other day. I put down that I'm available at all times which is true but they're short TA's this year so I may regret this.lol

[rachdoll]

School here started yesterday, so I don't know how I will help this year, but last year I was in DD's classroom once a week helping with the craft of the week. It was great getting to know DD's classmates and teacher as well as I did, and I think my being there helped DD tremendously.

Kinda OT, but I am very relaxed about crafts - I think the process is more important then the result, so all the other groups of kids (one group of kids did the project each day of the week) would have only 2 eyes on their scarecrow, or 1 tail on their lion, etc. while my kiddos' scarecrows had as many eyes as they wanted, the lions had 3 tails, a carrot for a hat, whatever.

I hope to be in DD's class as much as possible this year, because I like helping and because there is a potential bully I want to keep my eye on!

[supervee]

At DS's school, I get thematic books from the library and schedule field trips.

At DD's school, I am apparently going to make some cloth napkins.

[karen ann]

Last year I volunteered in DS's kindergarten classroom. I went in for an hour a week. I did a project with small groups of the kids. At the same time there was a paraprofessional at another table doing a different project and the teacher at a third table doing a third project. The projects were sometimes "follow the directions" worksheets involving academic skills (letters, colors, writing their names, etc.), sometimes art projects, coin flip charts (flip a coin and color chart whether it came up heads or tails), lots of different things. It was a good opportunity for me to see where my DS was compared to the other kids (helpful when I've had to do all the box-ticking at his evaluations).

This year I'm working full time. I can't do any regular volunteering. I may try to take a holiday if something special comes up, but I don't know when/if anything will. (I did already have to buy the hamster food and bedding though. DS grabbed the cards from the wish basket at the open house while I wasn't looking.)

[USAmma]

No. I am a pre-nursing student so I use that time to study. In fact dd2 is going to start part time preschool soon and I am looking forward to that time to study more. If I were not studying I would be volunteering for sure.