Room Parents - How To Become One?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm OP. My children are in public school.

Why would I want to be the room parent? Because our current room parent is not passing along important information and I feel very out of the loop. Information at our school is primarily disseminated through room parents, so if they don't pass it along then you likely will not get it.

Also, our teacher is new to the school and I've been providing a lot of support (this not a problem, I enjoy doing it).

I wouldn't have thought I'd want to be room parent, but considering how this year is going I'd rather do the job next year. Another year of the current room parent would not be ideal for me.

The process at our school appears to be political because people are asked privately. There's no request for room parents.

Next year, as soon as you find out your child's teacher, send the teacher an email saying you'd like to do it.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the school. At ours, they send around an email sign up & for some classes there's an abundance of interest and some where they are begging for someone to sign up. If you really wanted it at our school, you have to be quick on stating your interest to the teacher and be look out for the minute the sign up email goes out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm OP. My children are in public school.

Why would I want to be the room parent? Because our current room parent is not passing along important information and I feel very out of the loop. Information at our school is primarily disseminated through room parents, so if they don't pass it along then you likely will not get it.

Also, our teacher is new to the school and I've been providing a lot of support (this not a problem, I enjoy doing it).

I wouldn't have thought I'd want to be room parent, but considering how this year is going I'd rather do the job next year. Another year of the current room parent would not be ideal for me.

The process at our school appears to be political because people are asked privately. There's no request for room parents.

OP, regarding this information that the room parent doesn't pass along:

What exactly is the "important information" that only room parents get to disseminate?

If you mean the room parents set the dates of, say, the December party and the teacher appreciation event, or the room parents are supposed to coordinate volunteers to help with certain events, etc. -- well, that is stuff you do want to know. Have you and other parents been letting that room parent know all year that you wanted this information? After the first time you realized your kid had a party that day and other parents volunteered but you had no idea it was even scheduled, did you contact the room parent and ask that there be group e-mails each time, or that she or he use SignUp Genius, etc.? It's all too late for that stuff now, frankly, but it's instructive for next year.

But if by "important information" you mean really substantial things, related to school events, school deadlines and dates, and academics -- and not just class social and fun stuff -- then the system at your school needs fixing. I'd stop focusing on jockeying to become room parent and would instead focus on working via PTA and/or the school administration to change that ASAP. No parent should be a gatekeeper for any school information.