Does your school allow in-class parent volunteers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love no parents in the classroom. And get them out of the office, or administrative roles too.

Parties twice a year sounds reasonable and sane.

Count your blessings!

Really? Why?

Our ES welcomes parent volunteers and they are a HUGE help. We couldn't do as many field trips as we do without the parent volunteers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There is plenty to gossip about. Usually it involves behavior of certain children. There are many children who have behavior issues for one reason or another which must be kept confidential. Some children have difficulty learning. This is another topic that parents can gossip about. There's plenty more. What goes on in the classroom must remain confidential. Period. If parents talk about what goes on, they should not be able to volunteer.

The thing is, kids will come home and talk to their parents about behaviors of other kids in the classroom. Also, the kids with behavior issues frequently also play on a sports team, be a member of a scout troop, go to church or the grocery store, or just play outside in the neighborhood. People don't need to be in the classroom to know about a child's behavioral issues, they see them in many other interactions. Most don't really care that much, unless it affects their own child.
Really, there is no need for classroom gossip for people to know that some kids have behavioral issues.

+1 to the PP.

It's ridiculous to say that you shouldn't have parents in the classroom because they *might* gossip.

I've volunteered in different classrooms for my two kids and would never gossip. I've met other parents who volunteer, and gossip has really NEVER, ever been an issue.

And, yes, kids talk about what goes on the classroom, so 'behavior issues' really are no secret.

[Anonymous]

With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

This is very true.

If a principal bans volunteers, I'd be really suspicious of what is going on at that school. What is he trying to hide?

Good teachers welcome the extra help, IME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

This is very true.

If a principal bans volunteers, I'd be really suspicious of what is going on at that school. What is he trying to hide?

Good teachers welcome the extra help, IME.

Exactly.
I think this is precisely why parents are not welcome at some schools in the classrooms on a regular basis (beyond parties or a parent presentation).

I had a meeting at school one morning, and went into my son's classroom afterwards (with the ok of the office staff, but unexpected to the teacher) to get my son's backpack while the class was at lunch.
Apparently one child sat apart from the rest, adjacent to the door, with his desk up against the wall and his back to the class. Seemed to me an odd, singled out placement. When I questioned DS, he replied, "Oh, [kid name], he is really bad and that's why he has to sit there." Who knows how long or what the back story was, but I am guessing that a daily parent volunteer or two might have expressed their surprise to kid's parents re what appeared to be a punitive seating arrangement. And this was not a priority, no distractions, desk placement IMO. And don't assume that boys tell us everything at home (meaning that child might not tell a parent about his seating assignment). I wasn't aware the DS was kept in from recess for a period of time until I accidentally found out from another source. For the amount of "independent" busy work in the composition book or on worksheets going on while the teacher did small reading groups during a 60+ minute session, it would have been wonderful to have had a parent volunteer to float among the rest of the students to answer questions, help those off-track to move along, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school does not allow parent volunteers in the classrooms beyond K. Is this normal? There are volunteer jobs answering phones in the office, copying for the teachers, shelving books in the library, or washing brushes in the art room but nothing inside the kids' classes. The room parents only can do parties twice a year. It seems strange since the class sizes are so big.

My DC is in 4th grade in MCPS. The classroom teacher encourages parents to sign up to help in the classroom. It has given me wonderful insight into my child/her friends/classroom dynamics. I think, though, it takes a very secure teacher to invite parents to come in and help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

This is very true.

If a principal bans volunteers, I'd be really suspicious of what is going on at that school. What is he trying to hide?

Good teachers welcome the extra help, IME.

+100!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does not allow parent volunteers in the classrooms beyond K. Is this normal? There are volunteer jobs answering phones in the office, copying for the teachers, shelving books in the library, or washing brushes in the art room but nothing inside the kids' classes. The room parents only can do parties twice a year. It seems strange since the class sizes are so big.

My DC is in 4th grade in MCPS. The classroom teacher encourages parents to sign up to help in the classroom. It has given me wonderful insight into my child/her friends/classroom dynamics. I think, though, it takes a very secure teacher to invite parents to come in and help.

No, it just takes the crappy teachers and principals that want to avoid it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents in our school gossiped too much about the kids so they stopped being allowed to volunteer with the kids in the classroom.

What kind of people would gossip about children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents in our school gossiped too much about the kids so they stopped being allowed to volunteer with the kids in the classroom.

You must be in Potomac or Bethesda, where parents have nothing better to do than gossip about 6 year olds. How ridiculous.

I have volunteered in my MCPS kids' classrooms once a week, and have never had any issues with parents/teachers gossiping. WTF is there to gossip about 6 year olds??

Our schools definitely takes volunteers up to 3rd grade. Not sure about past that because we're not there yet!

There is plenty to gossip about. Usually it involves behavior of certain children. There are many children who have behavior issues for one reason or another which must be kept confidential. Some children have difficulty learning. This is another topic that parents can gossip about. There's plenty more. What goes on in the classroom must remain confidential. Period. If parents talk about what goes on, they should not be able to volunteer.

Well obviously there are things to gossip about but what kind of monster gossips about behavior or learning issues of small children? That is so disgusting. These parents really don't know how unkind and gross that is???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

This is very true.

If a principal bans volunteers, I'd be really suspicious of what is going on at that school. What is he trying to hide?

Good teachers welcome the extra help, IME.

Exactly.
I think this is precisely why parents are not welcome at some schools in the classrooms on a regular basis (beyond parties or a parent presentation).

I had a meeting at school one morning, and went into my son's classroom afterwards (with the ok of the office staff, but unexpected to the teacher) to get my son's backpack while the class was at lunch.
Apparently one child sat apart from the rest, adjacent to the door, with his desk up against the wall and his back to the class. Seemed to me an odd, singled out placement. When I questioned DS, he replied, "Oh, [kid name], he is really bad and that's why he has to sit there." Who knows how long or what the back story was, but I am guessing that a daily parent volunteer or two might have expressed their surprise to kid's parents re what appeared to be a punitive seating arrangement. And this was not a priority, no distractions, desk placement IMO. And don't assume that boys tell us everything at home (meaning that child might not tell a parent about his seating assignment). I wasn't aware the DS was kept in from recess for a period of time until I accidentally found out from another source. For the amount of "independent" busy work in the composition book or on worksheets going on while the teacher did small reading groups during a 60+ minute session, it would have been wonderful to have had a parent volunteer to float among the rest of the students to answer questions, help those off-track to move along, etc.

This is the kind of thing that springs to mind. It's very suspicious to me that no parents are allowed to set foot in our MCPS elementary school. They are extreme about it. I really wonder why. It is not healthy.

[Anonymous]

As a parent volunteer I grade your child's work. How does that make you feel?

[Anonymous]

Our school has lots of volunteer activities but never in the classroom beyond kindergarten. The in-school volunteer activities are all media center, specials, working in the office, or events. I agree with others that not using parent volunteers in the classrooms is a sign of a bad school or administration that prefers to hide things from parents.

[Anonymous]

A teacher friend of mine says parents get in the way of instruction. They (we) aren't trained, usually, and it's hard to be in the room where your young child is. I recently gave a presentation to my child's class and my child expected to hang on me every second.
So--I can understand why teachers would not like untrained "helper parents" in the classroom.
I volunteer on field trips. The school is always looking for more volunteers at recess. But in the classroom, I'd like trained professionals only, please--and that's what I get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With large classrooms parent volunteers in ES can make a big difference, and from what I read, when schools prohibit volunteers it is usually a bad sign of trying to avoid getting criticized. Good schools typically welcome help, though with some limits, and Principals who ban volunteers are likely hoping to conceal weak teachers or other deficiencies.

This is very true.

If a principal bans volunteers, I'd be really suspicious of what is going on at that school. What is he trying to hide?

Good teachers welcome the extra help, IME.

Exactly.
I think this is precisely why parents are not welcome at some schools in the classrooms on a regular basis (beyond parties or a parent presentation).

I had a meeting at school one morning, and went into my son's classroom afterwards (with the ok of the office staff, but unexpected to the teacher) to get my son's backpack while the class was at lunch.
Apparently one child sat apart from the rest, adjacent to the door, with his desk up against the wall and his back to the class. Seemed to me an odd, singled out placement. When I questioned DS, he replied, "Oh, [kid name], he is really bad and that's why he has to sit there." Who knows how long or what the back story was, but I am guessing that a daily parent volunteer or two might have expressed their surprise to kid's parents re what appeared to be a punitive seating arrangement. And this was not a priority, no distractions, desk placement IMO. And don't assume that boys tell us everything at home (meaning that child might not tell a parent about his seating assignment). I wasn't aware the DS was kept in from recess for a period of time until I accidentally found out from another source. For the amount of "independent" busy work in the composition book or on worksheets going on while the teacher did small reading groups during a 60+ minute session, it would have been wonderful to have had a parent volunteer to float among the rest of the students to answer questions, help those off-track to move along, etc.

This is the kind of thing that springs to mind. It's very suspicious to me that no parents are allowed to set foot in our MCPS elementary school. They are extreme about it. I really wonder why. It is not healthy.

This would be a huge (HUGE) red flag for me. It would make me extraordinarily suspicious.

I remember reading somewhere that there have been studies that show how kids do better when there is a relationship between the parent and the teacher. You can't build a relationship with your kids' teacher when you can't set foot in the school. You can only do so much via email.