Room Parents - How To Become One?

[Anonymous]

How are room parents selected at your child's school?

If you were one, did you volunteer for it? Were you recommended by a teacher?

There are several parents in my child's class that wanted to be the room parent, but a parent who is also room parent for a sibling at the school was chosen instead. It's a mystery at our school how room parents are selected, but with so many people interested I don't understand why one person could be a room parent for two different classes.

I wasn't interested in the position this year, but may want to do it next year. How do I go about it?

[Anonymous]

Is it based on how much money you give at fundraisers?

[Anonymous]

That sounds really unfair, OP. I wonder why that happened. Public or private school?

[Anonymous]

I am a room parent in a small private school. Each year at a meet-and-greet, the teacher puts out a sign-up sheet for various volunteer activities. I waited about 20 minutes and nobody filled in the blank. So I did. We have the opposite problem, it seems. People just don't volunteer much at all.

[Anonymous]

Wait. People WANT to be room parent?

[Anonymous]

Why is this so important to you, OP? I must confess to be bewildered at your eagerness.

[Anonymous]

I am on and have been for the last three years. I was asked each year if I would be it and I agreed. I have no idea how I was determined at the beginning. Now I think they just ask me because I said yes the first time.

Fwiw, I would gladly let someone else do it, but I feel like I have to say yes.

[Anonymous]

Most teachers in my school put out a sign up sheet at open house and BTSN. While I usually have plenty of volunteers, the have been years when I haven't had a room parent. There have also been years where I've had co-room mom and one where several moms did rock-paper-scissor to decide. One year, a mom announced to me that she and two other moms would be my room moms, and they would coordinate all aspects of our volunteer list.--It was great! I think some teachers want greater control (perhaps due to a negative experience), in which case they prefer to ask someone they know has done it before, etc.

[Anonymous]

There are people who push quite hard quite early on for these positions They will email the teacher as soon as they have the allocation or email someone in the front office.

We had a mother like this at a previous school - and you can't say no to them apparently, unless the spot is filled.

Our K teacher begged me to be a co-room parent because she knew I was organized and would be able to pick up the slack of the insistent room parent. But this parent drove me and everyone else so completely crazy that I just couldn't do that.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher I ask. The person who replies is the room parent. If I receive two or three replies I have co-room parents. Typically no more than three offer, but we don't ask much from room parents anyhow.

[Anonymous]

I agreed to be room parent because no one else volunteered. I so wish I didn't have to be one. It is a lot of work and I work full time. OP, what do you think the benefits of being s room parent are?

[Anonymous]

NP. I really enjoy being room parent. I like the way you get a little more familiar with the other parents, students, and teacher. I like having to keep closer track of what's going on and what's on the calendar. I really like being helpful to the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Why is someone asking this in May? Room parents are figured out at the beginning of the school year.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

The teacher sends out an email asking for one at the beginning of the school year. After the third email and well into the second month of school when no one has still volunteered a few people feel guilty and say they will do it if they can get help.