IME the teachers who want assistance (like cutting out and photocopying in K classrooms) ask for it at the beginning of the year.

The teachers who do not ask for parent volunteers do not want them in the classroom.

If parents would just make sure kids do their homework daily and not jump to conclusions about what their child comes home and tells them, all would be right with the world. I can do the rest.


Thanks!
A teacher

Anonymous wrote:Mom, I would rather you weren't in the classroom.

+ 1,000

Anonymous wrote:^ No, not at all.

Agreed.

^ No, not at all.

Anonymous wrote:Mom, I would rather you weren't in the classroom.

Troll

Mom, I would rather you weren't in the classroom.

As a K teacher, I would have appreciated a parent who could cut out things for bulletin boards, art projects, etc. Occasional things.

Help and support from the parents can definitely make a positive impact on both the teacher and the students. It's a win win. The parents that volunteer at my DDs' school are not at all like the PPs mentioned where they are spying on how the kids are doing academically or just focused on their child. It's not like that at all. You have to remember that there are so many administrative things that go on throughout the school year so helping out in ways like sharpening pencils, coordinating sign-up sheets for various school events or classroom activities etc helps the teacher because it frees him/her up to focus on other things. I am just giving some examples so please don't take my list litterally. In reality, some parents are just not comfortable volunteering or being IN the classroom. Some really enjoy it. If you don't want to be IN the classroom, then there are toher things like helping to cut, laminate, send out emails, etc. Again, pleae don't take my list litterally.

Anonymous wrote:Do you feel that you could be a valued assistant to a teacher in an elementary classroom? My 2nd grader has 27 kids in his class, with one teacher, and I often wonder if we parents who have the time could volunteer to assist her in the classroom, rather than being a room parent helping with parties which seems like a total waste to me.

Having volunteers actually takes a lot of work. Some aren't good. Some focus just on their kid. Some cancel when their child is home sick. There are also privacy issues with a parent seeing how other kids are doing academically.

My teachers solicit volunteers like that. I know one mom goes in and helps children run through the spelling words on a particular day each week. Two other mom's help run Grace Art, and I think that is once a month.

My kids' elementary school had a pretty active volunteer program. Ask the teacher. Some like it, some don't.

And yet room parents and field trip sign ups are the most popular at our school because they're fun. No one wants to run the fundraisers to give teachers and schools more money or make copies that would actually free up time to help teachers teach.

I think what value parents could add is to crowd and behavior management not actual teaching.

Do you feel that you could be a valued assistant to a teacher in an elementary classroom? My 2nd grader has 27 kids in his class, with one teacher, and I often wonder if we parents who have the time could volunteer to assist her in the classroom, rather than being a room parent helping with parties which seems like a total waste to me.