Anonymous wrote: We stuff the weekly take-home folders and do other clerical tasks for the teachers. We help chaperone field trips. We plan, organize and run class parties like the winter holiday party or the Halloween party. In other words we do a lot of the things that enhance the kids experience and or free up the teacher to do more substantive work.

Is there any evidence that field trips and parties result in better educated kids?

Anonymous wrote:They are there to size up their child compared to the others.
They want to know which kids are disruptive in the class and they want to talk about that child to other parents.
They want to kiss up to the teach and try to get their kids extra favors, like reading at a school wide assembly.

Dont' be stupid. I do it, and not for those reasons at all. I am trying to help curb the chaos of the ridiculous student/teacher ratio in early elementary.

Maybe it's because I grew up in another country...the only time our parents came to school was for teacher-parent conferences. Teachers always did everything - materials, chaperoning field trips.

We stuff the weekly take-home folders and do other clerical tasks for the teachers. We help chaperone field trips. We plan, organize and run class parties like the winter holiday party or the Halloween party. In other words we do a lot of the things that enhance the kids experience and or free up the teacher to do more substantive work.

I volunteer in the front office and staff the phone, push the button to allow people in and answer questions over the noon hour so the staff person can have a lunch and/or do tasks that take them away from the front desk. There is someone scheduled to do this everyday.

I was told in my kids K class that there are parent volunteers every day. I don't know what they do. I explained that I would be happy to volunteer in any class but my own kids and I was turned down.

I know my kid and being in the classroom would be a bigger distraction for him and therefore the class. I don't mind doing my part to help the school and I would have been happy to swap with a parent in a different class but they didn't seem to want the help I could offer.

My kids' classes have only used classroom volunteers in 3 ways...
1) Fill the weekly announcement folders -- I did this for a couple classes, basically just came in during the teacher's prep period to sort all that paper into each kids' folder
2) Guest reader - once a week a parent comes in to read aloud to the class
3) Reading buddies - not in my kid's class, but volunteers are used to read 1-on-1 to kids in the special needs class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are there to size up their child compared to the others.
They want to know which kids are disruptive in the class and they want to talk about that child to other parents.
They want to kiss up to the teach and try to get their kids extra favors, like reading at a school wide assembly.

Perhaps that's why you would do it, but don't presume to speak for all.

Perhaps 1/2 that parents in your class are doing this... it is pathetic and unhealthy. Our school does not allow it anymore because it is destructive to the school environment.

It depends on the school and teacher, I think.

In my DCs' classes, I put together some materials: cut, paste, staple, copy, etc.. No direct helping the kids.

Waste of time and PITAs.

Next week I will volunteer at the school science fair. I will be an extra pair of hands for the set-up and clean-up, and in between I will walk around and talk to the kids about their projects.

Anonymous wrote:They are there to size up their child compared to the others.
They want to know which kids are disruptive in the class and they want to talk about that child to other parents.
They want to kiss up to the teach and try to get their kids extra favors, like reading at a school wide assembly.

Perhaps that's why you would do it, but don't presume to speak for all.

They are there to size up their child compared to the others.
They want to know which kids are disruptive in the class and they want to talk about that child to other parents.
They want to kiss up to the teach and try to get their kids extra favors, like reading at a school wide assembly.

Parents volunteer in a lot of contexts, are you talking about something in particular?

I volunteer during my son's writing period once a week. During that time all of the kids are working on their individual writing projects and the teachers are circulating to help the kids as needed. Why wouldn't having an extra person to help the kids figure out how to spell a word or make sure they're putting spaces between their words be helpful?

Can someone please explain to me the purpose of parent volunteers? If you are a parent volunteer, what exactly do you do? And teachers - do you see these volunteers as a necessity or as a nuisance?