Anonymous wrote:That's interesting.
As a volunteer I'd prefer not deal with kids and just do some time consuming task, that takes little to no brain power. I'll copy and collate for ya all day long. It's a waste of teacher time. I'm happy to come in and burn through it. No need for us to even interact face to face. Let's not make this weird. I'll just drop your stuff and walk away.

This is me, too.

I should have been a Pathologist. Money and no human interaction.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

It's great to hear that you are off to a great start. These things usually do work out if you learn to step back, relax....not always easy, but usually worth doing.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. [i][u]I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

I assure you she's not doing those things because you volunteer. She's doing those things because that's the type of teacher she is.
You vastly over estimate your influence on your child's teacher and school.

OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

If there is a child that bullied your child and you have made them aware of it. You should insist he is pulled out. But as a parent of a special needs child what wrong with them being in there?

That's interesting.
As a volunteer I'd prefer not deal with kids and just do some time consuming task, that takes little to no brain power. I'll copy and collate for ya all day long. It's a waste of teacher time. I'm happy to come in and burn through it. No need for us to even interact face to face. Let's not make this weird. I'll just drop your stuff and walk away.

Anonymous wrote:How about we just staff schools so they can do their job without relying on free parent labor. I think the PTA organizing after school events and fundraising is fine but you should not need parents in the school all day to do basic functions. Somehow my kids' public elementary functioned just fine without having parents in the classroom every day. The only parent role was the request to come in once a year to be a 'guest reader'. I even asked if I could help out in the school library and was turned down because they had it covered with regular staff plus student helpers. How much of this parent volunteering is just make-work to keep parents happy[u][i]?

A whole heck of a lot of it.

Several of my friends who are teachers talk about actually having to spend time and energy to figure out something "fun and meaningful" for parents to do in the school. What they really need (photocopying mostly) isn't fun for the parents and parents want to be IN the classroom "working" with kids. Teachers don't actually need that, but they come up with ways to make it work to keep parents happy.

I'm a teacher and I would bet my home and my first born child that you, OP, don't really know the academic abilities of the children in the classrooms. You say your class got the top kids and the bottom kids and the other class got the middle-range kids. 1) Unless you have access to every single kids' reading levels, writing samples, math reports skill by skill, you simply do not know. You think you know, but you do not. 2) Many, many factors go into class placements. The school did what was best for the children as a whole. Suck it up or leave. This is life.

Anonymous wrote:No wonder our country is lagging behind other nations. PSA: in other countries, like France, parents are NOT allowed to do all this crap in the classroom and the kids get a far better education! Sorry, but it's true - the PTA moms in my kids' school are a bunch of snobby, nasty, back-stabbing, pathetic bitches with nothing else to do with their time except spend it at the school or getting shitfaced in the middle of the day with their "mommy" friends. No thanks - I send my check and that's it. And my kids are excelling. No thanks to bitches like some in this thread.

Yes. USA lags behind other nations due to Mommy volunteers. You are a moron, that is why the other parents don't like you.

How about we just staff schools so they can do their job without relying on free parent labor. I think the PTA organizing after school events and fundraising is fine but you should not need parents in the school all day to do basic functions. Somehow my kids' public elementary functioned just fine without having parents in the classroom every day. The only parent role was the request to come in once a year to be a 'guest reader'. I even asked if I could help out in the school library and was turned down because they had it covered with regular staff plus student helpers. How much of this parent volunteering is just make-work to keep parents happy?

I volunteer a lot. I do it because the teachers have a tough job as it is and if I can help lessen the burden in any way I would love to do it. I am lucky that I have the time to do it and the added bonus is that my kid likes to see me around at school from time to time.

No wonder our country is lagging behind other nations. PSA: in other countries, like France, parents are NOT allowed to do all this crap in the classroom and the kids get a far better education! Sorry, but it's true - the PTA moms in my kids' school are a bunch of snobby, nasty, back-stabbing, pathetic bitches with nothing else to do with their time except spend it at the school or getting shitfaced in the middle of the day with their "mommy" friends. No thanks - I send my check and that's it. And my kids are excelling. No thanks to bitches like some in this thread.

1. OP is a helicopter parent and is seriously harming her child's ability to navigate life and build resilience. Her constant judgmental assessments of other children is truly horrible and naive. One day her kid is going to have a challenge with something and she- and the child- will have a difficult time coping.

2. Volunteering at a school should not be about currency in negotiating things for your kid. It's not at my children's school and this thread is making me quite grateful for that.

3. Volunteering is about supporting the kids and building relationships with faculty and other parents. It's not hard. If you think bake sales are useless, volunteer for something you - or your child- find meaningful. Or- help with a task that can be done on a flexible basis, like helping with email communications. A school is a community. Contribute what you can, and remember that there is a benefit to engaging in your child's world in some way. If you hate the PTA, reach out directly to your child's teacher for ideas to support the class.

4. Like nearly everything in life, raising children has trade-offs. Our culture is suffering because we have lost any sense of moderation and common sense. This thread personifies the ugly fear-based underbelly that is gripping the nation. We are demonizing others for their choices without empathy. I get that snark can be entertaining, but this thread has jumped the shark.

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe you shrews are beating up on a TEACHER because she doesn't take time off from her job at another school to go make photocopies. FFS.

That's not what she said.

Anonymous wrote:Gosh- are any other low income professions above rebuke?

She said she doesn't attend any events. A teacher should know- words mean things!

Don't you have some gluten free brownies to make for your pointless bake sale?