Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Lady - what? You think you are owed a good seat because you volunteer ? If you want to be in the front row go early. It’s a totally different thing and I say that as someone who does a fair amount of both fun and non fun volunteering around my own job.

This whole thread is totally crazy though. Our school is so happy to have volunteers at lunch! You walk around and help kids open their juice or whatever and hand out napkins. I did it because it was VERY eye opening but also because the staff really appreciates it.

Exactly. She doesn’t realize parents don’t want to volunteer with the PTA because of people like her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Lady - what? You think you are owed a good seat because you volunteer ? If you want to be in the front row go early. It’s a totally different thing and I say that as someone who does a fair amount of both fun and non fun volunteering around my own job.

This whole thread is totally crazy though. Our school is so happy to have volunteers at lunch! You walk around and help kids open their juice or whatever and hand out napkins. I did it because it was VERY eye opening [u]but also because the staff really appreciates it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If all the spots are filled before you can volunteer, just email the President that you will be coming on X day. Since it’s a time that someone else is double-booked, just say that you would like to her to swap in your name on the list and to please inform the other family of the switch. Then, show up on that day.

This. And if they balk, write the principal. Ours wouldn’t put up with this.

Sigh. I don’t want to rock the boat or get people in trouble. I just want it to be a little bit more fair so I can get a chance to volunteer and have my kid see me at lunch. It makes him so happy and I know there aren’t so many school years of kids being happy to have mom or dad there.

The purpose of volunteering is to provide
a service the school- not be “seen” by your son doing something.

That's really not why people volunteer for lunch. They do it because they want to see their kids, want the school to see they are involved, and/or because their kids like to see their parents at school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Lady - what? You think you are owed a good seat because you volunteer ? If you want to be in the front row go early. It’s a totally different thing and I say that as someone who does a fair amount of both fun and non fun volunteering around my own job.

This whole thread is totally crazy though. Our school is so happy to have volunteers at lunch! You walk around and help kids open their juice or whatever and hand out napkins. I did it because it was VERY eye opening but also because the staff really appreciates it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

100% this. As a former PTO board member, what KILLED me were all these parents who never had two seconds to help out with anything we needed, but would show up 45 minutes before a school concert or other event to claim prime seating while those of us pouring our free time into the school sat on the floor or 15 rows back. And I say this as a mom who works FT out of the home in a demanding job.

Anonymous wrote:Also, just another perspective on this. My DH volunteers as an age-group coordinator in a local youth sports organization, and every season (2x/year) he rosters and schedules 500+ kids, 90% of whom come in with special requests.

It's like a part time job. But one of the perks is that he gets to decide the schedule for our son's team. Is that fair? I don't know. But given the enormous amount of time he pours into this, and the fact that it's a largely behind-the-scenes position with little to no recognition of the hard work, it feels fair to me that he gets first dibs on the schedule.

I for one appreciate all the work that the PTO does so that I don't have to. And if the "perk" they get is first dibs on the signup form? That seems okay to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you just go have lunch with your kid when you feel like it? We can at our ES and then you don’t have to volunteer! I also resent doing volunteer work for something I feel should be a paid position, which cafeteria monitor is at our school.

Parents at your school are allowed to pop into the lunchroom and randomly eat lunch there? That's super weird!

Or do you mean that you are allowed to pick up your kid and take them out of school for lunch? Sure, my child would enjoy that, but it would be different than seeing me - her parent - at school in the lunchroom.

Yep you can go in any day you want and eat with your kid in the cafeteria. I did it once and have zero desire to ever do it again.

Anonymous wrote:Pto just put out the classroom activities and school lunch volunteer lists. Every semester it’s a mad dash for parents to try to volunteer, because there aren’t enough slots and these are the two volunteer areas where you can actually see your kid!

This year PTO said everyone needs to limit it to one sign up per family. The usual suspects signed up for more than one - one signed up both herself and husband in a single slot meant for one person, another signed up herself in one slot and her mother in another, and another woman just straight up signed up for first slot and last slot of the semester, like nobody would notice her name on there twice. All of this of course happening before the sign up is even sent to us “normal” families.

Yes I am petty. But that aside do you think PTO should have to play by its own rules it has set out? Or can all these women just take as many slots as they wish since they set up the signupgenius? I volunteer over a dozen hours a year every year in doing grunt work (not on the PTO board) and play by the rules.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, can you just go have lunch with your kid when you feel like it? We can at our ES and then you don’t have to volunteer! I also resent doing volunteer work for something I feel should be a paid position, which cafeteria monitor is at our school.

Parents at your school are allowed to pop into the lunchroom and randomly eat lunch there? That's super weird!

Or do you mean that you are allowed to pick up your kid and take them out of school for lunch? Sure, my child would enjoy that, but it would be different than seeing me - her parent - at school in the lunchroom.

Anonymous wrote:I would put your energy elsewhere. And I say that after 7 years of school volunteering and a vow to not participate this year.