There’s More to Life Than Baking Cupcakes
by Heather Reynolds

If you don’t even have time to make dinner, how are you supposed to volunteer in your son’s classroom or your daughter’s Book Fair ? For both working mothers and stay at home moms, there is always a struggle to fit our children’s needs with our home and career responsibilities.

A growing trend today for teachers is to ask for more parent involvement in and for the classroom. As school budget’s shrink, so does the availability of teachers aides - those hard working souls who make copies of worksheets, cut out tiny alphabets, attend field trips, etc. This leaves us - the mothers - to fill in the gaps. 

To be involved in your child’s school does not necessarily require a seat on the PTA board, or chaining yourself to a copy machine. The needs of today’s classroom are varied and great. 

For parents with very little free time to spend at school, and for those with tiny babies at home, volunteering at home is the solution. With one short note to the teacher, asking what you can do for her at home, the quick and long response may surprise you. Gluing accelerated reader labels in books, cutting out laminated artwork, filling out Book IT forms, assembling and coloring in photocopied mini books, calling other parents for in school volunteering, typing invitations to the class play, maintaining a class web site, and baking snacks were some of the most popular answers received in a recent poll of local teachers. 

Moms who are more available during the day may want to consider more involvement at the school itself . Kindergarten teachers are always in need of an adult with a free lap for reading time. For older students, there is a need for one on one reading as well. Simply eating lunch with your child and interacting with the other children sitting with you as well can be helpful. Some other ideas include shelving books in the library, being a door greeter at special events, laminating, creating bulletin boards, teaching the children a fun craft project, being the class mom on field trips, and representing your field at career day. 

For the mother who has a great deal of free time, or for those who are very concerned about the quality of their child’s school, you can be a part time or even full time volunteer. You can assist not only your child’s teacher, but also other staff who interact with him, such as the librarian, music and art teachers, and office staff. Your presence can create a warmer environment for all the children you come into contact with, and with your help the teachers can focus on the important aspects of their jobs - reading, math, science - and not the menial tasks that slow them down and take up valuable teaching time. 

Finally, for the parent with little or no free time, period, you can still be involved in your child’s school. When shopping for your own family, keep your eye out for clearances and great sales on items such as educational games, board games, books, software, outdoor toys (balls, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, Frisbees), paper towels, napkins, kids juices and snack items. Most all of these usually fall to the teacher to purchase and if her funds are short, the children go without. You can also support your school by donating funds or even merchandise from your company to your PTA 

In short, no matter how little or much free time you have, you CAN be involved in your child’s school. When asked what they would tell parents if asked what could be done to improve their school, local teachers across the board had the same response - Parents need to become more involved. Join the PTA, come into our classrooms, get to know the children, be active in your child’s education. 

Being an involved parent does not require a childcare degree or a love of baking by the dozens. It requires a love for your children, a concern for their education, and a commitment to their futures. 

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