How to Volunteer at Your Child's School

Do you feel like you're spending enough time with your children, or have work and chores taken over your life? Volunteering at your child's school for an afternoon could help you get back on track. But don't think it's as easy as walking in, reading a story and heading back out for the rest of your day. You need to have a plan.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

1. Talk with your children to find out what they're comfortable having you do. Some children will be thrilled that Mom or Dad wants to help out, while others may be more comfortable when your involvement sticks to parent-teacher conferences and family nights.

2. Discuss the regular daily schedule in the classroom with your child's teacher. Together, you can assess the situation and determine where there are opportunities for you to volunteer.

3. Involve yourself in the local PTA to help flesh out other opportunities for involvement, perhaps even outside your child's classroom. These additional opportunities could include answering the school's phone for an hour, chaperoning a dance or organizing a pizza party.

4. Ask other parents if they might also be willing to give up some of their free time helping out in the classroom. Chances are your child's teacher will be overwhelmed by your show of support.

5. Make sure your volunteer contribution will be worthwhile and educational. At best, you will succeed in teaching the kids something useful and interesting; at worst, you will show your child you want to be involved. It's a win-win situation.

Tips & Warnings

• Concentrate on your areas of expertise. If you are a novelist with a flair for words, maybe you should stick with reading a story instead of fiddling with finger paints.
• Remember what you and your child talked about when you approach your child's teacher. However, you should also remain open to additional ideas and suggestions the teacher may have.
• Don't volunteer if your child seems hesitant or uncomfortable with the idea. This should be a positive experience for everyone.

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