Moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, whoever! I need volunteers daily in the classroom so if you have some spare time and want to help, GREAT! I also need a volunteer to be my phone parent. About 5 times throughout the year, I send a list home to this person to make some calls regarding snacks, etc., so if you have little ones at home but want to help out, this is great for you! I need volunteers for special events and field trips. I will send notes home at this time to recruit some helpers. Frequently I've had dads with a day or two off who want to see what our class is all about, feel free to drop in! Or if you don't want to be involved with the classroom but have some office skills, I always have tons of photocopying.
A primary classroom is such a busy place. I don't know where the time in the day goes, but it always seems that there is never enough and an extra pair of hands is wonderful! You are encouraged to do only what you feel comfortable doing and to have a good time. I prefer if you leave your role as a parent at home and treat all the children the same. Leave the disciplining to me and remind your child that you are there for everyone, not just him or her. Your child works a lot better when he or she realizes that you are not there to sit at their desk and help them with everything. There is a lot to keep you busy. I try to have a list of things for you to do but feel free to use your own judgement. As long as you are not interrupting me and distracting the kids, you're helping and it's appreciated.
It could be in our classroom or just out in the hallway. It could be running errands throughout the school, depends on the day!
Whenever! The mornings are when the most learning takes place so I really appreciate some help here. You can help out once a week, once a month or whenever works best for you! Just let me know your preferences. Then I fill in a calendar for the month so I know when to expect you and you know when to come. It's no problem if you have to cancel and if you wish to add or delete days in the next month, I am very flexible. The only thing I try to avoid is more than 1 volunteer in the classroom at a time as it just makes for too many adults in the room at once.
Educating children is not solely my responsiblity; it is the communities responsibility. What better way to involve members of the community than to invite them into the classroom. It's fun and you really get the opportunity to see how your child and others operate when they are away from you. Some of you would be extremely amazed at the differences. Furthermore, it shows your child that you are an active participant in their classroom and develops a sense of pride for your child. (Not to mention how much I appreciate it!)
