As the school year comes to a close, I've had the chance to look back and reflect on the year, my children's performance and all the time I dedicated to them and their classrooms.
When the boys reached the school year ages, I stepped away from commitments in the community to focus my time on their studies and my involvement with the school. In my opinion, if I am going to be involved with volunteer work, the school should be my first priority.
Even though it’s the end of the school year here, I thought I would share a few tips for becoming involved in your child’s classroom and school. It can certainly be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know other families or staff.
Reach out.
Reach out to the teachers, the office help and the principal. Let them know you are willing to be involved and that you want to help. But don't hesitate to set parameters. Volunteering can be time consuming and you can't do it all. Pick a few areas that you feel bring out your best traits and qualities. Are you good at organizing? You may make a wonderful homeroom mom. Do you have a visual eye? Perhaps the yearbook would be the place for you.
Get to know the teachers.
Knowing who spends the day with my children is very important to me. I want to know about their personalities, their teaching style and their likes and dislikes. If I have a question or concern, I never hesitate to reach out. Email is a great way to stay in touch and keep the lines of communication open.
Meet other parents.
While your child may not be best friends with everyone, they are bound to form relationships in school. Meeting other parents allows these relationships to grow and develop over the years. You may often find that you form your own new friendships with other parents in the school.
Get organized.
The school year is full of activities, dates and events. Keep yourself organized so you are on top of these activities. The last thing you want to do is forget about a school party, project or play. We have a master calendar that hangs in our kitchen where I write and highlight all activities that are school and non-school related. I’ve made a habit of checking this calendar daily!
Do you have any tips for getting involved in the school? Do you feel it's easy to reach out and meet other parents?
Love these photos! What fun field trips! In middle school the opportunity for parent volunteering becomes less and less but when Logan was in elementary school I tried to volunteer as much as I could. I loved it! I've always had a hard time connecting with other parents in his classes though. I'm pretty much always the youngest parent there and covered in tattoos. Sometimes even a big smile and a great attitude can't convince some small town moms. But for the most part it always goes well, and the important part was that I was there for my son! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all you say, and feel it makes such a difference. I was elected to our school council this year and always try to be one of my children's class room reps - a parent contact in each class who co-ordinates extra help for the teacher and special events. I also do literacy - volunteering in the class room and feel as a result of all of this I know what's going on. Also, I like all parents to feel involved and there are friends who are working part or full time who can't make it there, so it's nice to keep them informed and updated. In high school it's not so easy here, to either help or make connections - so not sure how that's going to work ???
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