Many teachers love to have parents volunteer in their classrooms. Attending the school’s open house, knowing school regulations and being open to whatever the teacher has for you to do within reasonable parameters will provide some hard working teachers a much needed helping hand.
Go to the Open House
At the beginning of each school year there is an open house. There you can meet your child's teacher and let her know that you want to help. Many teachers will even have a volunteer sign up sheet prepared in the hopes that several parents will be willing to donate some time to help out.
School Regulations Regarding Parent Helpers
Today schools are very cautious with visitors in school halls. Each school has its own security procedures and you need to make sure you follow all safety protocols in order to provide the best service you can to your child's school. When you arrive, go to the office first, and sign in. Get to know the office staff a little and be sensitive to the rules and wishes of both the school and the individual teachers.
In getting to know the office staff, your child’s teacher, and possibly the principal, you are setting a positive tone for all future contacts you have with the school. This may be helpful down the road if your child gets in trouble, or if you find yourself in an IEP meeting.
What Will You be Doing?
Most teachers will not have you working in the classroom itself, but at a table or desk out in the hall. Having parents in the classroom can be a distraction for the students, especially if your child is in that class. In some situations, a teacher may have you in the classroom if it seems to have a calming effect on your child, enabling him or her to focus better, but usually this will not be the case.
Providing a work station in the hallway also allows other grade level teachers in that hall to add some of their own work to your list of things to do. Some of the common things that teachers will have parents do include cutting out something for an activity, putting together a bulletin board in the hall, or other similar activities.
What Should You Avoid Doing?
Teachers should never have you creating lesson plans or thinking up activities. Preparing parts of an already thought up activity is fine. You should never be grading papers for a teacher, or be allowed to see papers that have grades on them, for privacy reasons. This means you should not be allowed to file graded papers for a teacher, either. Filing lesson plans or activities is fine.
Volunteering to help out in your child’s school once or twice a week will provide the teachers there a much needed extra pair of hands, and it may help you have a better idea of what your child is learning, giving you a better idea of when to schedule parent-teacher conferences.
