Hooray for Volunteers!
*July 22, 2008*
During the school year, I use as many parent volunteers as possible - I can't do it all alone! One of the first things I hand out to parents is my Parent Volunteer form. Sometimes I even mail this out with my letter to the students, so that parents can get a bit of a head start. This form has different areas to check off. Here's what it looks like:
Dear Family - Help Wanted! I like to use parent volunteers as much as possible in first grade. The PTO will choose a class representative, but EVERYONE can help out! If you are interested in helping out in any way, please check all applicable areas below. I will then forward these to our class rep, who will then contact you when the need arises. Even if you are unable to help out, please return the sheet below. I'm attaching a description of many of our class events so that you can make a decision about what you'd like to help us with!
___Yes, I am interested in helping out in the classroom. Areas I am interested in are (check all that apply):
___chaperoning field trips
___preparing for and attending parties
___coming into the room occasionally for special projects
___coming into the room on a regular basis for BEAR reading
__I am interested in helping out behind the scenes (check all that apply)
___baking
___doing the Scholastic Book Order
___sewing (we do one project in January)
___preparing projects at home (cutting, tracing, etc.)
___I cannot help at this time.
Here are the activities that I'd REALLY like to participate in: _____________________________
In the above letter, I reference a description of some of the events that will take place this year. That includes a list of parties, trips and special projects that I know about when the year begins, along with a brief description and a tentative date, when possible. This helps some parents to pick and choose what they might want to volunteer for. The class PTO rep then takes the forms and uses them when I contact him/her regarding an upcoming event.
Our PTO does an excellent job selecting class representatives. They attempt to be fair in their selections and they provide the rep with lots of information and guidelines. Most of their responsibilities, however, come from the classroom teacher, as we all tend to do things a bit differently. Some teachers leave the planning up to the rep, but I've been teaching long enough to have certain ideas about different events. My style is to give the rep a list of items needed and he/she can just delegate the responsibilities to the parents who are interested. Of course, if a parent has a fabulous idea for a party or activity, we'll give it a try, but most are grateful to be "told what to do!" It takes the pressure off them and lets me know we'll have a party or event that will go smoothly.
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