Teacher Appreciation, Volunteeritis, & Taking the Plunge | I'm Signing Up
We are thrilled to feature three more bloggers who are sharing their intriguing, informative, and inspiring perspectives of signing up to help in their kids' schools. From teacher appreciation, to volunteer burnout, to diving in for the first time, you are sure to connect with their stories and we encourage you to share your own!
Stephanie Porter of QueenScarlett.com is signing up to show her kids' teachers some major appreciation this year! Read an excerpt of her post below and the entire piece on her blog.
Most of our teachers like volunteers in the classroom, they often have to work out a schedule based on all the parents' varied schedules. I can't imagine the time and the headache putting it together. VolunteerSpot would make it so much easier for teachers to put up the schedule they need, and simply have the parents tap into each spot that works for them, saving time for the teacher, and making it simple to get a replacement volunteer if something comes up.
I'm really excited to use VolunteerSpot to coordinate Teacher Appreciation Week. When my oldest was in kindergarten we had a teacher that went above and beyond, and truly showed a mother's heart towards my daughter. When I discovered from the Internet when Teacher Appreciation week was, I went overboard, as is in my nature. It's fun for me. I organized the class to do something special for our teacher every day, we brought flowers, tea bags, baked goods, fruit, we even wore her favorite color, and I made a memory book for her in addition to a class gift. It seems, because we went overboard, some teachers felt a little left out, so the administration decided to start having parents organize the week, that next year kids were bringing in things about three days out of the week. Of course, if you're in my kid's class we're going to make it easier this year with VolunteerSpot.
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Ashley Taylor of TheDoseOfReality knows you might have a fever and the only diagnosis is VOLUNTEERITIS! Ashley is helping keep us in check with a little humor and aseriously cautionary tale of a leading a fundraiser the hard way.
I have a feeling that you, like me, will soon find yourself at one or two upcoming Parents’ Nights, a scattering of PTA meetings, or a few Back-to-School events where you will be conveniently placed at some point in front of a table loaded with various sheets labeled “Parent Volunteer Requests.” Or if you are lucky, your school will have embraced technology and be using Volunteer Spot.
Some of these requests will be simple like, “Who can bring plastic-ware for the fall class party?” Some will be a little more involved like, “Who will be the class photographer for the holiday party?” And then there will be a few seemingly harmless requests in there that will *appear* doable (because this is how they will be presented to you) when in actuality they could wind up sucking the life out of you and additionally could have your husband and children considering whether or not you are really of vital importance to the family. [Don't worry, you are. Dance leotards don't wash themselves. -Lisa]
I am here today to offer a cautionary tale to help you steer clear of “volunteering” your life away, or at the very least, to let you know that you are not alone if you are already entrenched in one of these “doable” parent volunteering tasks.
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Angie Kinghorn of AngieKinghorn.com didn't volunteer until now - and that's ok! With a moving tale of her journey, Angie will inspire you as a parent and school volunteer. Read an excerpt of her post below and the entire piece on her site.
But this year my kids are in kindergarten, and I’ve signed up to be a room mom and a library volunteer, and it’s largely because I’ve spent the past three years not volunteering.
So let me tell you about not volunteering. This side of the story is important, and it’s not something you hear a lot.
Listen closely if you’re a room mom, desperate to fill your sign-up sheets with bright-eyed parents. When you see that same mother screeching to the curb minutes before the bell sounds every morning, sporting the same yoga pants, dirty hair, and streaked mascara she’s had on every other time you’ve seen her, remember this story. The class Halloween party may be the least important thing in her life right now; she may be hanging on by a thread.