Volunteer much?

Parent Cafe
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<p>batw makes an excellent point that the consumer/provider equation is not mutually exclusive. I helped out in administrative areas while great coaches taught my kids far more than fundamentals in sports. A good coach is a gift and will impart lessons that will follow your students into the classroom and life.</p>

<p>In my kids EC I have steered clear of my own students to give them room, helping in mostly administrative areas. My students have benefited from truly gifted adult mentors in the community, some with no students at all. They spend hundreds of hours with the students, teaching them skills beyond what they are learning in the class, and challenge them in ways that make them stronger. Another parent may help a student who never dreamed of going to college and their parent fill out scholarship and fin-aid forms to a local university so he can go for free. What an amazing gift for that family. That student may mentor in the elementary schools, working with the next generation of students who will head to the hs in a few years. A parent in the elementary school may provide dinner for the elem team, not knowing that is the only hot meal the hs mentor will have that day. It can be an amazing cycle.</p>

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<p>I also don’t want anyone to think that I’m against people volunteering in support of education or schools. I’m certainly a supporter and will spend a lot of time in the years ahead.</p>

<p>I don’t think everyone can be an effective volunteer, and know of several that I’d rather not see volunteer at my kids school. And I think PTOs have an obligation to ensure that activities can take place in the evening or weekends and not just M-F, 8 to 5pm. But surely it’s important. </p>

<p>In this day and age, I think there are more opportunities to volunteer for extracurricular activities than during the school day.</p>

<p>But for those who can and are able, contributing is important.</p>