Change a life, change the world

Volunteering - giving of yourself, your time, your talent, sometimes your money. How many of you do this from time to time? How about regularly? I have always been a volunteer in a variety of areas, from things I did as a kid with my parents to things I have decided to do on my own as a teen, young adult, and as a parent.

Just as with other things, volunteering isn't for everybody. Honestly, not everybody has the heart for it, nor the time, nor the caring. I know that sounds odd but it truly isn't. Just as some people aren't the type of person to settle down and get married, or perhaps aren't the type of person or couple to have children, some people won't understand the reward inherent in it, and that reward isn't monetary.

This brings me to the topic on hand, volunteering as a parent in school. I started out having what I thought was an excellent experience. It has now been tempered by having to deal with something caused by people I may not even know, whose motivations I may never understand. As a result, I have had to deal with a change in school policy that it made it that much harder to be involved, because now you have to be so much more specific and plan everything in advance. As a parent, sometimes I like this, but after having gotten used to not having to, it just seems like a roadblock. I feel there has been a big communication problem and I'm not sure where it is stemming from. I like to solve problems by getting to the root of them and dealing that way, not by masking the symptoms and continuing to have the problem. Despite this, it is still valuable to be involved, and this is why.

Like I had said before, parent involvement is made up of MUCH more than just tutoring your own child, it has more to do with knowing what is going on the whole day, from the personality and teaching methods of the teacher, the class environment and factors present there, not reading at home or doing homework packets together. I would probably encourage EVERY parent that could even take ONE day off from work and spend that day in the classroom with their child to do it. Even if they don't get much out of it that day, it might trigger something for them later on when they think back. Maybe it's just me. I'm not quite sure why I think it's so cool, maybe because it's an actual way to change the world that doesn't require you to be a millionaire or have connections. =)

I can think of adults or teachers who have had a direct impact on me, and who is to say that you or I wouldn't be that same person in a child's life today?