Opportunity Knocked
Yesterday I saw a Facebook post from my daughter’s elementary school’s PTA looking for eight volunteers to be chaperones for a first grade field trip to Thanksgiving Point Museum of Natural Curiosity. Thanksgiving Point requests a 4:1 student to adult ratio for classes on field trips, and there were not enough eligible volunteers. My youngest is in fourth grade. I hadn’t been on a first grade field trip for a few years. Today I went on a first grade field trip. As an employee of Jordan School District I have been fingerprinted and had my background checked. With that done and the annual review of critical concerns (rules and guidelines for appropriate interactions with students that employees read and sign every year), I was ready and eligible to go. My cute neighbor from across the street was in my group. Some other kids from my neighborhood were on the field trip too. It was fun to keep track of my four charges amid the joyful chaos. And I’m sorry about the soaked shoes and socks. The students were pretty enthused about transporting and pouring water in the waterworks section. There were several other chaperones that did not have a first grade student, but heeded the call of the PTA for volunteers.
Throughout my children’s public school careers I have volunteered at their schools to varying degrees and in different capacities. When my three oldest were in elementary school my husband worked a swing shift from three to eleven and was able to be home with any babies and preschoolers (when he didn’t have classes). I was in kindergarten, first, second, and third grade classrooms several hours every week, listening to kids read, helping them stay on task, helping with art projects, drilling multiplication facts, reading to the class, cutting things out, and what ever else teachers wanted me to do. I loved it.
With my three youngest I’ve usually had a part time job and less time to spend in the classroom. For them I’ve been a room mother planning Halloween and Valentines Day parties and gone on field trips. I’ve loved that too. I loved it when students at JPJMS recognized me as Ginger’s mom and mentioned those parties.
It is fun and exhausting and wonderful to spend time with students and teachers. I highly recommend it. I remember Grampa Tony reading with kids at Columbia. I also remember retired women from the community listening to students read at Westvale. (My kids attended Westvale when we first moved to West Jordan.) I don’t know if these volunteers were related to any of the students. I do know that they had a desire to be involved and contribute to public education.
Something that I heard mentioned many times at the truth in taxation town hall meeting was the willingness of community members to volunteer and be involved in public schools. Individuals that want to volunteer need to go to the district office and get fingerprinted, watch a video, and fill out a form. After a background check (from the fingerprints), the individual should contact the administration or a teacher from the school they would like to help at. It helps if you have some idea of what you would like to help with. With one of my kid’s second grade classes I asked the teacher if I could do 25-35 minute art project once a month. She liked this idea, and we worked out when I would come in each month. It was really fun. It’s not just elementary schools that have opportunities, secondary schools and teachers can use volunteers also.
I hope that members of our community and our public schools can see each other as allies and assets.
