Teachers and TAs do you actually find parent volunteers a help or hinderance?

[wanttomakeadifference]

I've read a few things in MN recently which have made me wonder about this.

I work four days a week and over the past few years have volunteered in DC's classroom for one morning a week.

I enjoy doing this, but the my main motivation is to provide some genuine help to the teacher, in any way that suits them. My reasoning is that, the more help the teacher gets, the more time they have to concentrate on the core aspects of their job. I've done loads of different things, from listening to reading to sharpening pencils.

I was planning on volunteering again this year, but would hate to think I was actually more of a hinderance than a help........

I would be really grateful for any thoughts from teachers TAs.

Our school actively encourages parents to get involved, and especially appeals for help with outdoor days, school discos, end of term parties, etc.

I work, and until now have had dd2 home with me (she starts school next week) but try to go in and help a couple of times a year. So far, I've volunteered for one Welly Walk morning, been asked to go on another whole-day one the following week (not dd1's class!), sharpened pencils, given a whole-class music lesson, worked with groups, taken down displays, given the school recorders a wash and sort, and helped with cookery. Our school also told the parents we had to raise a substantial amount of money for something, so I spent months organising a huge concert for them. If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it! Judging by the amount of varied activities they've got me to do, I would hope the staff don't regard me as a gossipy little witch.

I think most schools encourage parents to get involved especially things like welly walks, forest school and visits.

I started helping out when my son's were in Reception and year 2, mainly reading with the little ones, filing the seemingly hundreds of loose pieces of paper that one teacher used to store up for me, washing paint pots, etc. After several years,I was helping out in 4 different classes and had been "promoted" to running the school library, taking out groups for art work or project work-embroidery, cooking,individual assessments( reading ages, phonics knowledge etc) and working with groups in the class. I then decided I might as well train to be a teacher!
Parent volunteers are as valued as they are useful!

I am eternally grateful to all of the parents who give up their time to help in class. So much so I often am at a bit of a loss over how to thank them - a plain old "thank you" often just doesn't seem enough.

I am a retired teacher and would love to go into a school to hear readers etc-I am 68 am I too old do you think?I never taught round here and wouldn't know any of the pupils or staff.

Not too old-go for it! (they can only say 'no')
Have you thought of doing the summer safari reading at your local library? Too late this year, but something to think of for next year.

I think my contribution was valuable :) and the teachers certainly said so. When DD joined reception I asked if I could help with anything - they made it clear they didn't let reception parents volunteer in their child's class though (for settling in reasons I think). I said I was happy to do anything but would especially like to help with numeracy as I love maths. They were really surprised as they hadn't had any volunteers wanting to do that before (they fought over who would 'get me' in the staff room apparently :o) and I was assigned to a group of yr1 children who really struggled with numeracy. The teacher gave me the topic she wanted me to work on but left it up to me to make up the activities. I was really gutted when I had to give it up (went full time at work) and the teacher said 'my' group had really grown in confidence and it showed in their class work. It really meant a lot :) it was so much more worthwhile than the other volunteering I did with the PTA, where I felt like a waste of space thanks to the cliqueyness that is so often described on MN. If I ever regain the time or energy to do volunteer work again I know which I'd choose :)

I'd recommend that anyone just went for it, teachers and paid TAs are so stretched as it is (and my DD's school is very well staffed compared to many) and any help has to be good. :)

We have some ladies from the local seniors club who come in and hear readers, two ladies who run a needlework club and one who runs a pottery club, the average age must be well over 70!

We had a lovely lady who was a retired librarian who came in every week to read with the infants and the local age concern group work with KS2 pupils on art and community projects.

Agree with Lakeofshiningwater. Can't believe all this negativity over parent helpers.

I've volunteered over the last few years and done anything from cutting/filing to hearing readers to helping with crafts. Have never had negative vibes over my volunteering of I would have given up pronto.

I think most people's motives are either - they want to do something worthwhile (if they haven't got a job/have a part time job) and/or because they're considering a career as a TA or teacher.

Have been in the staffroom for a coffee break on occasion and again the school encouraged the parent volunteers to do this. As people have said plenty of the extras - school trips etc can't go ahead without extra help.

OoooH I think I will look into it-I'd love to be back in school again.Should I write,phone or email the head?

Hi 'thegreylady' -

I retired as a TA (male) at 67, and had been doing voluntary help with ICT in secondary school for couple of years, then several years in primary, mostly KS1 but bit of everything really. At the moment, at 73, health problems have unfortunately ended that for now.

Children mostly respect older adults, and anyway, young children have little understanding of age - they think 21 is 'old'.

So, certainly Yes, go for it.

Maybe phone school secretary - but give them at least a week or two to settle back in !

I would just pop in rather than phone, but agree with letting then settle into the term first.

I am a parent helper.
Last year I listened to the eal kids in y5.
I loved it.
The teacher was grateful and at the end of term they got me a beautiful bunch of flowers....cue me disintegrating into floods of tears.
:)
I am helping this year too but not sure which class yet.
You do what's asked.
You don't talk about anything outside the classroom (except to tell parents how wonderful their kids are!)

Oh, and ime generally the parents who complain/joke about parent helpers and pta etc are those who never help at school themselves and never would.
Easier to mock others than do something I guess?

I started as a parent helper after doing a course "helping in Schools" which was run through my children's school, by the WEA. I was always used more or less like a TA from the start. As a result I decided to TA training. I did the NVQ2 course while being voluntary at the same school, and in fact , was in my youngest son's class. I was allowed to do this, I think, because I never showed him any favouritism at all....he was just one of the kids in the class while I was there. I remember coming out of the staff room,once, after playtime, to find him sitting outside the Head's Office with a group of boys. It was hard but I just walked past him! It wasn't till we got home after school that I asked him about what had happened! His class teacher was most impressed with me!