parent volunteers

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Home : 2001 : February : 9

parent volunteers
By Christine

I think you would be better off having your volunteer at home this year.
By all means don't use this particular volunteer as an example of how all volunteers act in the classroom.
I was a volunteer coordinator of about
100 people for 3 years. I found very little conflicts between teachers and their volunteers. The most common complaint was that the volunteer was not doing what they signed up to do. Apparently the volunteers didn't realize what they were getting into when they signed up. Depending on the teacher's needs, it can take a lot of time and effort.
In the beginning of the year our

school gives a "tea" and invites all the volunteers. Every volunteer is assigned their position. They receive handouts with rules, regulations and expectations. They are also verbally instructed on what they can do for the teacher, how they are to deal with the children, what to do if a conflict occurs(chain of command), etc. One of the more important rules is confidentiality. No one is to speak to another about a teacher or a child they are dealing with. Speak at your next Home and School meeting, or at least ask the president to bring up the topic on how you can resolve these difficulties in the future. Good luck.