How Active Are You In Your Child's School?

This article is being written as an answer to the Social Moms Daily Writing Prompt:


How active are you in your child's school? -    Are you apart of the PTA? Do you like to help out with school events? How do you motivate others to be more activity.


When my daughter started school I got asked how I'd like to be involved in her education.  At the time I was working full time so my options were somewhat limited, so I volunteered to help coordinate fund raising efforts and help out on field trips.  When I had the opportunity to stay home when we moved to the US, I expanded my volunteering but have purposely stayed out of the children's direct domains... 



I decided that I like working behind the scenes or on afterschool activities because it keeps my kids focused in the classroom without me being a distraction and they have 'their' place to go.  It also helps that by working behind the scenes I can bring my younger children with me to volunteer.  


Liam was the youngest ever library volunteer at Robyn's elementary school - I think he was about four weeks old when I went back to the same volunteer shift that I had been doing before having him.  


Erik was the youngest ever Media Center (yep same type of place different name) volunteer at Robyn's middle school when I had moved up to that level.  I also spent two years as vice president of the PTSA at the middle school - a task I have gladly passed to a new recruit.


I try to balance my volunteering and time between the Middle School and Elementary school where Liam goes to school, but I find that the middle school is needier and has less volunteers available, so I have been putting my efforts in there - I figure that by the time Robyn hits high school next year the kids themselves will do most of their own volunteering, so I can concentrate more on the little ones.


So far my favorite volunteer job is organizing the Scholastic Book Fair - it's a great way to share my love of books with the students, teachers and parents and fund rasie at the same time!


How active are you in your child's school?