Parent Volunteering

At Luke and Emma's school, they encourage parents to be volunteers. When Luke started kindergarten, of course this was all new to me. But I was happy to parent-volunteer! You betcha I was!! Yep... I'm one of those.

Kindergarten is super fun. Parent volunteers get to be the teacher's aide. Yippee! Yes, I have to make the occassional 20 copies of something, or cut out things, or put up or take down a bulletin board. But I also get to help the kids do their work, interact with all the kids, help at snack time and get to know my kids' friends.

It's awesome.

When Luke got to 1st grade, his teacher told me she was self-sufficient and didn't use parent volunteers. I almost had a heart-attack. I tried again in 2nd grade. She had too many helpers and only picked a handful. I wasn't one of them.

Depression set in. Of course I am kidding. Maybe. ha ha.

This year I've hit the jackpot. Emma is in kindergarten so I am in her class once a week. And Luke's 3rd grade teacher also uses parent volunteers - so I'm baaaack!

I only help Luke's teacher once a month. Today was my day. It isn’t nearly as fun as helping in kindergarten. There is a desk outside her door and she has a stack of papers for me to copy. Today she also had a note for me to take down the monster candy projects on the wall. Oh goody!! I don’t even slightly enjoy standing in the copy room for an hour making copies, but I am in the school and I hope to get a glimpse of my kid.

Am I deranged?? Don't answer that. It is better than sneaking around the school like a super ninja, don't ya know??!!

After I was done in the copy room, I took her stack ‘o papers back to the lovely desk in the hall and I peeked in her room. She has a curtain on her window so it makes it tough. There were no kids, only the teacher and 2 other teachers, talking.

Shoot. So I wasted some time in the hall reading, “How to Cook a Turkey by every 3rd grader in in Luke's school.” I left the hall, saw another group of 3rd graders coming so I went back to the 3rd grade hall hoping to catch a glimpse of Luke.

How pathetic am I???

I read – again – the amazing How to Cook a Turkey art work. Still no Luke. I hear her say to her teacher friends, “I have to go get my kids from library” so I read them again. And again. Finally – here he comes. Right in the front of the line. His friends are waving at me. And get this – he is too - so I waited and when they got to me, he ran up and gave me a hug!! Right in front of all his friends!

SWOON!!!!

It was SO worth it to read the Turkey Cooking Instructions 67 times!!

And I'm quite sure the teacher has no idea I'm not really a slow reader. ha ha ha.