On Tuesday, I had well over 100 e-mails to catch up on. I had five backlogged posts to write, in addition to several planned for the next few weeks, a conference call to prepare for, four proposals to write, doctor appointments that I never schedule, and a career in Social Media that is busy 24/7.
But I looked the other way, because I had offered to read a book to my daughter’s preschool classroom.
Reading a book became making cookies, which became entertaining, which became hand washing and hosting a community coffee for the PTO to help our community of families to become more of a community.
The hours of work? They could wait. My child’s classroom and school community came first, just as they always have.
Volunteering in my children’s classrooms and schools has always been important to me.
My oldest was two-years-and-20-hours-old when his brother was born. Six days later he started preschool and I signed up to be a room parent. I recall a friend laughing that she wasn’t about to sign up to be a preschool room parent. She had better things to do.
“Oh,” I said, “but you have to find ways to let your kids see you’re involved in their education. They need to see you around the school, interacting with the teacher. They need to know you care.”
She promised she’d find other ways to be involved.
I haven’t been a room parent every year since. Instead, I’ve found other ways to be involved, from directing committees to being the Parent Teacher Organization director. At my older son’s elementary school I do a lot less volunteering. But I still make sure he knows just how interested I am in his education and in being active and involved in his schooling.
As an elementary school teacher (I taught grades 2, 4 and 6), I saw the difference in students’ behavior and education when their parents were actively involved. Now, as a parenting blogger at Just Precious and at Rusty and Rosy I share ideas with other parents, showing them how simple it is to be involved in your child’s education.
Kids believe what they see. They believe you’re invested when they see that you’re invested. Here, at Rusty and Rosy, I’ll be sharing ideas that you can do both in your home and in your schools that help you to have an active role in thier child’s education.
It doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t have to be time consuming (though, I can promise that an hour in a classroom full of four-year-olds is a lot of fun). But it does have to be done. And it has to be done with a smile.
There is nothing better than a hug from your child and a big smile of Mommy-pride plastered on her face.
