Volunteers Dish Up Useful Help

August 9, 2002

Cutting out letters and shapes for a bulletin board, dishing out macaroni and cheese, wiping away the tears from a skinned knee or reading to a group of children are ways parents and other volunteers can provide practical assistance in their local schools.

"Volunteers can perform clerical duties for the teacher, assist with cafeteria duty or outdoor play time or help with beginning-of-the-year functions, such as assisting younger children in the bathroom or at dismissal time," said Mavis H. Brown, associate professor of education at the University of Richmond.

During instructional time, volunteers can read stories to children, assist with difficult assignments such as math problems, phonemic awareness and handwriting, or become tutors. Tutors receive specialized training and become a part of the instructional team. A tutor "takes a class in a specialized area like reading and receives specific information on how to remediate certain problems," Brown said.

Many school districts also are looking at retirees as prospective tutors. In Richmond, for instance, a foster grandparent program supplies tutors who are paid for their services. "They must attend workshops periodically on ways to better prepare themselves for the tutoring task," said Brown.

Prospective volunteers and tutors must realize that they cannot just show up at school and expect to be put to work instantly. "Most school systems have a screening process in place," Brown said. "Working with children requires that volunteers be willing to submit to a background check as well as know and understand the codes of conduct in matters relating to confidentiality."

When the dismissal bell rings, however, school volunteers go away having earned many rewards. "There is the joy of seeing a child as a happier and more confident student as well as the personal satisfaction of having made a difference in someone's life," said Brown.