How To Support Your School
You can give back to your community, and catch up with your grandchildren
by Deborah Hallman
As a young mother, Mary (Brondum) Bourgeois of Metairie, La., spent countless hours volunteering at her children's grade school. She was a "Room Mom" who baked, helped out in the classroom, and organized holiday celebrations. By the time her kids were grown, you'd think she'd be ready for a rest.
Think again. At 62, this grandmother of four (a fifth is on the way) is president of the Grandparents Club at St. Philip Neri School in Metairie. Her 6-year-old grandson is in kindergarten at the school, and Bourgeois is back in volunteer mode. She recently helped organize the annual Halloween "Trunk or Treat" celebration, and she'll soon be working on the school's May Fair.
"I pour a lot of work into this," Bourgeois says, "because I'm very passionate" about promoting grandparent involvement at school.
Bourgeois is among the ranks of grandparent-volunteers across the country who are dusting off their skills and bringing them back into the classroom. These grandparents say that they're happy to be giving back to their communities, and that they relish being able to have regular contact with their grandchildren in the setting where the kids spend so much time. Many grandparents struggle to get clear answers from young kids when they ask, "What did you do in school today?" These volunteers know.
A boon for principals and parents
At St. Philip Neri, which has students from pre-K through grade seven, principal Carol Stack deploys the school's 172 Grandparents Club members on campus in a range of roles, from reading and science volunteers to lunch and recess monitors. "They're going into the children's world, and they really get a good picture of it," Stack says. "They see the children in the academic world, the spiritual, and the social.”
Grandparents actively involved in their grandchildren's schools also offer benefits to families in which both parents work outside the home, limiting their own ability to volunteer in the classroom and attend schoolwide events. "Grandparents can fill in and provide role models and examples” for children, Stack says.
How to get involved
There are opportunities for grandparents to get involved in many, if not most, schools. Here are a few suggestions if you're ready to roll up your sleeves and jump back into the bake-sale circuit:
* Assess your skill set. Some people are great musicians; others are expert storytellers. Figure out what skill or talent you could bring to the school. Reginald Rose, 68, a grandfather of ten in Tupelo, Miss., brought his expertise as a master gardener into his grandchildren's elementary school when he began volunteering six years ago. His role has since expanded beyond gardening activities — Rose now teaches regular science-enrichment activities at two Tupelo schools. At a time when many schools will be facing severe state budget cuts, volunteer grandparents who provide quality classroom and after-school enrichment activities may be especially welcome.
* Get the all-clear from your family. "If you're going into your own grandchild's school, certainly you should talk with the parent first. I would even communicate with the child and see what his or her opinions are," suggests Illinois PTA President Jean Razunas, 58. A grandmother of four, Razunas is a member of the Hufford Junior High School PTA in Joliet, Ill., where her eldest granddaughter is a student. Many kids are excited to see their grandparents at school, but if your grandchild is self-conscious about it, it's better to find out before you volunteer.
* Find out what's needed. Rather than showing up with a proposal that might not fit the school's needs, set up an appointment with the principal to get an idea of how your skills might be put to use.
* Work with the parent or grandparent club. Grandparent clubs are a great way to get involved. But if your local school, or your grandchildren's, doesn't have one, get in touch with its PTA instead. Most PTAs are open to members of the community at large, and most will be happy to have your help. National PTA President Jan Harp Domene, 57, is a grandmother of five, and says her organization is stepping up efforts to recruit grandparents, who bring not only a wealth of life experience, but often, the experience of school involvement during their early parenting years. "I call the grandparents our legacy leaders," Domene said recently in a phone interview from her home in Anaheim, Calif. "They've been down that road” and already know what groups like the PTA can accomplish with the right support.
Elsewhere on Grandparents.com, find our guide to your grandchildren's education, learn about becoming a foster grandparent, find out whether your grandchildren are carrying too much in their school backpacks, and see our recommendations of recent books for young readers.
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