Why have parents stopped volunteering at school?
Helaine Olen lives in an affluent suburban town which has an average income of above $100,000. She has two kids and used to volunteer at their wealthy school.
Then she stopped.
Why’d she do that?
Because the insignificant hours that she puts into volunteering at her kids’ school take away from what everyone should really be thinking about…
The bigger social issues like overcrowding and underfunding.
Oftentimes there are too many parent volunteers for school events and meetings for unimportant things like helping with a school party passing out cupcakes and pouring punch.
So what can you do instead?
In her article, Olen advocates a stop to this kind of volunteering to implement an awareness of the bigger issues, like disadvantaged schools or budget cuts.
Furthermore, Olen believes that parents whose children attend wealthy schools volunteer only to feel good about themselves, and that those parents don’t actually care about the volunteering aspect so much as to feel important for their own sakes.
Is this the case? Do you think moms are volunteering just to feel good about themselves and not because they really care about helping and caring?
Why I’m Sick Of Volunteering At My Kids’ Wealthy School [DoubleEx]
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I believe most mothers volunteer in school to share in their childrens’ lives. If someone wants to feel important by volunteering, the school system is not the avenue.
Any parent who has the luxury of volunteering for the school system (as opposed to working 40-60 hours a week) should do so in a manner fitting their talents. If it’s lobbying for school funding or all-day kindergarten, so be it. If it’s pouring juice and passing out cookies, that’s okay too. Anyone who gives time and energy for the good of others should be commended.