Schools could never make it without the dedication and generosity of their volunteers. From booster clubs to parent governance organizations like PTA, from tutors in math to builders of a school theater set, from career day speakers to cooks at a spring open-house barbecue, schools are enriched by the volunteerism of individuals who donate scores of hours to the overall educational mission. Anita Roddick said it best when she wrote, “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t been in bed with a mosquito.”
Each volunteer contributes in some small, concrete way to make a difference in the lives of teachers, students and the learning community. National Volunteer Week began in 1974 by presidential executive order, establishing the week as an annual celebration of volunteerism. The week of April 19-25 is National Public Schools Volunteer Week.
During my career in Santa Clara County as a teacher and principal, volunteers helped my schools with a myriad of projects that would never have gotten done without their participation. We put in a garden on a Saturday—pulling weeds, planting flowers and bringing in mulch; or we were placing calls to help with chaperoning at a Friday-night middle school dance; other times we were asking for volunteer expertise in technology planning and implementation.
All schools use volunteers, some I am certain better than others. Some schools even use their categorical money to hire a person to coordinate volunteers. Whether they be community volunteers or parent volunteers, all serve a purpose: to make schools stronger, better, richer and more beautiful. So let us celebrate all those who volunteer, become one and make a contribution to the quality of schools in our community.
Tomorrow I begin to volunteer for one period each week for the last eight weeks of classes for the Role Model Program at Piedmont Middle School. If you are interested in becoming a role model in either elementary or middle school you can contact Eric Velasquez, Program Manager at (408) 246-0433. The Role Model Program was founded by former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales.
On a personal note…A friend of mine and public school colleague passed away suddenly on Saturday. He was the principal of Seven Trees Elementary School in Franklin-McKinley School District and he was on spring break last week. Please keep he and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Seven Trees will miss Mr. Dan Lairon very, very much. The school sign outside Dan’s office reads Dan Lairon, Principal, God Bless You. You will be missed. Rest in Peace. The student and parent created memorial on the ground in front of the sign was filled with flowers and notes from scores of the mourners.
For once I agree with you. You didn’t specifically mention them but I’m sure you would include the Minutemen among those whose selfless dedication and volunteerism improves the quality of the education received by American children.
Smaller class sizes, more dollars per student, and less classroom time wasted on remedial teaching are only a few of the many benefits that are realized due to the work of the Minutemen.
Parents have been volunteering @ parochial/private schools for decades. It’s a major difference between private schools and public schools—significant parental involvement.
Prental involvement in their kids’ educations is far more important than class size. My smallest grammar school class in a parochial K-8 school was 45. My high school classes were typically 45-50 kids. We learned, even the dullards among us, and there were some dullards among us, because of teacher involvement beyond salary & benefits, and parental involvement.
Add to the mix parents who live in the USA but consider another country their “home”; parents who earn a living here they could never earn in their “home” country (which is why they are here, and not there); parents who don’t have the respect to learn the language of the country that gives them more opportunity than they could ever HOPE FOR, let alone achieve, in their “home” country; and it all adds up to a huge drop out rate, graduating illiterates, and all the attendant social/political/police problems endemic to populations of folks who decline/refuse to assimilate.
The Murky News recently reported that 13+% of all kids in K-12 in California were the children of illegal immigrants. They get fed for free at school, qualify for MediCal, yet 50% of them drop out, and a high % of the girls are pregnant by age 15.
It’s gonna take a lot more than a boat load of white liberal volunteers to equalize that mess.
JMO,
“It’s gonna take a lot more than a boat load of white liberal volunteers to equalize that mess.”
That is a pretty unfair statement. I have volunteered in many areas of the community with MANY people of color. Last week, I did NOT see a single white person, other than family and friends of the Hosseini’s, from the community volunteering to help pass out fliers to find the people who murdered my friend Vahid Hosseini. But I did see at least 50 Latinos, and a small group of Indian, and other youth of color from the County’s Youth Task Force. I was not only impressed but also very grateful to the Latino community for their continued support of this family.
2. Everything you say about those terrible parents is exactly what was once said about the Irish. Including not learning the language—there were monoglot Irish-speaking communities in the US in the mid-19th century, refugees from the Famine.
And what was the result? Americans of non-Irish extraction had to learn Irish! See http://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Invented-Slang-Counterpunch/dp/1904859607
The same thing was also said about the Germans, Italians, Jews, etc.
Those dummkopfs certainly have a lot of chutzpah, capeesh!
John and JMO,
Tsk, tsk, we’ve scheduled a year of Saturday morning diversity classes for each of you. Making true statements is no longer desirable – the mantra nowadays is “political correctness.”
Kathleen, check out the demographics of the old “Goosetown” area and you’ll have a better understanding of those who volunteered.
#4 Sorry, bub, but the Irish have been speaking English for centuries. My grandparents came to Boston area in the turn of the 20th century. They didn’t know anybody who didn’t speak English; and knew very few who spoke more than a few words in Gaelic (what you call “Irish”)
#7—the common denominator in the increase in crime, school drop out rates, lack of parental involvement, teen pregnancy, etc. is not, nor do I think it ever has been, race or ethnicity. The common denominator is, and always has been, poverty.
#5-Greg,
I don’t disagree with everything JMO said. But I take serious exception to the statement I addressed in my post #3.
Another thing, MANY white teens are getting pregnant and falling back on Welfare, food stamps, and Medical. And in this economy, people of ALL educational and financial backgrounds of ALL races are using Social Services to survive. It is a very frightening time we are living through right now. We need to pull together, not pit one group against another.
http://www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_12193503
John #8: Bingo, poverty is the issue – So why do you always inject race into the conversation, as you did in #2? And then you go one step further by saying that immigration is the problem and that the Minutemen are the solution (John #1 said that). It is always conservative commentary that injects race. Then when they are called on it, the rest of us are accused accused of doing so.
Poverty…,
Generally children who live in poverty, with parent(s) working two or more jobs are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to success in school. Although some children persevere and make it through, our school system is set up for children with similar life experiences to their teachers.
Quality preschool experiences, according to many research studies, helps equalize the educational playing field for all children.
#8-JMO,
Poverty does seem to be the major reason, but I want to add that there are several other things that go into this. The LACK of good role models for youth, BAD role models like movie stars, the media, musicians, young women thinking that having a baby will give them someone to love THEM, and peer pressure are just a few. I honestly think our educational system is way out of touch with our world today, and so are parents.
Youth today face problems and pressures that seem, to me at least, to be more difficult to surmount. If you got pregnant, or used drugs, had sex, or didn’t marry a girl you got pregnant in my day, yes during the ice age, people shunned you. Not like today where you are seen as “cool.” I think kids today are really lonely and confused. They need good role models, actively involved parents, they need to feel like they belong somewhere and are loved.
I don’t think they are getting what they need otherwise they wouldn’t do drugs, drink, get pregnant, have sex at such a young age, drop out of school, join gangs, commit crimes, etc. I think two things need to change, one is the way people parent, and two, and our educational system needs to be over hauled.
Joseph, start with educating parents on how to grow up and be responsible for the innocent lives they are bringing into the world! I swear if I see another 40 plus year old acting like, dressed like, and made up like a 20 year old I’m going to scream. And if I see one more 40 plus year old guy dating a 12 year old looking 20 year old, dressed like a teenager, driving a sports car, I’m going to hurl~
The data shows:
Poor white kids out perform poor latinos and blacks.
Middle income whites out perform middle income latinos and blacks
Rich white kids out perform rich latinos and blacks.
Yes, poverty is a major factor, but if you look closely at the data…. race is a factor on top of the poverty.
Correlation and Causation are two very different things.
You’re right. Poverty IS (mostly) the issue. By failing to control immigration we are increasing the amount of poverty here. Our schools and education system are negatively impacted. My point has nothing to do with race. All the people who are here illegally could be lily-white and I’d still feel the same way about the immigration situation.
I’m interested in providing a world-class education to American children. I think it is within our ability to do that. Where I think we get into trouble is when we fool ourselves into believing that we can invite the rest of the world here and educate them too and not suffer a decrease in the quality of the education we provide.
Kathleen,
I agree, in my experience parent volunteers came in all races, ethnicities, shapes and sizes. Liberal, conservative, or libertarian they all know the importance of volunteering in and for the schools. I hope we can celebrate the work of all volunteers, irrespective of national origin, color, gender, or political beliefs.
I don’t think it’s race.
If it were race, then new immigrants from Africa would do the same as native born African Americans. They don’t. New African immigrants do significantly better.
These immigrants are also black, also poor, and also in poor schools. They have all the disadvantages of poverty and race.
The difference is that they still have some of the culture from back home. That culture values education and hard work more than the culture of their native born cousins.