[LM_NET] Parent Facilitation...

[Holly Gillum <exlibrishg@YAHOO.COM>]

I have been snookered, coerced, bribed, an
Good Morning, Oh Wise Ones.

I have been snookered, coerced, bribed, and otherwise talked into being the Parent 
Facilitator for my elementary building.  Yay me.  I need help.  I need lots of 
help!  Not to bad-mouth the current facilitator, but we are unorganized and I HATE 
that!  We have a lot of transition - parents want to stay with their kids as they 
move up, so there is little consistency.  We have lots of working parents, so that 
presents another problem.  We have willing parents who do sloppy jobs (that 
teachers have to re-do) so it's not worth the time and effort to contact them.  Our 
"PTA" which isn't called that, is in the same situation - it can be cliquish and 
"exclusive" and some parents flat out refuse to work with other parents.  Egads - I 
thought we were supposed to get out of that after Jr. High!  I clearly have my job 
cut out for me.  

I don't really know what a "good" Parent Facilitator does.  I know my job, as 
explained to me, is to be the building representative for the WatchDOG program 
(about which I have mixed feelings) and to help coordinate parent volunteers.  The 
teachers won't tell me what the need help with because they've been burned too many 
times.  Personally, I'd like to set up a copy station where teachers leave their 
masters and come in to copies the next day.  I'd like to have parents reading to 
and reading with students.  I'd like to have parents decorating our halls and 
providing moral support for our students (and teachers.)  I have no idea how to get 
all of this organized.

If you have a volunteer contract or booklet, could you please send me a copy?  If 
you have a "help request" list of some sort, again, may I beg a copy?  Our parents 
control so much of our days (in how they control their children).  Having this 
active in our building is only to our benefit.  ANYTHING else you have, please send 
to me.  I know set-up is going to be painful at the beginning, but I want to create 
a program that essentially runs itself.  Does any of this make sense?  Before I 
begin to ramble in circles, please, I beg of you, help me out!  hg
 
Holly Gillum, LMS
Anderson Elementary
Crossett, AR 71635
exlibrishg@yahoo.com
 
"Reading gives you some place to go when you have to stay where you are."  ~Mason 
Cooley


      

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