First, congratulations to parent volunteers! What would our schools do
without them? As a parent, volunteering can be a great way to meet
other parents and connect with your children. Parent volunteers are
obviously interested in making a positive difference in their child's
life, so it can be challenging when you come across difficult
volunteers. While there isn't really any way to change someone's
behavior in a peer volunteer relationship, there are a few things that
you can do when met with this barrier to volunteering.

First, is there a volunteer coordinator within the school? If so,
connect with them! A volunteer coordinator is there to hear your
concerns and to help you find the best ways to volunteer within the
school community. Also, if a volunteer is negatively impacting the
work, a volunteer coordinator needs to hear that so s/he can coach that
volunteer, or reassign her to duties that may better fit her motivation
and passion.

Everyone has a motivation for volunteering, and when working with a
group it can get tricky to navigate those. In a classroom setting it
can pose a even bigger concern as there are students involved. Knowing
your own motivation is key here. If you are really interested in
working with students and enjoy interaction perhaps you can do
one-on-one tutoring, or become a guest reader. If you are all about the
tasks, maybe some help is needed with project preparation. If you are
interested in the long-term goals of the school, maybe a committee is
the right place for you. Volunteering is great! Being involved in your
child's school is fantastic! Knowing what fits your personality, and
talents will be a better help to teachers and administrators alike.
Consequently you may tap into a great network of other volunteers whose
motivation is similar to yours.

There's such value in volunteering. Independent Sector values a
volunteer's hour as worth $20.25 to the organization you volunteer with,
but there's value in what you gain from volunteering, too. In addition
to being a great role model and feeling good about engaging in your
children's lives, you know that your contribution is making a difference
to the school and community beyond the immediate, intangible, impact.
Don't let a parent-zilla sour you on being involved in your kids school.