Our First Year Of School; Involvement, Engagement + Volunteerism.

This afternoon, I took Javi Back To School Shopping for first grade. I never gave his Kindergarten year a proper reflection. I was very nervous for him to start school. I was sad that he wasn’t attending a Montessori school and after having him home for 18 months during Shutdown and in the height of Covid, I was even more upset that I couldn’t just homeschool him forever. So when it was time for me to let him go off to Kindergarten at our local public school, I was bitter. I was positive they would lose him on the first day! When I tell you, I had no faith… I had no faith. (ha!)

The truth is, I think we both grew this year. Javi did well in school. He woke up every day and wanted to go. He loved his teachers. He loved the bus. He loved being with kids. He loved showing us his daily work. He loved snack, and recess, and lunch, and Specials. He loved getting invited to birthday parties for classmates. He loved checking the classroom App for photos and videos of himself and his friends. He learned (sort of) to sit still. He learned to wait, to ask, to speak up, to be quiet (sort of!) Honestly, he thrived (as much as the methods used to make this happened… broke my spirit a bit!)

For me, I grew in ways I didn’t anticipate. There are a lot of things I don’t understand, philosophically, about public schools. Sometimes it makes me cringe. I question. I wonder. I feel sweaty and uncomfortable and I want to shout… “wait, there’s another way!” But I learned to really stretch my mindset. I learned to be flexible with my thinking. I learned that different isn’t better or worse and that new doesn’t mean horrible. I learned to think like more of a parent, not only a Montessori teacher.

So what helped this process? — Three things, and yes — You’re going to roll your eyes:

1. Involvement
2. Engagement
3. Volunteerism

Involvement: I would say this is a great starting point for every parent. Involvement is the thing that is sort of expected. It’s reading the emails from the Superintendent and the weekly newsletters from the Principal. It’s knowing an incident happened at school because you got a call from the teacher. It’s logging into the classroom App, and helping your child get into their online homework portal (as much as you don’t agree with it!) It’s packing their sneakers in their backpack on their PE day, it’s asking “how was your day?”, it’s knowing the school’s policy for a change in pick-up or for illnesses, it’s reading the Report Card, and signing up for Parent Teacher Conferences — in short, it’s being involved with your child’s life at school.

Engagement: Engagement goes a step further. It’s reading the weekly newsletter and then making a note that ensures your child wears a tie on Tie Day, and pajamas on Pajama Day. It’s following up with your child about the teacher’s phone call and getting their side of the story and then emailing the teacher back with an update. It’s logging into the classroom App to see photos and then learning their friends’ names. It’s setting your child up to do their homework in a quiet space at home where they can concentrate. It’s attending the Parent Teacher Conference ready to listen, question, laugh, embrace ideas and engage with the teacher’s view of your child, their learning style and their character. It’s a larger investment of time but it’s more meaningful.

Volunteerism: Lots of people shy away from volunteering! The thing about volunteering is that it can work around your schedule. There are opportunities that directly impact your child… like being the class Mystery Reader! There are opportunities that are quick and easy like donating flowers for the class to plant. There are opportunities that take a bit more prep like organizing a Valentine’s Day party with games and activities for 24 six year olds. There are opportunities that repeat like attending the monthly PTO meetings. There are opportunities that take place during the school day like shelving books in the library. There are opportunities that take place over the weekend like setting up for a school event. Volunteerism can be donating your time, your resources or your money! It can be as much or as little as you can offer.

The thing is, I enjoyed our first year. I started the year not knowing anyone! But I went, I signed up and I did my best to say yes. I made copies, laminated, I read stories, planned classroom parties, helped to set up teacher appreciation luncheons, organized gifts for teachers, bought cookies, dropped off bundt cakes, made cards, thanked bus drivers, organized a basket raffle, asked every major sports team in our area for donations, asked every local business and chain in our area for donations, posted on social media, made flyers, ran a register at the Book Fair, planned events, attended events, passed out artwork, helped with the yearbook, joined committees, carried tables, set up tents, sold raffle tickets, donated mulch and annuals, donated money, shelved Library books every week, sent in paper plates and lysol wipes and tissues when they were requested… and so much more. I ended the year with a Board position on the PTO. My motto this past year was well I guess this is what I do now. (ha!)

I’m a huge introvert so jumping in with all this: involvement, engagement and volunteerism wasn’t easy for me. But, every time… every day, I just said to myself Javi is here, meeting new people and doing new things and so… I can, too. And every time I signed up and showed up and asked him a question, or made a reference that proved I was there, at his school and I was involved and engaged in his day — Javi noticed. He was excited and grateful. And so, that was worth it to me.