Great education gift no.1: Volunteer Hours

November 4, 11:10 AMCharter Schools ExaminerKarin Piper

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Volunteerism--a gift as beneficial for the recipient as the donor
WikiMedia Commons

The greatest gift you can give is your time.

Your school volunteer hours don’t just benefit the academic institution and its staff—but your kids too!

Send a teacher a note this holiday season with a homemade coupon book for various planned volunteer causes to be redeemed by the recipient from your household.

Fill it with creative actions of kindness you can make in teaming up with your childrens teacher.

Need help getting started? Here are a few ideas for your volunteer vouchers:

1. Project prep: Expert construction paper cut-outs provided by veteran scrapbooker with two days notice, to meet your pending project planning needs.
2. Reading aid: This coupon is good for one hour of reading support services by classroom parent. Prior experience includes nightly readings of Dr. Seuss (most have been committed to memory), intricate gourmet recipes, and reading my kids their rights if they forgot their homework.
3. Science assistant. Does that dissection project need an extra pair of hands belonging to a parent who is not squeamish? Look no further. As Joey’s dad I have had plenty of practice with anything creepy-crawly, squishy, or otherwise just-not-right. My resume includes cleaning night crawlers out of the washing machine and middle of the night barf-o-rama clean-ups.

Write conditions and terms of “service” on your vouchers to make sure the coupons are easily redeemable and you can deliver on your promise.

Involve your kiddos in the project, and it can be a gift from the entire family.

More information:

10 Great Education gifts for the holidays 2009

Other articles by this Examiner:

Education 101: What is a charter school?

Info 101: Comprehensive national directory of charter schools

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Karin Piper is the author and speaker of Charter Schools: The Ultimate Handbook for Parents (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing 2009), which boasts more than 30 chapters of must-know information and a complete school research guide for parents seeking charter schools.

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