1 BECOME AN EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEER

2 Why Volunteer? "It takes a village to raise a child."“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” “In union there is strength." Activity: “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

3 OBJECTIVES Learn about the importance of the school volunteer programIncrease your awareness of the characteristics of effective volunteers Understand the benefits of becoming a school volunteer Evaluate different scenarios and discuss best approaches Activity:

4 Welcome The Parent, Community and Student Services welcomes you as a school volunteer in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Your willingness to serve the students and staff of the District is greatly appreciated. Rowena Lagrossa, Executive Director

5 The Importance Parent-Community VolunteersAcademic success begins with Parents Parent Volunteer Program at all schools LAUSD’s Goal Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. . “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

6 LAUSD School Volunteer ProgramThe purpose of the LAUSD school volunteer program is to augment and enhance educational and support services to schools by engaging and leveraging the rich talents and expertise of parents, and members of the school community. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

7 What is a volunteer? If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. — Booker T. Washington “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

8 What is a Volunteer? A volunteer is an unsalaried person authorized by LAUSD to perform volunteer services for schools. A volunteer shall serve without compensation or employee benefits of any type. All volunteers serve at the discretion of the Principal without any expressed or implied privileges beyond those found in the Volunteer handbook and may be released from volunteering if so deemed by the Principal or designee. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

9 Why should you be a volunteer?Volunteering in a school is a unique and exciting experience and is beneficial to the school, your child and you. Being a volunteer promotes and maintains a supportive relationship between the school and the community.

10 HOW TO BE an EFFECTIVE volunteer!

11 Volunteers should… Have a professional attitude and an ability to work cooperatively with all members of a school’s staff and school community. Dress appropriately Have good moral character Have the time and a willing spirit Show support for the school, school personnel and school programs.

12 Volunteers should… Be Friendly and Caring Serve As a Role ModelBe Passionate Listen and Communicate Effectively Have a Positive Attitude Be Supportive and Cooperative Be Reliable and Flexible 2. Encourage Creativity Intellectual stimulation is one of the hallmarks of transformational leadership. Followers need to be encouraged to express their creativity. Effective leaders should offer new challenges with ample support to achieve these goals. One way to foster creativity is to offer challenges to group members, making sure that the goals are within the grasp of their abilities. The purpose of this type of exercise is to get people to stretch their limits, but to not become discouraged by barriers to success 3. Serve As a Role Mode Idealized influence is another of the four key components of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders exemplify the behaviors and characteristics that they encourage in their followers. They walk the walk and talk the talk. As a result, group members admire these leaders and work to emulate these behaviors. If you want to become a better leader, work on modeling the qualities that you would like to see in your team members. 4. Be Passionate Would you look to someone for guidance and leadership if they did not truly care about the goals of the group? Of course not! Great leaders are not just focused on getting group members to finish tasks; they have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the projects they work on. Start by thinking of different ways that you can express your zeal. Let people know that you care about their progress. When one person shares something with the rest of the group, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate such contributions 5. Listen and Communicate Effectively Another important characteristic of transformational leadership involves a focus on providing one-on-one communication with group members. Good leaders should express sincere care and concern for the members of their group both verbally and nonverbally. By keeping the lines of communication open, these leaders can ensure that group members feel able to make contributions and receive recognition for their achievements. 6. Have a Positive Attitude Transformational leaders have an upbeat, optimistic attitude that serves as a source of inspiration for followers. If leaders seem discouraged or apathetic, members of the group are likely to also become uninspired. Even when things look bleak and your followers start to feel disheartened, try to stay positive. This does not mean viewing things through rose-colored glasses. It simply means maintaining a sense of optimism and hope in the face of challenges. 7. Encourage People to Make Contributions Let the members of your team know that you welcome their ideas. Leaders who encourage involvement from group members are often referred to as democratic or participative leaders. While they retain the final say over all decisions, they encourage team members to take an active role in coming up with ideas and plans. Research has shown that using a democratic leadership style leads to greater commitment, more creative problem-solving and improved productivity 8. Motivate Your Followers Transformational leaders also provide inspirational motivation to encourage their followers to get into action. Of course, being inspirational isn't always easy. Fortunately, you don't need motivational speeches to rouse your group members. Some ideas for leadership inspiration include being genuinely passionate about ideas or goals, helping followers feel included in the process and offering recognition, praise and rewards for people's accomplishments. 9. Offer Rewards and Recognition A good leader knows that offering effective recognition and rewards is one of the best ways to help followers feel appreciated and happy. It may also come as no surprise that happy people tend to perform better at work. According to researchers Teresa Amiable and Steven Kramer, leaders can help group members feel happier by offering help, removing barriers to success and rewarding strong efforts. 10. Keep Trying New Things Who says leadership is a one-way relationship? As you work toward honing your leadership skills, don't forget to look to your followers for feedback an inspiration. Pay attention to the things that have been effective in the past and always be on the lookout for new ways to inspire, motivate and reward group members.

13 But most of all the role of a volunteer…is to assist the school to improve the academic achievement of all students. is to keep in mind that volunteering in a school will involve learning new skills and learning how to engage with students effectively.

14 Being a volunteer in a school is not….

15 Being a volunteer in a school is not…Parenting other people’s children. All children have parents/guardians. Substituting for the teacher. Policing students. Befriending students. For example, communicating with them through social media.

16 Being a volunteer in a school is not…Gossiping about students and their parents. Talking negatively about the school, school administrators, staff and/or other parents. Acting like the school owes you something special because you volunteer.

17 What will you do at the school as a Volunteer?

18 What will you do at the school as a Volunteer?The Principal/Designee will work with you to find an assignment that utilizes your knowledge, talents and gifts so that they benefit the school community. Once assigned, both you and the principal will determine if your assignment is the best fit. If not, it will be modified and changed. If you do not feel comfortable in an assignment, please notify the principal/designee and ask for a new assignment.

19 What will you do at the school as a Volunteer?Monitor and assist small groups in classrooms. Preparing materials for classrooms. Supervise on the playground before and/or after school, during recess and/or lunch. Assist at school events. Volunteer as an athletic coach.

20 What will you do at the school as a Volunteer?Assist in the parent center. Help as a safety valet. Serve as a committee member. Assist in the office.

21 What knowledge, gifts and talents can you share?

22 What knowledge, gifts and talents can you share?

23 Working with students

24 Working With Students Things to DoCall students by their names or by saying young man or young lady Be respectful of and polite to students Do not get angry Report any incident to an administrator of volunteer supervisor If a child is disrespectful, seek assistance from a staff member. Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. .

25 questions

26 Questions? A volunteer observes that there is one child in their class that does not have friends so they decide to be this child’s friend. Is this acceptable? Yes or No? What should they do? Volunteers can wear jeans with holes, halter tops, baggy pants, undershirts and flip flops to work with students in the classroom? True or False? How should they dress?

27 Questions? One of the roles of a volunteer is to be a surrogate parent (a parent when the parent is not present) to every child that they work with? Yes or No? Why? The parents in your neighborhood know that you volunteer at the local school. One of your neighbors asks you to keep an eye on their child and let them know what they are doing, how they are doing in school and if anyone is bothering their child. Is this something a volunteer can do? What should you say to this parent?

28 Questions? Volunteers can behave whichever way they want to because they are parents or community members and the school belongs to them. True or False? How should volunteers behave while they are volunteering and beyond? The most important role of a volunteer is to: Keep the school clean Keep the school safe Assist the school to improve the academic achievement of all students.

29 What to say and not to say…

30 What to say and not to say…Mrs. Jones, your son Johnny was sent to the office today by his teacher. I think that you should talk to him about his behavior. I volunteered at the school today and it was a very rewarding experience. Oh my, I am not sure about the people who work at that school-they seem pretty confused. Make Your Motion Speak in a clear and concise manner. Always state a motion affirmatively. Say, "I move that we ..." rather than, "I move that we do not ...". Avoid personalities and stay on your subject.

31 What to say and not to say…I think that all parents can help our school to be successful by making sure that students arrive on time. Report cards will be coming out next week. Parent Conferences will be held the following week. Mr. Parent – I was supervising on the yard and saw your daughter Nancy running and not paying attention. Make Your Motion Speak in a clear and concise manner. Always state a motion affirmatively. Say, "I move that we ..." rather than, "I move that we do not ...". Avoid personalities and stay on your subject.

32 What to say and not to say…Mrs. Martinez– I heard the office manager mention your name while I was in the office. Make Your Motion Speak in a clear and concise manner. Always state a motion affirmatively. Say, "I move that we ..." rather than, "I move that we do not ...". Avoid personalities and stay on your subject.

33 A Reminder about ConfidentialityDo not share any student information that is said to you or that you overhear with anyone Treat others information as if it were your own information All conversations must remain within the classroom or school. All observations must remain in the classroom and or school. Keep comments about other peoples children, teachers and or staff members to your self. A Reminder about Confidentiality It is extremely important that all school volunteers keep student information that is shared or obtained while working as a school volunteer for the district confidential. A good rule of thumb is to treat information about others at school in the same way you would and others to handle information learned about you and your family. All conversations with teachers and staff, test scores, behavior or referrals to the office must remain within the classroom and or school. A misplaced comment can be devastating to a student, a family and the school volunteer program.

34 Working with Teachers and Staff

35 Working with Teachers and StaffFollow the directions of the school staff member who has been designated as your immediate supervisor. Accept directions and suggestions from the teacher that you have been assigned to assist and seek help from that teacher when you need clarification and or more information. Respect the privacy of teachers and students. Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. .

36 Working with Teachers and StaffUnderstand that the role of the teacher is to carry out the instructional curriculum for students and that he/she is responsible for student discipline. Encourage and share ideas with the teacher and staff. Remember: You are there to assist as needed and where assigned. Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. .

37 A Few Words About Child Abuse Reporting…School volunteers are not mandated reporters of suspected child abuse. However, the District encourages volunteers to speak to an administrator promptly regarding any inappropriate incident, conduct, or behavior. Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. .

38 Match Game Volunteers… Column B Column A to the Principal or designee.confidential. to improve academic achievement. staff members who have been assigned as their supervisor. for the school, parents & community. Column A Assist the school Show support Report incidents Must keep information Follow the directions of

39 Academic Success Begins with ParentsParent Volunteer Program at all schools LAUSD’s Goal Voting on a Motion: The method of vote on any motion depends on the situation and the by-laws of policy of your organization. .

40 Student Achievement is our focus!

41 Thank you!

42 ACHIEVE.LAUSD.NET/PCSSPARENT, COMMUNITY AND STUDENT SERVICES

43 Comments/Questions?