Are You on Furlough? Support Schools on Off Days
Government Workers Can Use Furlough Days to Volunteer at Schools
Mar 4, 2009
Government employees who are forced to take furlough days can support local schools by volunteering in the classroom, helping teachers with paperwork or grant-writing or spending extra time with their school-aged children.
Teachers, Government Workers are in the Same Boat
Just as government employees are being forced to take furlough days, teachers are being required to do more with less as well. Many school systems are cutting back on support personnel or using teachers to cover classes to reduce the cost of hiring substitute teachers. The staffing cuts and added teaching responsibilities can make it harder to accomplish all that needs to be done in a day. That is where government workers can help to fill the gaps.
Support Local Schools on Off Days
Volunteering in the classroom can be much more than bringing cupcakes in for birthdays or providing class party supplies. Parents and community members who go through the local process for background checks and clearance to help in the classroom will find many jobs that suit their individual backgrounds and skill sets.
Some volunteers can provide one-on-one help with reading, math or computer skills. Others can assist with career fairs, science experiments, math-a-thons or other fundraising activities. In the younger grades, volunteers can spend time reading aloud to youngsters or providing a pair of extra hands to help with projects. As with any volunteering, spending a couple hours in the classroom once or twice a month is a small time commitment for a big reward.
Use Furlough Days to Support Local Schools
In addition to volunteering in the classroom, there are opportunities for volunteering outside the classroom as well. While some teachers may want assistance with general secretarial duties, others may want help with paperwork for grants, staff development opportunities or other applications. Government workers can use their particular skill sets in this area as well.
For example, some teachers or school systems may want to apply for a grant to supplement the school budget, provide advanced training, purchase library books or attend workshops for professional development. As grant opportunities become fewer and more competitive, grant-writing experience is a valuable commodity that a volunteer could offer to provide on off days. Government employees with experience in grant writing may find a couple hours spent writing a grant results in a great opportunity for the school system or local teacher.
Grant-writing is just one possible way for government workers on furlough to help local schools. High-school coaches often provide tapes or DVDs of certain players to colleges and universities. Parents and volunteers who have the skills to make such DVDs can support local schools and their students who are pursuing higher education by providing this service. And don’t forget to support the school’s library. Shelving books, writing up book orders and preparing for book fairs all help to support the local schoolchildren.
Use Off Days to Support Your Own Child
While there are many volunteering opportunities for community members, parents may want to use their day off to support and spend time with their own child or children. Spending an hour in each child’s classroom may work for parents of elementary school kids. Younger children also enjoy having their parents come to lunch at the school and some schools have special areas for visiting parents to sit with their child.
Instead of pulling children out of school early or entirely to spend the furlough day together, pick up the child at dismissal time and spend together the hours between the end of school and what would normally be the end of the work day. Go to a local park, take a trip to the library or spend the time cooking a sit-down family dinner together.
Furlough days for government employees and other workers are a reality in the current tough economic times but they can be a great opportunity to support local schools and schoolchildren. Community members can spend time in the classroom or provide services outside the classroom that use their individual skill sets. Parents can use furlough days to support their own child and spend extra time together. For other ways to spend furlough days, read Cheap and Free Ways to Spend Furlough Days and How to Reduce Stress on Furlough Days.
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