How to be Involved in School as a Working Mom

The school year is well underway and that means things like field trips, fund raisers and class parties are coming your way. Maybe your kids school recently visited a local pumpkin patch in celebration of the harvest season.

Can we first off give thanks that our kids are able to participate in these types of activities after two or more years of nothing being allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Yes, stress can result from extra things that hit our plate like trying to figure out if you can volunteer for an event. But I also feel myself constantly giving a big sigh of relief and thanks to God for where we are today.

As a full-time working mom, I am very aware of the challenges that come with balancing work and kids. Our priority is of course the kids and the mountain of responsibilities the role of mom entails. But the reality is that our careers are important too. I get a lot of satisfaction out of my job and I honestly feel really lucky to be both a career woman and a mom. Obviously I would drop anything work related in a hot second if an emergency arose with one of my kids. I wouldn’t necessarily drop a kid commitment for a work emergency. However, I take the responsibilities of both very seriously.

But what about the non-emergency things that often conflict with our role of working mom? Yes, the class parties, the field trips and the frequent ask from teachers if any parent can help volunteer in the classroom.

How can us working moms still be involved in our kids’ school?

After 12 years of being a working mom, I have learned by trial and error and this is likely how it will continue. I have had years where I over-committed and years where maybe I could have done more. But what I have found is there are many ways we can still be involved despite having other commitments.

After school sports. Our elementary school is always asking for volunteers for things like Cross Country and Track and Field. These are much easier to help with given they are after school and not at 10am on a Tuesday right during a workday. If your kids are still at age where they are not mortified by you stepping onto campus, consider after school activities. This is also a great way to meet other parents at the meets and get to know more kids as well.

Take home tasks. This was more common when my kids were daycare and early elementary ages. Tasks like cutting out things for projects are often done by teachers off hours. See if there are things you could take home to do on the evenings or weekends that would be a huge help to the teacher. Our teachers were always so grateful for this.

At home office or writing work. Your PTA might need help with things like proofing a newsletter, checking links or drafting emails. Your school office might need similar help. Check in and see if there are roles like that you could take on but be careful as this could lead to more work than you bargained for.

Commit to one class event. Ask the teachers if they plan on having any classroom parties or field trips. You don’t need to volunteer for everything, so pick one that works for you. Sometimes a class party only requires a couple hours of help and you can always get back to work if needed. Committing to one in the school year is a realistic way to help the school and meet some other parents.

Join the PTA. Now, hear me out. PTA is different at each school. When my kids attended a smaller private school, joining the PTA meant signing up for a ton of work and soon showed me that I had bitten off way too much. But at the large public school my kids attend now, joining the PTA simply means that my membership fee helps support the school and that I will be a part of the emails that come out with opportunities to be involved. Truly no pressure. Pro Tip, do not get talked into signing up for an officer spot of PTA unless you are wanting additional responsibilities. I make it clear I am happy to help as I’m able but I do not want to be the one coordinating things.

Off hour events. Our school has a skate night coming up. I know how much work all the planning can be. While I am not volunteering to be on the committee, I made it clear that I can absolutely be told where to jump in and help. This might mean arriving a bit early and helping with tickets or manning the snack station. After work hour events are a perfect way for working parents to step in and help.

Donate money or items instead of time. Our school has a quarterly teacher appreciation event of some sort. Often it is a breakfast or lunch. While I typically cannot physically be there to set up or help, what I can do is donate items. Often times, purchasing items ends up falling on those coordinating the event if they don’t get volunteers. I always found this unfair when I was in a role like that. If you are able, find out what items are needed so you can be involved in the event that way.

The requests ease up. Ok this isn’t a tip but keep in mind that once your kids are out of elementary school, the requests for volunteers significantly decline. Plus, the less likely it is that your tween or teen actually welcomes the idea of mom being present around school. The mom guilt sort of works itself out since they don’t want us on campus!