{"id":581,"date":"2020-10-06T13:35:35","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T13:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/?p=581"},"modified":"2020-11-11T18:22:51","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T18:22:51","slug":"room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/","title":{"rendered":"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in my day, as they say, being a room parent was pretty straightforward. I did it for about six years, from the time my younger son was in kindergarten until middle school. In fact, in 2013 I wrote an article for PTOtoday.com, our sister site, about my experience as class parent<\/a>. In it, I advised moms and dads not to be overwhelmed and that the job mostly consisted of communicating with the teacher on what she needed, and then following through with her requests.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not 2013 anymore, and this school year has its own unprecedented set of challenges. We\u2019ve seen lots of questions about whether it\u2019s even possible to be a room parent if you can\u2019t get into your child\u2019s school. The broad answer to this is whether your school has an established history of room parents; it\u2019ll just be easier to adapt the role to current times if it\u2019s something your teachers and administration are used to.<\/p>\n

Here are some specific ways room parents can help their classrooms virtually, as well as some alternate suggestions for the term \u201croom parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping Teachers and Showing Them Appreciation<\/h3>\n

\u2713 Moderate chat rooms during class.<\/strong> Having kids and parents type questions and comments in chat can be a distraction. Ask your teacher if this is something she\u2019d like some assistance with.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Organize teacher appreciation efforts.<\/strong> Teachers are working harder than ever right now, and even small pick-me-ups mean a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m hoping to try to organize a weekly or bi-weekly teacher appreciation thing. A different student each week can bring in a thank you card and snack or drink or whatever they choose just to show teachers how much we appreciate the extra work they are doing,\u201d says class parent Tracey M.<\/p>\n

Another nice idea that works any time is collecting notes or drawings from students<\/strong> (emailed if needed), printing them, and giving them to the teacher in a pretty folder or album.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Organize holiday gifts.<\/strong> This is a typical room parent task, and it can continue fairly easily even from a distance. Some easy holiday gifts include gift cards or a basket with items donated by families.<\/p>\n

Setting up a wish list for your teacher is a simple, seamless way to get teachers what they really need for their classrooms. Just ask the teacher what she’d like for the holidays, and post a holiday wish list on TeacherLists<\/a>. Parents can see what teachers need (as well as what’s already been bought), and purchase items right through Amazon\u2014even e-gift cards. Parents can have gifts shipped to the school, or straight to a teacher’s home.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Liaise between the teacher and parents.<\/strong> There\u2019s a lot of information going around, and your teacher would probably appreciate a hand in getting it out to parents.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Collect supplies.<\/strong> If your school is meeting in person full- or part-time, your teachers will love donations of sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. But even if your school is fully remote right now, supplies will keep till it reopens.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Just ask!<\/strong> It\u2019s an overwhelming time for teachers, and many would welcome knowing you\u2019re there as a go-to when they need help. Check in often and let them know you\u2019re on hand to help.<\/p>\n

Boosting Spirit<\/h3>\n

\u2713 Coordinate special days<\/strong> like virtual spiritwear, school colors, or dress-up days. They\u2019re easy ways for kids to connect and have a little fun.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Work with other room parents or the PTO to do some sprucing up<\/strong>, if possible. This could be an outside effort, or something inside (if and when you\u2019re allowed there) like making a cheerful bulletin board with messages of encouragement.<\/p>\n

Organizing Class Activities<\/h3>\n

\u2713 If in-person class parties aren\u2019t allowed, make them virtual<\/strong>. For typical classroom party celebrations, you could ask parents to have their kids wear their costumes (Halloween) or share loving messages with their classmates (Valentine\u2019s Day), for example.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Coordinate a virtual \u201cbring your pet to class\u201d day<\/strong>\u2014kids love showing off their pets, and it\u2019s one thing they really don\u2019t get to do during \u201cnormal\u201d school!<\/p>\n

\u2713 Set up a monthly book group<\/strong>. This could be to discuss required reading or a book kids choose. It doesn\u2019t even have to be the same book.<\/p>\n

\u2713 Put together kits or contained activities:<\/strong> \u201cOur room parents are putting together kits for the teachers and their classes for a fun day each month. Each month will be different and it\u2019ll depend on the grade level. But coloring sheets for littles, outdoor games, movie\/popcorn days, some things like that,\u201d says room parent Rachelle D.<\/p>\n

Alternative Names for Room Parent<\/h3>\n

The \u201croom parent\u201d title is evolving to be more inclusive and account for non-parent adults volunteering for the role. Here are a few we’ve seen (and like!):<\/p>\n

\u2713 Room representative
\n\u2713 Class captain
\n\u2713 Classroom connector
\n\u2713 Name after the school mascot, e.g. \u201cRoom panda\u201d
\n\u2713 Room coordinator
\n\u2713 Homeroom helper
\n\u2713 Class liaison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a class parent in 2020 looks a little different, but there are still many worthwhile volunteer opportunities within the role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRoom Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual - TeacherLists Parent Corner<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Being a class parent in 2020 looks a little different, but there are still many worthwhile volunteer opportunities within the role.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TeacherLists Parent Corner\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/teacherlists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-06T13:35:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-11T18:22:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/1020-virtual-room-parent-ideas-fullsize.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"406\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"236\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth S. Leaver\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@teacherlists\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@teacherlists\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth S. Leaver\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/\",\"name\":\"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual - TeacherLists Parent Corner\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-06T13:35:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-11T18:22:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/b9c73e1c82ee6737bce660f6323e0364\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/\",\"name\":\"TeacherLists Parent Corner\",\"description\":\"TeacherLists Parent Corner\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/b9c73e1c82ee6737bce660f6323e0364\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth S. Leaver\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b399bcdeb26499d7936239d9a75004c7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b399bcdeb26499d7936239d9a75004c7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth S. Leaver\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/author\/eleaver\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual - TeacherLists Parent Corner","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual","og_description":"Being a class parent in 2020 looks a little different, but there are still many worthwhile volunteer opportunities within the role.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/","og_site_name":"TeacherLists Parent Corner","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/teacherlists\/","article_published_time":"2020-10-06T13:35:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-11-11T18:22:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":406,"height":236,"url":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/1020-virtual-room-parent-ideas-fullsize.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Elizabeth S. Leaver","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@teacherlists","twitter_site":"@teacherlists","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth S. Leaver","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/","url":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/","name":"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual - TeacherLists Parent Corner","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-06T13:35:35+00:00","dateModified":"2020-11-11T18:22:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/b9c73e1c82ee6737bce660f6323e0364"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/room-parent-ideas-for-when-class-goes-virtual\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Room Parent Ideas for When Class Is Virtual"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/","name":"TeacherLists Parent Corner","description":"TeacherLists Parent Corner","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/b9c73e1c82ee6737bce660f6323e0364","name":"Elizabeth S. Leaver","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b399bcdeb26499d7936239d9a75004c7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b399bcdeb26499d7936239d9a75004c7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth S. Leaver"},"url":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/author\/eleaver\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":750,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions\/750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/parent-corner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}