Nothing. It’s an easy thing to do.
It requires no action, no getting yourself out the door at a specific time, not even a need to get dressed. But doing nothing is truly costly.
Doing nothing means that hour you could have used to help a young child read or an older child make corrections has slipped away. It means the hour you could have shared your expertise and influenced a child to look into your career passed without anyone noticing. It means the hour spent collating or typing or researching for a classroom has gone by, leaving tasks incomplete or something a teacher must take home and do during their family hours.
I don’t want any of us to feel guilty. I want us to use those hours when we’re not engaged in something productive to find a way to help students, teachers and schools accomplish something more.
If every adult in every town across the U.S. spent one hour a week helping in schools or helping from home in support of schools, can you imagine the impact? It would be an astronomical number!
Not certain where to start? Ask a friend who is a teacher how you can assist. Call a local school and offer your expertise. Helping schools gives us as much or more as it gives the teachers and students. The smiles of appreciation, the light bulb moments, the sense of making a difference will brighten your day.
Bottom line:
Plan your schedule now so you might become an active volunteer for a classroom during the upcoming school year.
Please share this with your friends. If they want/need ideas on how they can be an active volunteer, send them to this website or contact me directly (PaddyEger@aol.com). I always have a 30-60 minute idea to get people started!
The cost of doing nothing is too high a price to pay.