My son loved when I was in his class volunteering. All of his classmates wished that their mothers could be in the classroom as well. It did get a little distracting, but it was well worth it. My son is now in second grade, and I don't volunteer much in the classroom anymore because I am now PTO President. He still gets to see me running around the school, and his friends love seeing me as well. I've gotten to know the names of many children, and it is quite rewarding.

It really depends on your child and how the teacher handles it. My oldest is in third grade and I go into his class 2x a week, once on Tuesday to file and then on Friday to grade and then I go in whenever the teacher needs anything. I have always gone into his classes and he does fine with it. No distraction at all. I sometimes take papers to grade to the library or the lounge though to make sure i am not distracting to others. This year she has one who is borderline ADHD and it really depends on how he is, more than my child.

However, my youngest is in 1st grade and watches anything and everything I do in the class. I have to help his teacher when they have specials and are out of the room. He is getting better, because I finally had to tell him i couldn't come back anymore if he couldn't do his work with me there. I like his teacher but there are some management issues there also.

And the others are right. if it doesn't work out in the class, there are lots of other things you can do. Our office staff always has something that needs to be done.

Have fun!
Brandi

When my son was in pre-school it was initially a distraction for him. He regressed emotionally and tested to see who was in charge - the teacher or me. I had to be firm and let him know that I was there to help the teacher and the whole class and if he didn't behave I'd have to stop helping.

When he was in 2nd grade, I moved away from helping in the classroom and chose a more general job working in the library. I still felt like I was involved in his schooling, active in the community and 'giving back' but also giving him room to grow and learn.

If you feel like it would be a distraction to your child, give it a try anyway. You may be pleasantly surprised! And if it still is troublesome, find another way, like lunchroom, playground, library, etc. so you're still around.

if the teachers welcome parents in the room to assist(not all do) by all means do it, will help you share more of your childs daily experience with you when they come home, if you get some first hand glimpses into teaching style, classroom atmosphere, and interacting with the other children your kid spends all day with.

I find that most teachers make sure that you are evenly distributed among the whole class, heck sometimes you don't even work with your child. I also think that any teacher who sees that a child has a problem with being distracted may ask you to not come in for a little while...they will handle any problems that come up.

My girls have always loved it when I have helped in their classes. They were maybe a little distracted, but usually if help is there it is not a regular day (Math Stations, special event, etc) If I am helping test I am in the hallway. It has always been a great experience for me and my kids.