A Grandmother's Love

By Melody Pahel, volunteer at Western Peaks Elementary School

People ask me why I volunteer at my granddaughter’s school. There are many reasons for this. The number one reason is that I like to be involved in my granddaughter’s life as much as possible, and I understand the importance of a good education.

Both my parents worked in the education system, my father as a music teacher and my mother as a school secretary. I saw how much volunteers helped, especially with my father’s band and their events.

I’ve been bringing my granddaughter to school almost every day since she was in preschool and lots of kids know me as “Emma’s grandma.” However, this year I have been volunteering in Emma’s classroom. I love being able to work with her classmates on both reading and math. I hear myself often say, “I learned it this way when I was younger.” Sometimes it helps them to see a different way of doing things, and it sometimes makes it easier to understand, and sometimes I learn something new, too. The kids are so open to me working with them. A big perk is that I get my fill of hugs from the kids. They are thankful to have someone work one-on-one with them. Some of them even give me time reminders when I am sitting outside of the classroom. I often hear from one student, “Miss Melody, you have 3 minutes.” I really love getting to know each of the students too!

Aside from volunteering in the classroom, I really started to get more involved this year when I became the treasurer of our school’s Parent Teacher Support Association (PTSA). The former board was leaving and without someone to step up and take over there might not be a PTSA at our school, so to me it was the right thing to do. My daughterin-law, Jessica, volunteered to be on the board also. We have been keeping busy working with the teachers and staff to make our school the best it can be. The teachers and staff are so appreciative of the time we spend making sure it is easier to do their jobs. I believe teaching is the most important job anyone can do. It’s not easy so anything I can do to make it easier for them is a plus.

I’m no longer just Emma’s grandma to the kids, I’m now Miss Melody and I love it when I’m greeted that way in the halls when I’m just walking through doing PTSA business.

I think anyone who has the time would benefit from volunteering at the school, and the school gets the benefit of you helping them out. I was nervous at first, but now I really look forward to my Tuesdays and Thursdays with Emma’s class and working together with our PTSA to ensure the staff is appreciated for what they do!

The more that people volunteer, the more help the teachers get. It’s an easy way to let them know they are appreciated. You would be surprised at how many opportunities are available to volunteer – the first step is just raising your hand and saying yes!