Pals, That is just rich. Not sure if I could feel any better! It's goodto hear the Principal knows about this and is feels the same as ya'll do.

The good thing about next year is it's a clean slate (kinda) and a whole new year to funnel complaints!!

I would sure hang on to that Principal! And next time you serve food..."You lika PTO..soup for you. No lika PTO NO SOUP FOR YOU!" yeah I miss Senfeild and the Soup Nazi.

We have had complaints about parent volunteers in the teachers lounge. We try to work there only when the teachers are in the classrooms.

However, I just did our Teachers luncheon on Friday. I had 4 volunteers in there serving and waiting on them and they loved it. I didn't have even one complaint. We did a spa theme and even had a local spa send someone out to do mini massages and a Mary Kay rep doing hand treatments. They said it was the best yet and felt so special.

Not everyone is ungrateful.

This happened at our school also. While the remark may seem ungrateful, let me offer this in the teacher's defense. Their lunch time is down time, and most likely, vent time! The teachers may have felt uncomfortable with a volunteer hanging around the lounge "waiting" on them, because they may have felt that they should make small talk with the volunteer. Let's face it...it can be awkward having lunch around someone who is just standing around the area. Also, if they needed to get others opinions about a situation happening in their classroom, they could not speak as freely keeping confidentiality at a priority. The best option in this situation is to set up a buffet-style luncheon in an area other than where they will be dining. That way they can have down time and really appreciate the break that has been given them. Just my 2 cents, hoping to diffuse a situation.

Mom2M&A I wonder if you could ask the office if there is a room you could work when doing volunteer work. I would never do HSA work in the teachers lounge. But for the teachers complaining that parents are there serving is silly.

You may want to ask the principal if the teachers are uneasy with parents in the staff room is there a conference room or empty class to use for these things... then I am sure the principal would make sure no complaints were lodged...

In our school we have a teachers lounge and work room when I am at the school to do administrative things I use the work room and they don't mind. Being a sub TA it took me some time to feel comfortable eating lunch in the lounge. But I am doing well now.

I was the one who originally posted this post. I guess this happens more than we as volunteers want it to. THe chair for staff appreciation has given me the word that she doesn't want to cahir the event again. I understand her , but boy does she do a great job.
The history at our school is not a good one when it comes to relations between staff and parents, the volunteers are really beginning to feel unappreciated and taken granted of. the reason we stick together is because of the kids and each other.
The whole thing with staff apprecation was that they cancelled the volunteer breakfast for national volunteer week because they didnt have time and said they were tired. so for us to put all the effort into a weeks worth of stuff for them and to receive negative feedback seems unreal.
I like all of of your suggestions, yes our principal was upset about it and wanted to talk to the staff(well she said repremand) and i asked her not to because it isnt going to help anything.she also asked that i not tell the parents so they wouldnt get upset with the staff, well i told the chair!!
what are we going to do? i really dont know....the anger is still there!!!! Thanks for the suggestions, once i calm down i will think about them.
I know you cant ever please everyone but we seem to always be the bad guy.....

Hey Carol, I hit the same road block once and I honestly went with the flow. We were going to serve a pot luck lunch for the staff during confernces with parents and we served the food (or rather stayed with the table) outside the lounge. We have also gotten permission to serve lunch outside the building, we have a great open space behind (away from kids, cars, view of the street, etc). That has been very popular.
I still have two little ones with me when I go into the school and while they are pretty good, I still get comments and "looks" about them in the lounge.

I hope you can find a happy meduim, all or nothing is just not fair.

If it makes you feel better, we had set out 5 lbs of mints for our staff in the lounge on Tueaday night and Weds. AM NOTHING! ALL of the mints were gone! The baskets and paper (I wrote fun messages on table runners of butcher paper)was still there but none of the candy....