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If you’re just getting caught up, click here for my thoughts on School Volunteerism and the beginning of my list of the best volunteer “Gigs to Grab.�

More Gigs to Grab:

• Library Duty: I love this gig because you get to spend time with your kid in an activity outside of the regular classroom. Kids usually love going to the library. If you plan it right, you can volunteer during your kids’ library time. And if your children's library periods aren't available, I'd opt to work with the youngest of children. They always take your advice on what to check out, and they look up at you adoringly all the while. You can't beat that for a little matronly shot in the arm!
• Paper Cutting Duty: The lower grades often need help with this duty for all of the crafts activities they do with the kids and for keeping their bulletin boards updated for all of the seasons of the year. Often, you can do this at home while watching Project Runway or Lost or another equally intellectual TV show of choice! This makes a tedious job a little less so. If your kids are old enough, they can even join in the fun.

 Gigs to Give Away:

• Cafeteria Duty: UGH! I did do lunchroom duty for years. When I began my ascent from the Volunteer Abyss, however, this was the first gig I chose to drop, and let me tell you, it was an easy decision. Aside from the obvious benefit of seeing your kid in the lunchroom, the hairnet was a HUGE detractor for me. This little piece of 1950’s history just didn’t do my aught years hairstyle justice, lemme’ tell ya’. And the manual labor involved? Cleaning lunchroom trays, scraping down the salad bar cold table, refilling catsup and mustard bottles...there are far better uses for my BA, believe me.
• PTA President: (or for that matter, any other extremely high profile post that requires one of your limbs as collateral in the event that you don’t do an outstanding job...) The time commitment for jobs like these is UNBELIEVABLE . Just ask the husband of any past or present PTA President or Auction Chairwoman. And if I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the fact that the hubbies out there would rather their wives didn’t sign on for this post to begin with. Who wants this much responsibility? Who are you trying to impress? Do you really have that much time?
• Playground Duty: In the winter, you’ll freeze your tail off. And don’t even get me started on how mean kids can be. The things I witnessed on the playground in my time as a volunteer out there would make your toes curl. It's hard to believe how exclusionary the kids can be. And it always seems to be the seemingly sweetest kids who are being excluded. I know they're different in some way, but aren't we supposed to be teaching our children to embrace diferences? I’d avoid this volunteer "opportunity" like the plague if I were you.

OK, those should get you started on the road to volunteerism without guilt and without overcommitment. Good luck! And keep in mind that if it just gets to be too much, remember this line. When delivered with the perfect plastic smile, it can really do the trick:

"I don't think that's in my job description."

And leave it at that!