How involved should I get in the PTA?

[Anonymous]

I missed the first PTA meeting at my child's new school She is in K, and this is our first year at the school. I would like to be involved and support the school, but I also work full time and have lots of demands on my time (like all parents)! How involved do most parents get in their PTAs?

[Anonymous]

I struggle with this all the time. And I've found that it's like everything else in life... you get out of something what you put into it. Most schools are not demanding at all on parents' time and actually expect very little in the way of parent involvement. That's great for those of us who work. BUT... don't be surprised if you feel like the outsider at times, wonder why you don't know more people when the school is supposed to be a "welcoming community," etc. etc. How much time you put in is up to you. You just have to decide how important it is to really get to know people there.

[Anonymous]

Schools differ, of course, but at the school one of my children attends, the PTA is domintated by SAHMs with way too much time on their hands. I'm glad that they are contributing, but they don't seem very open to doing things any way but theirs. So I just contribute in other ways -- money is always appreciated, for example.