Reply to Do you think parents who volunteer and donate more to schools deserve better treatment for their child?

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Reply to "Do you think parents who volunteer and donate more to schools deserve better treatment for their child?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, they should not. However, being involved is a way to develop one's background knowledge and awareness and that information sometimes leads to making a request that others wouldn't think to make. [/quote]

Like what kind of request?[/quote]

If you are around the school, the teachers tell you how things get done.

I never used this info for my benefit but one teacher told me how parents can try to get their kid into a certain teacher's room without asking for a specific teacher. Nobody is allowed to ask for a specific teacher.

Would you like to know the secret?  It's pretty logical.

She said you tell your child's current teacher what qualities your kid needs in a teacher to do well in the following year.  And then you describe the qualities of the teacher you want.  The current year teacher has some input into the beginning of the class shaping for the following year.  So you say "Janie needs a teacher with a quiet voice." Or "Janie needs a teacher who gives out more math homework".  And maybe if stars align your kid gets a better chance if getting into a particular room.

There you go.  That's the hot tip I earned for 13 years of PTA participation and volunteering.

I also, during a PTA meeting, heard a parent asking questions about accelerated classes/IEPs for students with beyond grade level skills that went right over my head.  I remembered the question but did not understand until my kids got to high school.  If I'd understood, I might have figured out how to get my kids bumped up a year in math classes.  Because my district doesn't have any "gifted" programs, I didn't realize that accelerated options were possible.  Turns out they were, but your testing needed to show you were 2 grade levels ahead in ability.  I easily could have had my kids tutored to that standard. So that's an example of something that might have benefited me that I heard about at a PTA meeting that was open to anyone.

The return on time invested is pretty poor if you're just looking for an advantage for your kids.  But no surprise that people who are paying attention occasionally learn useful things.

Also...this is a very important point...this knowledge is available to anyone who asks. Schools have limited resources and nobody wants more headaches so this stuff isn't always going to be widely publicized.  But it's not a classist conspiracy.

Just ask.  Speak up.  Participate.  Request.  You may learn something useful and/or get something you want. That's basic civics.[/quote]

Either I know you, our kids went to the same public ES and one teacher tells all her volunteer parents that, or this is a common pro tip. Because I definitely learned that tip along the way too.[/quote]

Odds are you don't know me because I live 10 hours drive from DC.[/quote]

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