Reply to Is your pta welcoming?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What are you looking to get out of it? For most people, PTA isn’t a social thing (other than seeing friends who are also PTA), it’s work.  Your PTA president probably does far more than you realize, and may be cold only because she has her next 17 PTA tasks on her mind.  If you want to use the PTA as a means of meeting new people, join a committee for an activity you’re really interested in and start there.[/quote]

This. OP, you're new and don't know the president and I'm guessing saw the president in the context of some school event or at a meeting. Like PP says--mind on the many things to be done. PTA is there to support students, teachers and administration, and if the vibe is warm and fuzzy that's a great plus, but it's only that, a plus. [b]Not an essential to get things done.
[/b]
I've also seen a very friendly PTA where nothing got done....

Please go ahead and volunteer to do whatever you consider most valuable to the school and don't worry about whether you're received with what you think is adequate warmth etc. You're doing it for the students and teachers, via PTA--not for the PTA itself. [/quote]

DP.  Actually, a cold, cliquey PTA is not conducive to getting things done.  As you can read on this thread, people are put off when they don't appear to be welcome.  You don't have to be all warm and fuzzy but being polite and greeting people goes a long way.  One of the reason that PTA president may have so many tasks on her list is because she alienates the people who could make her job easier.

My kids are now in MS/HS.  The first PTA meeting I added rough.  I was completely ignored at the meeting - and this was a Title 1 school so it's not like it's a big 'social' PTA with more volunteers than work.  I'm an extrovert, fluent in Spanish (the language of the majority at the school) and was willing to pull my weight.  I had to think twice about going to the next PTA meeting.  In the end, I volunteered for 1 committee because another friend needed assistance with it.  It wasn't until 2 years later that we got a president that was inclusive.  Things really took off after that it was far more effective and it wasn't the same people doing all the work.

As PPs have said, volunteer for those things that you're interested in and wait for new officers to come in. [/quote]

In what context were you ignored?  Did you try to talk to people and then walked away from you without acknowledging you?  Did they refuse to call on you when you raised your hand with a question during the meeting?[/quote]

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