Anonymous wrote:Former PTA board member here. Haven't read the whole thread but I think there are some misconceptions. The PTA doesn't have anything to do with the curriculum and the teachers don't want parent input about what they teach. Period. The PTA has a very limited mission. The reason that some of you didn't see any educational volunteer opportunities at your back to school night is that the PTA doesn't control those opportunities. Individual teachers ask for volunteers to help in their classroom (can include helping kids with an assignment or photocopying or whatever help the teacher needs during the period you are there). Some teachers don't want any parents in the room (my dc once had a teacher who wouldn't accept volunteers b/c she was worried that the parents would discuss how other children were doing and gossip). Probably a valid concern. If you want to volunteer in the art room, contact the art teacher. If you have a special talent and want to do a program for the students, contact the principal, vice principal or school counselor. The money the PTA raises does go to the cultural arts presentations which teachers typically appreciate and and the students love. So it isn't all fluff. If you don't want to support the PTA, that is your right. But stop criticizing it for not being educational -- those volunteer opportunities are there -- just not through the PTA.

What would be an example of a cultural art presentation? Does anyone know if the PTA money at Janney goes to teacher "teaching and management workshops" Like trips abroad or to other US cities for "teaching or management enhancement"?

Because at Janney most families have at least 2 kids with a contribution of $1050 per family. If even half the families contribute, that's 200K+-- WTF. How many "cultural arts presentations" can you have?

We aren't expecting PTA to involve volunteer opportunities in the classroom -- you are misunderstanding. Speaking for myself, I was expecting that the PTA meetings would involve a dialogue about education (i.e. what can parents do to help kids in math, what should kids do over the summer, what should kids do in elementary to be best prepared for middle school, how to improve your child's behavior, or whatever) and I expected that part of the dialogue would involve the teachers or education professionals.

Former PTA board member here. Haven't read the whole thread but I think there are some misconceptions. The PTA doesn't have anything to do with the curriculum and the teachers don't want parent input about what they teach. Period. The PTA has a very limited mission. The reason that some of you didn't see any educational volunteer opportunities at your back to school night is that the PTA doesn't control those opportunities. Individual teachers ask for volunteers to help in their classroom (can include helping kids with an assignment or photocopying or whatever help the teacher needs during the period you are there). Some teachers don't want any parents in the room (my dc once had a teacher who wouldn't accept volunteers b/c she was worried that the parents would discuss how other children were doing and gossip). Probably a valid concern. If you want to volunteer in the art room, contact the art teacher. If you have a special talent and want to do a program for the students, contact the principal, vice principal or school counselor. The money the PTA raises does go to the cultural arts presentations which teachers typically appreciate and and the students love. So it isn't all fluff. If you don't want to support the PTA, that is your right. But stop criticizing it for not being educational -- those volunteer opportunities are there -- just not through the PTA.

Anonymous wrote:I served on the PTA board for two years. I have since quit, and have not gone to a single meeting or helped with any fundraising. And here's why...We live in a pretty affluent area, and raised a good sum of money. But when it came to deciding how to spend that money, there were three other board members who dictated everything. I was the only voice of dissent. And let me tell you, what they spent it on was incredibly wasteful. There was no open discussion about how to spend the funds. It was all done in secret, and then presented at the PTA meetings as a done deal.

It was also in incredibly cliquey. Very few outsiders could break in to the inner world of PTA. So I can see why not many want to volunteer to help. But I think the "insiders" actually like it that way - it gives them more power.

Yes I know this is what goes on--I'm having trouble stomaching writing that $1050 check to Janney this year. I really, really am.

Anonymous wrote:I don't like volunteering at the school. Basically, b/c every time I do it, I run into some other parent who "turns me off" to the whole process. There was the mom who badgered me about what math class my DS was in (so as to compare her son); there was the mom who helped the teacher grade quizes so she could see how the other kids performed; there was the mom who told me that so-and-so is a "troubled" child from a "bad family." Yuck! Each time I left the school with a bad feeling, so I haven't been back. As usual, the parents are a big part of the problem.

That mom type is all over our PTA. It has pretty much ruined the PTA. I write the check and avoid the activities like the plague.

I served on the PTA board for two years. I have since quit, and have not gone to a single meeting or helped with any fundraising. And here's why...We live in a pretty affluent area, and raised a good sum of money. But when it came to deciding how to spend that money, there were three other board members who dictated everything. I was the only voice of dissent. And let me tell you, what they spent it on was incredibly wasteful. There was no open discussion about how to spend the funds. It was all done in secret, and then presented at the PTA meetings as a done deal.

It was also in incredibly cliquey. Very few outsiders could break in to the inner world of PTA. So I can see why not many want to volunteer to help. But I think the "insiders" actually like it that way - it gives them more power.

I don't like volunteering at the school. Basically, b/c every time I do it, I run into some other parent who "turns me off" to the whole process. There was the mom who badgered me about what math class my DS was in (so as to compare her son); there was the mom who helped the teacher grade quizes so she could see how the other kids performed; there was the mom who told me that so-and-so is a "troubled" child from a "bad family." Yuck! Each time I left the school with a bad feeling, so I haven't been back. As usual, the parents are a big part of the problem.

Anonymous wrote:We live in a relatively well-off neighborhood, but only about 50% of families at our school even join the PTA.
Only a couple dozen people staff the various committees and run all the events that make it work year after year. Some of us feel so overspent that we're ready to throw in the towel. We have had to downsize fundraising efforts that could bring in tons more money if we had more people to help. As a result, the PTA offerings at our school pale in comparison to some other schools with similar demographics and one mom I talked to at one of my kids' outside classes mentioned that as a reason not to move into our district.

I'm just wondering what motivates people not to join their school's PTA and help out in whatever way they can. It's not like public schools are awash in money.

I want to. So bad. I write a check instead. I just can't take on anything else. Single parent, full time job, commute, still have a preschooler and not enough support (childcare options). So I really just can't - unless you want my three year old running around and screaming during events.

It's this way with church too. I've had to accept that it is going to be a few years before DC #2 is old enough for me to really be able to get involved in things. Unless childcare is offered.

Out of a $5 fee:
$1.75 goes to the National PTA
$.75 goes to the Virginia PTA for general & administrative
costs
$2.50 stays with the school.

So tell me, why would I join if 50% of the fee goes elsewhere?

Also, I did volunteer, but was "fired" because I questioned the resources of the room being able to handle 2 autistic children. One was still in pull-ups, and hit and bit other children repeatedly, to the point the teacher told the other students to teach him a lesson and hit him back. He also had the language skills of a 2 year old, but somehow the administration backed the parents demands that he be mainstreamed. I point blank told the adminstration they needed an aide in the room to handle this situation, and for that, I was "fired" for not representing the school in a positive light. So much for volunteering at that school.

Thank you for clarifying PP, I heard same thing from many people. I was planning on joining but I guess I will help as much as I can but not getting involve with PTA.

Hate to ressurect this thread, but I also mistook what the PTA was all about. It is the fund-raising arm of the school. That's what it does. It is not a collaboration with the teachers for the purpose of improving your child's educational experience.

The funds are used for sending teachers to workshops in addition to hosting school-wide events (i.e. craft fair, festivals, contests), but as you said PP, these aren't really important to me. So, I'll help with teacher appreciation and I'll pass on the rest.

I made a decision not to join the PTA this year because their priorities do not align with mine. It's not that I think the PTA should all of a sudden take up all of my favorite causes and ignore everyone else's, it's that their causes aren't even on my radar as being mildly important. I also feel the burden of -- if you're not involved in the PTA you must not care about your children or their education. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not sure how the myth that if you care about your children and their school you must join the PTA - got started. In fact, I'm not even certain why my school's PTA is called the PTA (Parent Teacher Association). The only event I have ever seen a teacher participate in was the Back to School Picnic, and my guess is that this was a requirement. I have attended a few PTA meetings and there were only parents in attendance. The same is true of Bingo Night, Movie Night and various other activities. When another parent and I lead our school's chess club, it was the school's most popular club. It only made money through a participation fee, and did not use any existing funds. We didn't have enough volunteers to run the program each week. The next year we talked about hiring someone with the funds from the previous year's club, in order to maintain the club for the kids. The PTA, we discovered, plunged all of the chess club money into the general fund and the chess club line item in the budget sat at $0. Chess club, a rather academic and brain building exercise, was also not supported by a single teacher. Not once did a teacher volunteer to participate in the club. But, one of the main spending line items in the PTA's budget is teacher professional development and teacher appreciation gifts -- both monetary and other. How is an association, completely devoid of teachers, called the PTA? Our PTA anyway, seems to be an organization to donate supplies to teachers, celebrate teacher appreciation week, and give monetary gifts to teachers, but not actually partner with teachers and the school to create a better educational experience for our children. I want to support our teachers and kids as much as anyone else, but really, is donating glue sticks or cookies really going to help my kid be prepared for the world ahead of them? I have a pretty good feeling chess club would have been more helpful.

Anonymous wrote:Finally, the list of sign opportunities was overwhelming social type activities. Why no science activities, no art, no math, no geography or no language volunteer opportunities? I would be happy to be a reading or math assistant but you need to be able to go in twice a week for 30 minutes between 10-11 or 1-3 pm. I could understand that this is not a once a month type activity but if it was in the morning when school started and once a week they could atrract many more working parents with the educational background to contribute substantially.

At our private preschool, parents were encouraged to do things that let kids benefit from their experience. One parent who had worked at NASA came to the school one morning (this was a huge hit with my kids and he introduced some physics), parents from other cultures taught traditional songs, doctors came in and did health activities, a vet brought some animals in, a naturalist professor took them on a nature walk around the school grounds, etc.

I love these ideas I have noticed also, heavy on social. I sometimes think parents feel like academic nights are for poor kids.

Have you suggested specifics? it's easy to say, "Why not?" Maybe no one thought of it. be proactive and lead the way.

Finally, the list of sign opportunities was overwhelming social type activities. Why no science activities, no art, no math, no geography or no language volunteer opportunities? I would be happy to be a reading or math assistant but you need to be able to go in twice a week for 30 minutes between 10-11 or 1-3 pm. I could understand that this is not a once a month type activity but if it was in the morning when school started and once a week they could atrract many more working parents with the educational background to contribute substantially.

At our private preschool, parents were encouraged to do things that let kids benefit from their experience. One parent who had worked at NASA came to the school one morning (this was a huge hit with my kids and he introduced some physics), parents from other cultures taught traditional songs, doctors came in and did health activities, a vet brought some animals in, a naturalist professor took them on a nature walk around the school grounds, etc.

I love these ideas I have noticed also, heavy on social. I sometimes think parents feel like academic nights are for poor kids.

I'm not looking forward to PTA. I've been trying to keep an open mind but so far it looks like what other people are saying will be true.

I signed up to be a room mom. On the sheet there is a line in bold stating that if you agree to be a room mother then you may need to go along with decisions made by others with which you disagree. How much drama or debate could their possibly be about a Halloween party??? To me, this reads that some prima donna already has the Halloween party planned out and does not want anyone changing her party or that people get far too into what to do for a Halloween party. I have no intention of overally expressing my ideas for a Halloween party, just happy to help but the pre-snarkiness on the form is off putting.

I also overhead a PTA mom sighng about her budget issues. She was telling her friend that she just didn't what to do. She would not have enough money later in the year for some event if she did a fundraiser at the beginning of school. I don't work in the non-profit sector but aren't fundraiser's supposed to be net-positive return? If your opertional expenses are larger than the money you take in it doesn't sound like a fundraiser.

Finally, the list of sign opportunities was overwhelming social type activities. Why no science activities, no art, no math, no geography or no language volunteer opportunities? I would be happy to be a reading or math assistant but you need to be able to go in twice a week for 30 minutes between 10-11 or 1-3 pm. I could understand that this is not a once a month type activity but if it was in the morning when school started and once a week they could atrract many more working parents with the educational background to contribute substantially.

At our private preschool, parents were encouraged to do things that let kids benefit from their experience. One parent who had worked at NASA came to the school one morning (this was a huge hit with my kids and he introduced some physics), parents from other cultures taught traditional songs, doctors came in and did health activities, a vet brought some animals in, a naturalist professor took them on a nature walk around the school grounds, etc.