Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 09:49     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:At my DC's school, a couple of crazy PTA moms are browbeating others into fundraising and attending meetings. How have you dealt with this?


How are they browbeating you?

I guess I am lucky. My PTA seems fine. I have worked at the school fair and at the book sale and everyone was really nice.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 09:07     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PTA makes so much extra work for themselves. I just want to tell them to cut out all the crap and life would be so much easier. My kindergartner does not need "Santa's Secret Shop" or "Visiting with Santa with the 8th Grade Elves." I just send her to school to learn and for the teachers to teach. Cut out all this NONSENSE!!


Most of the kids really enjoy and look forward to these activities.

If you don't want your child to join in the fun, just pull them out from the fun things. Jehovah's Witnesses do this. They don't ask that everyone else miss out on celebrations, they just voluntarily opt out.

I am sure your child will appreciate sitting by herself doing math sheets while the other kids are going to the assemblies and other fun events.

Do what is best for your family, and if that doesn't work at the public school then homeschool.


I do not make my decision for my family according to what "the kids really enjoy and look forward to." They look forward to gobs of Halloween candy too, but we don't let them eat it.

I send my child to school to be educated, not to learn how to shop (at Santa's Secret Shoppe!), see Santa (we can do that on our own time, thank you), or watch a Christmas movie in their jammies (we can do this at HOME). School is for SCHOOL. Let's just call a spade a spade: all these things are for teachers to have a nice little break in the day while the kids futz around.

Oh yeah, and so were the Dec. afternoons where "parents were invited to come in and read a Christmas story to the children, dressed up as a character, and give out treats relating to the story." Again, nice try, but this is dressed-up BABYSITTING time for teachers.

Maybe I should try this at my office:

Me: "Boss, I am going to invite a different adult to come in and do my job every afternoon in December. They will bring in treats for everyone!"
Boss: "Great! Because everyone 'really enjoys that and looks forward to it!' And, as you know, that is our guiding principle in making decisions around here! Whatever people will enjoy and look forward to!"
Me (thinking): "Awesome. I will just sit at my desk and piditz around while this other adult is showing up at my meetings for me and distracting everyone with treats!"

(Because that's what everyone needs in December: MORE TREATS.)
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 09:01     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have always thought that the best fundraising tactic would be to let me opt out of every fundraising email, meeting, flyer, etc. if I donate early. I hate all the crap that goes with auctions, bake sales, gift wrap, etc.

I tried that, and was told I could donate any time..,6


Um, well, you can and then you can choose not to participate in any fundraising activity. If you get push back just say I donated already. Fairly easy to do, really.


Why do women posters on this site have to start their "brilliant" observations with "um"? Seriously. Why? Have you been browbeated by men into thinking you can't make a declarative sentence with starting with an "um" or a "well" or a "IMHO"?

And, no in our private we cannot write a additional check and then "choose not to participate". Wrong wrong wrong. A simple example, each grade is assigned an activity like "halloween party and parade" or "school play" or "graduation for 8th graders" and you get hell if you don't do your bit for that activity. Then there's the calls for you to participate 100% in the cap. campaign (I could only get my class to cough up 84% and the pressure was on me. If I could have put in $5 for those families unwilling to give even $5, I would have). Then there is: car wash; cake sales; teacher appreciation lunches (you must send in something); the auction - both working on it and also soliciting donations which goes in the catalogue by name; the gifts for teachers at xmas and end-of-year; the fundraisers for the band or singing group going abroad; the noah's ark; the United Way Halloween boxes; the fall garden party; the honor a teacher dinner; the sally foster gift wrap program; the book sale, and on and on.The schools already get their $35 K out of us in after-tax dollars, then everything else named above is piled on top of that. And if you don't play along you get a bad name and then the head of the school doesn't go to bat for your kid when you are ready to move from a K-8 into high school or from high school into college. This is the game we play and we don't like it one bit.


This sounds like a nightmare. I think I'll stick with public school. In recent years, our elementary has asked for a one-time PTA donation at the beginning of the year (suggested, $100/child). After that, you are left alone and it is fabulous. With that one-time contribution, the PTA is able to do a bunch of great things. No more wrapping paper nonsense.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 08:13     Subject: Re:crazy pta moms
What do you think "help" is? Who should be contributing? If you don't like an activity, have you even spoken up about it and asked that it be dropped? Of course you have the right to say no to helping out, but if you do nothing, why shouldn't people ask for help? The PTA at our school doesn't plan parties anyway. It's the room parents which is separate. This year my child's school is tying contributions to classes based on a min. participation in the PTA. If your child's grade doesn't help out to a min. extent, your child's teacher the following year doesn't get the additional funds. If you're in private school, you should have known going in that there would be fundraising all year long. That's how they get extra fees for events. You can always switch to public.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 07:30     Subject: Re:crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:Some schools have virtually no one attending PTA meetings or doing fundraising. I can't see why PTA moms would go out of their way to get others to come unless they actually needed help. Don't the PTA haters think the PTA leaders just want all the work for themselves and won't share? That was the last argument I heard on here. If so, why would they be asking for more help? Hmm. Maybe they aren't that bad to begin with and are really just trying to help out the school. Your child's attending there I assume. Do you think the school needs the current level or even more money, teacher support, and activities or are you ok with it all going away? If parents would like the same or more level of contributions, I think they should get involved in some fashion. If you don't care if teachers never get any help or there aren't any field trips or community activities ignore them.


They are not asking for more help. They are asking for more people to do the grunt work. And donate money to every cause. My life took a turn for the better when I just said, no. Once you give, they keep coming back!
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2014 00:27     Subject: crazy pta moms
One way to get more people involved in PTA is to keep the cost down. The PTA at one DCPS charges $25, some charge nothing, others charge country club rates.

Also, don't charge so much for after school activities, especially now when so many parents are facing long-term unemployment and so many feds have dealt with furloughs, wage freezes and increased contributions for benefits, resulting in net pay cuts.

Another way is to not be so demanding. Let people participate at their own pace based on their own families' needs.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 22:36     Subject: crazy pta moms
The president sets the tone. Our PTA president is down to earth, ethical and hard-working. In another area had a PTA queen, I mean president who was manipulative as hell and she practically chased people down if the guilt trip didn't work.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 19:24     Subject: crazy pta moms
Public PTAs are worse.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 15:40     Subject: crazy pta moms
Some of the PTA mom's at our middle school send out emails that they think are hilarious but are just plain stupid. I feel embarrassed for them when I read them. These moms have overly inflated opinions of themselves. Everyone knows this except the mom's themselves.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 15:29     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have always thought that the best fundraising tactic would be to let me opt out of every fundraising email, meeting, flyer, etc. if I donate early. I hate all the crap that goes with auctions, bake sales, gift wrap, etc.

I tried that, and was told I could donate any time..,6


Um, well, you can and then you can choose not to participate in any fundraising activity. If you get push back just say I donated already. Fairly easy to do, really.


Why do women posters on this site have to start their "brilliant" observations with "um"? Seriously. Why? Have you been browbeated by men into thinking you can't make a declarative sentence with starting with an "um" or a "well" or a "IMHO"?

And, no in our private we cannot write a additional check and then "choose not to participate". Wrong wrong wrong. A simple example, each grade is assigned an activity like "halloween party and parade" or "school play" or "graduation for 8th graders" and you get hell if you don't do your bit for that activity. Then there's the calls for you to participate 100% in the cap. campaign (I could only get my class to cough up 84% and the pressure was on me. If I could have put in $5 for those families unwilling to give even $5, I would have). Then there is: car wash; cake sales; teacher appreciation lunches (you must send in something); the auction - both working on it and also soliciting donations which goes in the catalogue by name; the gifts for teachers at xmas and end-of-year; the fundraisers for the band or singing group going abroad; the noah's ark; the United Way Halloween boxes; the fall garden party; the honor a teacher dinner; the sally foster gift wrap program; the book sale, and on and on.

The schools already get their $35 K out of us in after-tax dollars, then everything else named above is piled on top of that. And if you don't play along you get a bad name and then the head of the school doesn't go to bat for your kid when you are ready to move from a K-8 into high school or from high school into college. This is the game we play and we don't like it one bit.


It must be so hard to be you.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 15:02     Subject: crazy pta moms
yet you all compain about any single thing you don't like and oh my if you AAP kid isn;t challanged...look out go ahead and see wha thappens when your young one doesn;t get to do the 8th grad eelf thing, how about keeping the classrooms up to date with the latest tech stuff and don't forget the outside equipment or after school activities or transportation

you all sound so charming yourselves tha tI am sure you sit home alone a lot wondering why you have no social life.

signed a dad who is in the pta
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 14:57     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have always thought that the best fundraising tactic would be to let me opt out of every fundraising email, meeting, flyer, etc. if I donate early. I hate all the crap that goes with auctions, bake sales, gift wrap, etc.

I tried that, and was told I could donate any time..,6


Um, well, you can and then you can choose not to participate in any fundraising activity. If you get push back just say I donated already. Fairly easy to do, really.


Why do women posters on this site have to start their "brilliant" observations with "um"? Seriously. Why? Have you been browbeated by men into thinking you can't make a declarative sentence with starting with an "um" or a "well" or a "IMHO"?

And, no in our private we cannot write a additional check and then "choose not to participate". Wrong wrong wrong. A simple example, each grade is assigned an activity like "halloween party and parade" or "school play" or "graduation for 8th graders" and you get hell if you don't do your bit for that activity. Then there's the calls for you to participate 100% in the cap. campaign (I could only get my class to cough up 84% and the pressure was on me. If I could have put in $5 for those families unwilling to give even $5, I would have). Then there is: car wash; cake sales; teacher appreciation lunches (you must send in something); the auction - both working on it and also soliciting donations which goes in the catalogue by name; the gifts for teachers at xmas and end-of-year; the fundraisers for the band or singing group going abroad; the noah's ark; the United Way Halloween boxes; the fall garden party; the honor a teacher dinner; the sally foster gift wrap program; the book sale, and on and on.

The schools already get their $35 K out of us in after-tax dollars, then everything else named above is piled on top of that. And if you don't play along you get a bad name and then the head of the school doesn't go to bat for your kid when you are ready to move from a K-8 into high school or from high school into college. This is the game we play and we don't like it one bit.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 14:49     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:Our PTA makes so much extra work for themselves. I just want to tell them to cut out all the crap and life would be so much easier. My kindergartner does not need "Santa's Secret Shop" or "Visiting with Santa with the 8th Grade Elves." I just send her to school to learn and for the teachers to teach. Cut out all this NONSENSE!!


Most of the kids really enjoy and look forward to these activities.

If you don't want your child to join in the fun, just pull them out from the fun things. Jehovah's Witnesses do this. They don't ask that everyone else miss out on celebrations, they just voluntarily opt out.

I am sure your child will appreciate sitting by herself doing math sheets while the other kids are going to the assemblies and other fun events.

Do what is best for your family, and if that doesn't work at the public school then homeschool.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 14:46     Subject: crazy pta moms
Anonymous wrote:I am always grateful to the PTA moms for all they do to give the students many fun activities. Their work really helps the culture of our school to make our elementary a wonderful place.


+1. I work FT and have really no time to volunteer, other than sporadically if there is a week end event. at our school there are a good number of PTA parents who work really hard and I am grateful to them.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2014 12:19     Subject: crazy pta moms
Our PTA makes so much extra work for themselves. I just want to tell them to cut out all the crap and life would be so much easier. My kindergartner does not need "Santa's Secret Shop" or "Visiting with Santa with the 8th Grade Elves." I just send her to school to learn and for the teachers to teach. Cut out all this NONSENSE!!