Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re usually eating dinner at 7 or driving to and from activities, even as late as 830. This is no more or less convenient than the morning. It’s exactly as it was already explained to you.

I feel sad for mothers whose husbands refuse to parent in the evenings. I don't understand how if DH and I who both work out of the home can make evening meetings and activities happen, a SAHM with a husband who works can't. I mean by 8:30 my children are home from activities and winding down. DH can handle getting them to bed if I have an activity or event.

You do understand that people have more than 1 kid and some have 3, 4 or more and it takes two parents to drive the kids, manage dinner, put kids to bed when kids are at different ages and stages. Nobody wants to jump on a zoom for a boring PTA meeting by 830 after a long day. This isn’t a SAHM issue that you’re trying to make it out to be. On any given night one kid has an activity from 430-730, another from 530-630, and another from 6–8pm. It’s all hands on deck after school until late in the evening.

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t PTAs get with the times and do virtual meetings like the rest of the world?!

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Anonymous wrote:Anyone ever think about working parents who have to punch a clock and can’t attend mtgs right after drop-off?

Didn’t think so. Only certain kinds of WOHPs count on DCUM.

Oh boo hoo. You’re excluding a whole lot of parents by assuming everyone can make it at 6pm, right when you conveniently get off work.

My, my.

You should really be getting more of a return on that crystal ball you use to peer into the lives and minds of random internet posters. Surely, you could monetize that a bit better than just posting to DCUM?

Surely you could figure out a way to attend a PTA meeting not at your preferred time. But you won’t because you don’t really want to attend you just want to annoy the people willing to put in the time. You’re not missing much why do you even care?

Why would it annoy people if someone wanted to participate?

Offhand, if the person excluded was your child’s pediatrician who can’t make the meeting right after dropoff because her office is open for sick visits, would you be more willing to move a meeting to 5 or 6?

I’m sure my child’s pediatrician would have no trouble making that meeting given all the times I’ve been prompt and ready for a first appointment of the day and the Dr strolls in 30 mins late. But, OP doesn’t want to participate she wants to spew venom and women she feels beneath her.

OK swap out “your child’s pediatrician” for a woman in a job you do value and respect which cannot be casually moved for a PTA meeting. If it was someone whose expertise you valued, wouldn’t you make accommodations for them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re usually eating dinner at 7 or driving to and from activities, even as late as 830. This is no more or less convenient than the morning. It’s exactly as it was already explained to you.

I feel sad for mothers whose husbands refuse to parent in the evenings. I don't understand how if DH and I who both work out of the home can make evening meetings and activities happen, a SAHM with a husband who works can't. I mean by 8:30 my children are home from activities and winding down. DH can handle getting them to bed if I have an activity or event.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why won't they meet in the evenings or after the kids go to bed? Do your husband not allow it? Do you not trust them to be alone with the children? This has happened to me multiple times over the past several years where I've proposed meeting at 7pm or 8:30pm and they say they can't because it's dinner time, kids bedtime, they have so much to do. Please explain.

I’ve literally never heard of a daytime PTA meeting. 8:30 would also be inconvenient and annoying. Our school does them at 6:30.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is there to explain? Much easier to meet without distractions of children and evening routines and needing to arrange childcare. By 8:30 I'm tired.

So am I sweetie, but I try to be inclusive to everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re usually eating dinner at 7 or driving to and from activities, even as late as 830. This is no more or less convenient than the morning. It’s exactly as it was already explained to you.

I feel sad for mothers whose husbands refuse to parent in the evenings. I don't understand how if DH and I who both work out of the home can make evening meetings and activities happen, a SAHM with a husband who works can't. I mean by 8:30 my children are home from activities and winding down. DH can handle getting them to bed if I have an activity or event.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:At my kids’ elementary, they tried evening meetings and not many came. They switched meetings to 8AM (school start time of 8AM) and had much better attendance. Working parents who wanted to attend would just start work late that day, and most SAHPs preferred it. They also live-streamed the meetings.

I didn’t have any say in scheduling, just saying how it worked at our school.

+1. This is how our school does it too. Working moms who have the bandwidth to volunteer with the PTA usually also have the flexibility to start work at 9:30am one day a month.

This reflects a selection bias. Another way to express the same data is that you are only interested in working mothers whose jobs afford them the flexibility to arrive at work at 9:30– no shift workers, no care workers, no one with international calls etc.

And so, anyone who falls into that category should correctly conclude that you’re not interested in them and not take the PTA requests particularly seriously.

Have you been to a PTA meeting? I haven’t attended one in 3 years. I still volunteer as needed on an ad-hoc basis. What more does anyone really need? This focus on the PTA meeting time is a distraction.

I disagree. The meetings are when the agenda is set— when they decide we need a $10,000 teacher appreciation week fundraiser but no free after school activities. I’m happy to spend time volunteering to support the kids I'm not interested in volunteering to serve breakfast.

Do you think the PTA has an open vote? Usually they just rubber stamp a decision that has already been made outside the general meeting.

+1

This was my experience (and I was on the board for a few years). The Principal also had very significant input- as she/he would need to approve and figure out logistics for things like “free after school activities”. These things were more or less decided before any general meeting or vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why won't they meet in the evenings or after the kids go to bed? Do your husband not allow it? Do you not trust them to be alone with the children? This has happened to me multiple times over the past several years where I've proposed meeting at 7pm or 8:30pm and they say they can't because it's dinner time, kids bedtime, they have so much to do. Please explain.

I’ve literally never heard of a daytime PTA meeting. 8:30 would also be inconvenient and annoying. Our school does them at 6:30.

yeah - our school did 630 usually with babysitting or kids playing on playground. I think there would have been IMMEDIATE listserv blow-up if someone tried to schedule a PTA/volunteer meeting during working hours, lol

Who is paying for babysitting at a pta meeting?

Anonymous wrote:What is there to explain? Much easier to meet without distractions of children and evening routines and needing to arrange childcare. By 8:30 I'm tired.

Anonymous wrote:We’re usually eating dinner at 7 or driving to and from activities, even as late as 830. This is no more or less convenient than the morning. It’s exactly as it was already explained to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kids’ elementary, they tried evening meetings and not many came. They switched meetings to 8AM (school start time of 8AM) and had much better attendance. Working parents who wanted to attend would just start work late that day, and most SAHPs preferred it. They also live-streamed the meetings.

I didn’t have any say in scheduling, just saying how it worked at our school.

+1. This is how our school does it too. Working moms who have the bandwidth to volunteer with the PTA usually also have the flexibility to start work at 9:30am one day a month.

This reflects a selection bias. Another way to express the same data is that you are only interested in working mothers whose jobs afford them the flexibility to arrive at work at 9:30– no shift workers, no care workers, no one with international calls etc.

And so, anyone who falls into that category should correctly conclude that you’re not interested in them and not take the PTA requests particularly seriously.

Have you been to a PTA meeting? I haven’t attended one in 3 years. I still volunteer as needed on an ad-hoc basis. What more does anyone really need? This focus on the PTA meeting time is a distraction.

I disagree. The meetings are when the agenda is set— when they decide we need a $10,000 teacher appreciation week fundraiser but no free after school activities. I’m happy to spend time volunteering to support the kids I'm not interested in volunteering to serve breakfast.

Do you think the PTA has an open vote? Usually they just rubber stamp a decision that has already been made outside the general meeting.

Anonymous wrote:The PTA shouldn’t even exist. In 2024 women shouldn’t be working for $0 for a school. The PTA takes advantage of unpaid female labor.