PTA

[SueC]

Oh, I feel for you! I'm only semi-involved with our PTA because I'm terrified of getting sucked in. It's such a worthy cause, but is so much work!!!

[houseelf]

Congrats Sylvia. I love this kind of stuff. For whatever it is worth, in his book "Freakonomics" Stevin Levitt showed a high correlation between children's intelligence and parental involvement in organizations like the PTA/PTO etc. (NOTE---He didn't opine that this was causally related, but correlated. The speculation is that that intelligence is highly inherited AND you demonstrate to your children that school and education are highly valuable.)

I can hear you all sighing and thinking "Thank you Kelly for your endless contribution of meaningless trivia"

Anyway, congrats! I'm very involved with DS's school and hope to be even more so at our next location.
I got your back!
Kelly

[rainbabies]

Congrats Sylvia. I love this kind of stuff. For whatever it is worth, in his book "Freakonomics" Stevin Levitt showed a high correlation between children's intelligence and parental involvement in organizations like the PTA/PTO etc. (NOTE---He didn't opine that this was causally related, but correlated. The speculation is that that intelligence is highly inherited AND you demonstrate to your children that school and education are highly valuable.)

I can hear you all sighing and thinking "Thank you Kelly for your endless contribution of meaningless trivia"

Anyway, congrats! I'm very involved with DS's school and hope to be even more so at our next location.
I got your back!
Kelly

Why thank you Kelly.....but it is Tara that you want to Congratulate. I was only mentioned because of the cookie thing...yummy.

[houseelf]

Ooops...posting on the fly...Sorry Tara.

Kelly

Oh, thank you for that piece of trivia, Kelly!

It makes me feel better. I have joined our school foundation's Board of Directors with plans to be the Treasurer next year. It appears that the books are a big steaming mound and I'm wondering just what I got myself into. I should have stuck to being a room parent!

[mommax3]

I am much more effective in the classroom helping out than I would be in the PTA, given the skills I have and the skills I lack. It is ALL important and makes a big difference!

Sally

[Sheherezade]

I would have posted sooner, but I've been busy with PTO stuff.

I've been sucked in as a district committee chair. It seems like the same people volunteer for everything and the volunteerism falls off as your kids get older. I've been warned to pace myself. It's easy to burn out on PTO, and they do need help in the teen years. So many parents are busy with work concerns by that time.


I sympathize Tara....it is so hard to not get sucked deeper and deeper. Once they know you'll come through, then you are on their list. Beware!

I should say, my biggest gripe with the FFO (PTA) is the bickering women. Sometimes it gets like high school all over again.

That is why I decided to go the Foundation route. I can't donate much money to them but can give time and it didn't seem to have the PTA characteristics you mentioned. I thought I had sidestepped some of that. Well, one of the members just resigned, in part over the problems with the current Treasurer. The joke is on me!

I agree about the list. I am on the "general volunteer" list because I didn't know what to sign up for. I'll have to check my back for a "sucker" sticker.

[SueC]

I'm like Sally--I think I'm more "room-mom" material. I can handle organizing parties and other classroom activities, though that still ended up being way more work than I was prepared for. There doesn't seem to be a lot of bickering in our PTA (that I know of, but I might just be clueless about it since this was our first year), but there is just so many things they are having to organize (like fundraising for a new playground--something that will cost a couple hundred grand) that I was afraid to throw myself into it too much.

[mommax3]

I'm not even that good, Sue. I am SO not crafty, and I have too many times seen the "other side" (as a parent and a teacher) of what happens to all the treat bags and cute crafts after the party ends and everything gets stuffed in a backpack to be able to work up much enthusiasm for party planning, even though the kids always have a great time. I prefer to help by grading papers or helping students who are behind or being a second pair of adult hands during science experiments, etc., etc.

Don't give me too much credit! I'm good for a bag of candy or two, but that is about it!

Sally