Amy Annonymous

First off, I’m glad you’re still here after reading the title of this post. Most people have read those 3 letters and ran in the opposite direction. Why is there such a strange stigma associated with the PTA? In all my years of being an (over) active member and serving on two different boards, I guess I have an idea. It’s a commitment, it requires working for free, other parents don’t always play well with others and it’s a clique of stay at home moms with nothing better to do. All of this can be true as I have experienced all of these at some point. So now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, I want to share my experience with my kid’s PTA’s over the years.

It’s July 1st which means it is the 1st day of the new year for the PTA. Our new board is going to be meeting soon to prepare for the new school year. We’re gonna have a ton of enthusiasm and complete amnesia from just two months ago in May when we were all questioning everything and hanging on by a thread. We will be well rested with nice tans and fresh plans. This will be my 4th year serving on the middle school board, second as president. Each year builds a little more confidence but I really have no clue what is going on most of the time and fully rely on my fellow board members. I know the rules and the basics pretty well but I’m here to tell you- something always comes out of left field that is not in the handbook. If you asked me when my oldest started kindergarten in 2016 if I saw myself running a PTA chapter I would be humbled and give thanks for the vote of confidence, but no. I had no idea how to even be a parent let alone be in an association of them. I definitely did not bake. But- I did want to be part of the kid’s schooling somehow. I wanted to volunteer- sometimes. Maybe joining the PTA would make me a qualified school parent lol. So that is what led me here, 10 years later as the president. Last summer I was able to take my middle to the PTA Leadership Convention in Orlando. Yes, its a thing and it had around 3,000 people!

Here’s the thing- The PTA wants everyone who wants to come. It is not exclusive to the parents who have their lives together and carry a day planner. Every group is so different depending on who’s in it and giving the time. You learn along the way and before you know it, the school year is over and so much was accomplished that otherwise would not have happened. Building community in any aspect will always be beneficial to everyone. The Parent Teacher Association is a nonpartisan national program that advocates for all students. Every school chapter is ran by non paid volunteers. Most of these people just wanna have a good time (it’s me) and not add unwanted troubles to their already hectic days. We are on the campus as much as our schedules allow and when we see something that needs help- we get to work. It’s amazing what a group of moms (some dads and grandparents) can accomplish. We go out into our communities and build partnerships to provide what the school may not be able to. It doesn’t matter if a kid doesn’t have an involved parent, they will be included.

People are often surprised to learn that I did not have a good public school experience. I came from a single parent home. I really had no supervision form 6th grade on. I found the group of kids who were also unsupervised and we got in trouble- a lot. When I was in the 10th grade I was asked to leave the public high school-oops. I now know this wasn’t completely my fault and the ball was dropped by the school and my parents. The public school system doesn’t take care of the kids falling in the cracks which is another post and another reason I have become the advocate I am today. But-I digress. I ended up in a private school where there weren’t that many kids. A volunteer mom saw right through me and took me in. She made sure I was involved in the events and made sure I got where they were. She let me know she was disappointed when I messed up, but didn’t give up on me. There were a few “moms” like this in my life that I owe a lot of thanks to. My own mom lived in a different city and I never saw her face in the audience . When I became a mom myself, I knew that wasn’t going to be my kids story. I knew I wanted to be that mom who stepped in and helped the other kids who were lost at no fault of their own. I planned to be front row at all of my kids events and I have been. I give thanks to the volunteer organization- P.T.A. for giving me that opportunity . See- you don’t have to have a perfect life background. I think the people who have had the struggles can be the most valuable because they have that experience, compassion and drive to make the changes.

Last year my oldest was a Freshman in high school. She joined the FFA (Future Farmers of America) which is her passion in life. When it was time for officer nominations for the next school year she told me she was going to sign up for a position on the board and told me in so many 15 year old words “I have watched you do it so I know I can too”. That was a really cool mom moment for me- because yes girl! Yes you can! She did tell me it was for the open treasurer position and said she knew I could help with that. I had to break the news that the treasurer position is always the last to get filled and no, I am no help in that area but I’m sure we could find someone. Thankfully that role was filled, she took Reporting Secretary, crisis averted. The fact that I was showing her how to raise her hand and say “I think I can help with that” makes up for all of the dark circles that have accumulated under my eyes over the years. Apparently they are always watching.

That’s really all you have to do. Raise your hand and say- “I think I can help with that”. Somehow your PTA should find a way to get you in the mix. I have heard people say they have reached out and didn’t get a response and my reply to that? Try again. The people who are running these groups are volunteers who probably missed the message. Trust me, they are understaffed. I could go on but I will stop. If you have the opportunity to join your kid’s PTA or athletic league or anything that needs parent volunteers, just do it. You’re qualified just by showing up and you will make a difference even if it seems small.

Do you serve on you school’s PTA? Why or why not?