PTA Sets its Sights on Working Parents
Stay-at-home-moms and stay-at-home-dads, you’re just not cutting it anymore. The parent teacher associations and organizations of the world have ever thinning ranks these days, so they’re going rogue.
They’re dropping their commitment requirements to draw more working parents into the fold. Can’t sign up for monthly meetings plus, plus, plus? They’ll move them to Saturday or meet at your house. According to The Juggle, they’re even getting rid of the petty fights over which chocolate bar to sell at the fundraiser in favor of actual business.
Considering more than half of mothers work out of the home - and even more fathers - isn’t it about time? Working parents get a lot flack for not helping out enough at their kids’ schools, but if the meetings are always set for 3:30 and you spend two hours blathering about the color ribbons to put on the principal’s birthday gift, can you blame them for not showing up?
Parent/teacher groups can - and often do - do a lot of good in schools. But the stuff of a Weeds episode isn’t made up for comedic affect. I’ve seen it in action - or shall we say inaction? Who wants to give up the Wednesday evening you could spend cuddling on the couch for anything less than business-like efficiency that will get you back to your kid that much faster?
But if you’re willing to meet me halfway, I’m on board. Who’s with me?
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Tags: Jeanne Sager, Playdate, PTA, PTO, volunteering, working parents
4 Comments
Marie Smith (http://wifeofhousehubby.blogspot.com) commented on Nov 06 09 at 4:58 pmIf PTA was more efficient & at a time which was reasonable, I’d be happy to help. I can’t go to the meetings mid-afternoon, so it feels like a stay-at-home club to me who works. It’s just one more thing that drives a rift between the stay-at-homes and the working moms. I hope my PTA takes this advice.
bettywu commented on Nov 06 09 at 6:58 pmAmen.
snarky mama commented on Nov 08 09 at 12:30 amUmm, hate to be totally obvious about this, but have any of you actually asked your PTA to hold meetings at a different time? Another mom and I asked our PTA about this last year, so now one month a meeting is at 2 (so the meeting will end at 3, which is pick-up time) and the following month the meeting is at 7 (with free pizza and babysitting).
PlumbLucky commented on Nov 09 09 at 9:04 amsnarky - I know my (working) mother did…for years on end while we were in elementary school. No avail, it really wasn’t much more than a SAHM club back in the 80’s at our small school (Mom was one of three moms that worked out of the whole place!). The elementary school my child will likely attend is “thinking about” moving its PTA meetings next year based on feedback from working moms - my neighbor says they’ve been “thinking about it” for five years now though.
I have to say that if PTA meetings are efficient and businesslike and not held during the workday, I’m on board. PTA’s can do a lot of good. But if they’re held in the evening and its a two hour squawkfest about what color ribbon to use on the principal’s b-day gift? Fugheddaboutit. Got enough guilt for working (Hey, I’m Irish Catholic so its a genetic thing!), don’t need extra for wasting time when I could be spending it with the munchkin :-).
