School Daze
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
This is the PTA.
Watch out for these ladies. They have a lot of school spirit, maybe a little more than is healthy. They like to organize stuff. They like meetings. They take minutes and on behalf of the PTA, they would like to welcome you, well kind of.
They like to put up banners and send home flyers. They adore fundraisers. They will make you sell gift wrap and peppermint bark and magazines and cookie dough. They are not above using guilt to force you to participate.
They like open houses and carnivals. They can't get enough of silent auctions. They live for bake sales and book fairs and spaghetti suppers. They want your recycling and they want it bad. Oh, and don't forget about yearbook, you didn't think you'd get away without a yearbook did you?
In spite of our alarmingly high property taxes our school apparently doesn't have enough for musical education and the mobile computer lab. Tell you what PTA, I will not sell your gift wrap or peppermint bark or magazines or cookie dough or anything for that matter.
I have one thing to say to you ladies. How much? I'll write the check now for the full amount if you promise to leave me alone.
9 comments:
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AGREE!
My son attends private school( due to the short days of public school and afterschool care offered at said private school)and not only am I to pay lots of the tuition, but of course anything else that the school needs we have to pay for it with all the things in your posts. Im okay with the money,( ill write a check ) but I DO not have the additional time to solicit my family and neighbors, for each fund raising event( got three last week- girft wrap, cookie dough, AND candy bars) So here I am writing a 75$ check for each fund raiser so I can OPT out of selling. GOOD times.
I managed never to get involved with the PTA. I disliked the way they try to guilt you into everything and treat you like a second-class citizen if you don't participate.
Quite an achievement, avoiding them for the whole of my two sons' school careers, but I did it! ;)
I totally get what you are saying - but I am now one of those PTA (here in Australia P&C) ladies. I wanted to help my kids' school, and at first I asked why we didn't just ask everyone to write a cheque so people could be left alone. The answer? Over half of them won't actually write the cheque, even the ones who can afford it. And it is true. So you wind up having to fundraise anyway and it is the responsible ones who wrote a cheque in the first place who end up helping out with that as well. My kids love that I am involved and it has helped me to get to know the school and the teachers really well. I actually get a lot out of it. So, sorry if people like me annoy. I sometimes annoy me too - I just wish I knew the answer.
This totally reminded me of that 70's country song:
"The note said, "Mrs. Johnson, you're wearing your dresses way too high
It's reported you've been drinking and a-runnin' 'round with men and going wild
And we don't believe you ought to be bringing up your little girl this way"
It was signed by the secretary, Harper Valley P.T.A."
Don't know why really.
This is an example of what I was talking about with my ranting tax post a while back. Why can't your property taxes fund music ed? What else are they being spent on?
You're in Cali, I would encourage you to see how much of your tax burden is spent on prisons.
If you ever decide to give in ... I'll buy a candy bar from you.
Just let me know. I have PayPal.
Our schools are the same way. My niece hadn't been in school for a full week before she came knocking, selling magazines!!
:D You remind so much of my mom. Anything I ever had to sell, she would just buy herself and then give it away as gifts. I think she is still using wrapping paper that I sold during middle school - and I'm 23 now.
bechtold clan- Part of me wonders how much of those dollars we raise go to the school. That's part of why I'd like to just write a check, I want to see all $75 bucks go to the computer lab, not $45, or $35 or whatever the admin costs are.
Jay-
I appreciate that some of the moms want to participate but some get over the top and a bit of the crazies.
Lea-
Are you one of the crazies? That's ok, we'd like you anyhow. I think it's great to get involved with the school, great for the kids, even the fundraisers aren't terrible, I just think most schools need fewer of them to minimize burnout. I'd probably get more excited and even participate on a bigger scale if there were not sooo many. I actually like the silent auctions, low cost, local biz donate, parents bid.... I have given away soooo many gift certificates to the local schools by my spa so they can raise funds. I'd rather go around asking local biz for donations than sell stuff to fam/friends-just too many logistics involved.
afreeman-
loved that song when I was a little girl, that and Dolly Partons 9to5. I think our county propert taxes are mostly infrastructure, perhaps local jails but schools, firefighter/police,etc. Our property taxes are over $10,000 a year, yikes.
Joe-
Thanks Joe.
theincrediblewoody-
it feels like it never ends, ugh.
mj- with three kids, only one currently in public school, I can only imagine what it's going to be like when all three are in. Let me know when your mom needs more giftwrap:)
Those ladies scare me a little, I get involved some but some of them are totally catty and nutz, like ladies who left the corporate world and now aproach pta like their ceo of exxon, lighten up gals.