Volunteering and PTA

I was reading my niece Michelle's blog where she is talking about volunteering and saying No. It brought back memories of the days I volunteered at my children's elementary school. I was very fortunate to be able to stay home with them for those years and despite putting ourselves deep in debt and forgoing little luxuries like vacations, new furniture, etc. we were comfortable and I would not change one minute of it.

I helped out in the office, classrooms, was a room mother I think every year. When Molly moved on to middle school, Jackson moved in to elementary school so I spent 10 years at the same school. I organized the yearly school carnival a couple of years, did the "dreaded" fundraiser, spent a week at camp, and for two years I was PTA president. Personally I think volunteering comes with the package of having a child.

I was going through papers the other day that I have thrown in boxes and came across the school newsletter from May 2001. It was the end of my term as President and I wrote this article in the "Ranger Round-Up". It kind of sums up how I feel.

From The President

As PTA President for the past two years I have learned many things.

• That I will not faint if I stand up in front of a lot of people and lead a meeting!
• That my family will survive on Taco Bueno or McDonald's on meeting nights.
• That teachers, counselors, and principals work really long hours and some don't seem to ever go home.
• That schools have more paper work than the Government.
• That you should never do a fundraiser that isn't prepay!
• That there will be a lot of discussion at board meetings, even disagreement's, but it's okay as long as you are all pursuing the same objective - what's best for the children.
• That you can meet great people and maybe make some lifetime friends.
• That we are really lucky to have a diverse culture in our school. We need to take advantage of it and learn from each other.
• That education is never ending, we are always learning.
• That it takes the unity of both parent and teacher working together to educate a child.
• That children are extremely smart, sensitive and intuitive. They know when you care about what they do and when you don't, and it will reflect in how they do.
• That some parents do a lot, some do a little, and some won't do anything no matter how many times you call them.
• That you can volunteer to help at school even if you:

Work full time, part time, nights or weekends.
Have small children at home, or a 90 year old Grandmother.
Have kids in high school, middle school, or none at this school.
Are in charge of the elementary school, or teach all day.
Have other activities to attend such as soccer games, choir rehearsal, or Girl Scouts.
Have high blood pressure, a heart condition, get strep throat every year or just had major surgery.
Are bravely and unselfishly taking care of a parent dying of cancer.
Meet your PTA Board!
I dedicate this to you.