Should Parents Take the Time to Join the PTA?

Well school is almost back in session once again, and you will soon be getting your notices asking you to join the schools PTA or Parent Teacher Association. But should you really take the time to join? The first thing that you need to do is think about whether or not you really have the time to invest into it. They usually have PTA meetings on a weekly basis, and at some schools they will even make you pay dues. Of course if they do make you pay a fee to be a member of the PTA the money always goes back to the kids. But it is not just once a week that you will have to invest to this. They have fundraisers and various activities for the children through the course of the school year. The PTA associations really do work hand in hand with the school administrators and the teachers to make each year special for the kids. But there is a down side to the PTA. Let me share my first hand experience on this down side.

First of all as you probably know the PTA is composed of mostly women and you usually have to vote on who will be president, the assistant, the treasurer and so on. This is where things get a little bit touchy. Unfortunately as with any other type of club that you knew about when you were growing up the PTA is no different. It really does end up becoming more about the little clicks than about the children. Some of these parents are just trying to live out their childhood dreams and using the PTA forum to do so. What I have seen with many PTA’s in various schools is a lot of selfish women fighting over very simple issues. Meetings tend to turn into fighting matches, and if this does not occur at your school you can believe that there are always a few parents that are just left out of the loop. The way things are supposed to be handled in the PTA is usually by a vote. This is done when they are trying to decide on what type of fundraiser to throw, or how to raise money for a trip and so on. But in most cases the majority if composed of clicks of friends who have already decided in advance what they are going to do regardless of what everyone else wants. Unfortunately most women in these PTA’s tend to forget all about the kids. Of course this is just based on several experiences I have had with various schools in my area. Different areas of course will be different.

But when you are trying to decide whether or not to join the PTA why not attend a few meetings first to see if it is really something you want to get involved with. Try talking with some of the other parents who are members of the PTA and see if there are any clicks or open and friendly. Talk to moms whose children have graduated and who are no longer members of the PTA to see what there experiences were like. This will help you to decide whether or not this is something that you want to invest your time in. For additional resources and information you can visit the “National PTA Website” at www.pta.org.