Five years ago, I was asked to be PTA President at a local Middle School. I had never done any volunteer work for the PTA; my only school volunteer experience was chaperoning some field trips and cutting out construction paper using a stencil for art projects. I immediately said it wasn’t for me. I am the Mom of four, and at the time, I had a full-time job.
I went home and thought it over, and the words kept popping in my head, “if we can’t find any volunteers, the school will no longer have a PTA.” I didn’t want my kids to go without the valuable programs that the PTA fund. I felt the weight of the school PTA on my shoulders. So, nine years after my first-born started Kindergarten, with absolutely no experience, I jumped in with both feet and said, “I will be the PTA President.”
Thank goodness there was a lot of guidance and support available to me. We raised money to pay for field trips, gave the teachers stipends and had a great 8th-grade dance, along with many other projects. I felt so proud of my accomplishments, but the bigger reward was, my kids were happy. My kids had the best grades ever, that year. I learned so much about the school. I knew all of the teachers, most of the students, the administration and understood how important parent participation is for the success of the school.
With that said, I would never recommend anyone start their volunteer experience as the PTA President, unless that is what you want to do. What I can tell you is there are ways for every parent to get involved this year. No matter how much time you have.
Here are some ways you can make a difference.
- Join the PTA or PTO and try to attend the meetings. The meetings give you a good chance to talk with other parents and to work together to improve the school, as well as the opportunity to voice your hopes for the school. If you can’t make the meetings, ask if the minutes can be sent to you.
- Participate in the fundraising efforts sent home each year. The money raised benefits our children and their education. If you don’t feel like going door to door, most PTA’s are happy to accept a donation instead of fundraising, if you can afford to do that.
- Participate in back to school nights, open houses, and other meetings.
- Attend school events like concerts, plays, awards banquets and extracurricular activities. Your support means the world to your child.
- Read all the information the school sends home. Check to see if your school offers information via their website, social media, phone notifications or e-mails. Many schools are going paper-free.
- Volunteer at your child’s school, if your schedule permits. Schools often send home lists of ways in which parents can get involved such as:
- Chaperone field trips or dances
- Serve on school committees or advisory councils as a parent representative.
- Help with projects such as the school yearbook.
- Help in your child’s class, in the school library, in the cafeteria, or in the school office.
If work or other commitments make it impossible for you to volunteer in the school, look for ways to help at home such as:
- Ask the teacher for projects you can work on at home.
- Look out for opportunities to donate supplies as needed.
- Offer to coordinate the pot luck for a school party or celebration. There are websites that make this simple such as www.signupgenius.com. It will even send reminders.
When you volunteer your time and resources, you show your student how important their education is to you and help keep learning a positive and fun experience. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful school year!
Jennifer Hickerson was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1994. As a mother of 4 children ranging in age from 18 – 7, she has enjoyed most of the activities that Monterey County has to offer and loves to share her knowledge with others. In her off time she loves to cook and is an award-winning baker.