PTA Is Only for Parents?

HI S.
I am on the PTA board for my daughters school. ! teacher from each school in the district comes with a principals report. We have out meetings 1 per month. Hope this helps.

At my son's school the principal puts in an appearance at each meeting and two or three teachers always attend too, but it is usually the same teachers from month to month.

I go to 2 different PTA meetings. One for elementary and one for middle school which I have attended 2 meetings each. For middle school there were no teachers there but there was what they call a dean of students. She basically makes sure the students are where they are supposed to be when they are to be there. She has been in the halls monitoring and telling the kids they need to get to their classes. In elementary there were 2 asst. principals at the first one and at the second the principal and an asst. principal, but no teachers. I am disapppointed in the fact that no teachers shows, but at least a representative for the school has been there. That is what the T in PTA stands for teacher and although teacher may join the PTA they rarely attend. It would be nice for them to be there so we can get their input and feedback on what might be discussed.

M.

When my kids were in public school, the PTA meetings seemed to exist only to talk to parents about getting their kids to sell things to raise money for the school.
They also talked about how important the PSSA test scores are to the school. The principal attended, but rarely any teachers.

Not all PTA's are like this. In our former school district in another state parents and teachers were very active in the school planning and not just raising money.

At the first school that my boys attended, it was rare to ever see teachers at the PTO meetings. Later, when they switched to a parish school, I found that there was much more involvement in the Home and School Association. There was a real sense of community. Not only did the teachers attend, but many of the teachers were also parishioners, so our children saw them in the community, at church, and at other church activities. It was a very nice experience. I think parent/teacher involvement will always vary based on the culture of the particular school and neighborhood.

At my daughter's school, the teachers are very much involved in the PTO. I don't get to go due to having two younger children. But, my husband goes and he tells me that many of the teachers are there at every meeting, which for us is once a month. They also help out at all of the PTO sponsored events.

At our PTO, the principal even comes, as well as several teachers.

I am the president of our PTO. We have 2 teacher reps for our school. They always come to our meeting along with our principal but that's it. We know that we have their support and they help us with things we ask them to help with in the classroom. I appreciate that and it's good enough for me.

S.,
I hear you! I've been part of our elem. PTO for 5 yrs. and I've always been disturbed by the lack of participation of the teachers. We usually will have 1 teacher at each of our meetings and the principal. And for the longest time, I thought the meetings were held by the principal because it just seemed like whatever he says goes. We have asked why we only ever see 1 teacher (the same one) each month, and the principal has said that this teacher is a "rep." and will go back to their faculty meetings and give a 5 min. summary of our discussions.

I take issue with this. The PTO has been very supportive of the school in every way -- educational needs, volunteerism and especially fundraising. What the PTO cannot seem to do is bridge the communication gap between teachers and parents. It seems that teachers do not wish to create a relationship.

We, too, have been asked for money and given it freely to teachers. This bothered me that they usually did nothing but put the request through the principal. We've had little face time with the recipients. This past summer, we revamped our by-laws to include the presence of the teacher and a written request. They now come and explain why/how they intend to use the funds. It makes a big difference in how we feel about these requests. We're not just a bank anymore, we are parents with a glimpse of what our children will be doing throughout the year.

Our principal attends every meeting and there are 2 teacher representatives that come to every meeting as well. I do not think that it is normal for no participation from the teachers.

Good luck!
A.

We usually have the school's president and maybe a teacher or 2 at our meetings. The other teachers are involved in other ways, but with other family committments can't usually attend the meetings, which is understood. They are still great helps with the fundraisers and activities that we do.

It is for all interested persons inthe school's welfare and I was a teacher and mom. Attendance was always great fun and got to know people, not everyone is into that. I enjoyed it and got involved as a teacher.Keep goingand encourage oters to go ands have a strong organization. J.

I'm a public school teacher as well and find it difficult to attend evening meetings. I have a family of my own and live 25 miles away from my school. I am VERY involved with my students and PTO activities especially the activities that occur within the school setting. Keep in mind that MANY teachers help out with PTO activities such as promotions and fundraisers. We're the ones who collect the money for the fundraisers, talk about behavior at roller skating parties, and calm the kids down after the Cow from Chik-fil-a shows up at school to promote the evenings activities. We appreciate everything that the PTO does for us, but sometimes we need to put our families first at night.

Our PTA meetings are in the mornings so at that time the teachers are obviously teaching our children and can not attend.

Our principal and vice principal are always in attendance though.

When I was teaching, we were strongly encouraged to join and attend PTA events. Most teachers attended 2-3 a year and there were always several teachers at each meeting.

At my son's school, we rarely seem to have teachers present. The principal is there at nearly every one, and the parent-teacher liaison is there, otherwise they only attend when they are presenting (sometimes in an effort to get money/equipment, sometimes to inform parents on procedural/programs).

Most of our PTA meetings revolve around fundraising and giving to our teachers. We meet monthly. However, if I have a question, I know I can write the PTA and they will get it answered at the next meeting (one of the presentations from a teacher was in answer to my specific question and to receive equipment that cost $800).

I personally don't have a problem with them only attending when they need to as I know from being a teacher, we are asked to go above and beyond often, sometimes at the expense of our own children/needs. My husband's school actually schedules PTA meetings during the school day so that no teachers can attend and so that parents do not have to make childcare and other plans around PTA. This leaves out a lot of parental involvement, but meets the needs of their school. If you have a concern, address it with the school.

In my experience as both a teacher and a parent, PTA's are typically just parents. Especially if meetings are at night, teachers want to be home with their families after working all day long. While the T is in the name, it is generally parents are the committee- teachers want to do their job (teach!) and go home!

I'm a teacher and honestly I already do so much for my students and their families. Beside having a family of my own, I also have many meeting to attend each month so I not not attend due to lack of time. Our principal meets with the PTA and I do not know of any teachers who attend the PTA meetings in our school district.

At our school, it is just parents. Teachers attend the events that the Home and School plans, but they are organized by the parents. Our home and school is fabulous! :-) (I'm a teacher by the way.)

If you're upset that teachers don't attend, think about it this way. Teachers already give a lot of time to their jobs. Adding one more meeting a month to the schedule is asking a lot. We have our own families and PTA/Home and School meetings to attend. I hope that you understand.

J.

Added note: I just read your response to everyone, and it upsets me that you're upset about some posts from teachers. If you want teachers to attend, then ASK them to attend (like another poster said). I go above and beyond what I'm contracted to do for my students and my school. I do it because I love it. I go to work before I'm supposed to, I stay later than I have to, AND I DON'T GET PAID OVERTIME. I also take work home with me. That's what happens when you're a good elementary school teacher.

Were you up late last night planning exciting activities for your job on Monday? That's the only time that I have to do it because I have a little one at home. My time is precious. I spend as much of the leftover time I have with my family. (He's napping right now, by the way!) So, don't tell me to get a different job because I don't attend PTA meetings. DO YOU ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS? It's an open public forum. You should go. You can learn a lot about the workings of a school through those meetings.

Could SOME teachers who maybe don't do as much outside of the classroom spare a few hours a month here and there to attend a meeting? Sure, that's possible.

You want to try to make teachers feel bad for not attending your PTA meetings? Go ahead, but before you do that, you should really check into what a good teacher already does do for her job. I must go now, because I have more reading tests to grade.

I am saddened by the comments against the teachers. Please do not assume that they have extra time on their hands or that they "should get another job." My poor sister spent the night of thanksgiving grading papers and doing report cards...while the rest of you were probably relaxing. Like the one teacher/mom said they still have their own families/responsibilities. She is not kidding wehn she says they go in early and stay late constantly on a tiny salary. I could not read any further into the posts....one of them really should be ashamed.

Ive been a teacher and a parent for many years, some in combination. I taught in a Jr High for 14 years, coached at a Senior High and also taught in 4 different elementary schools in one district. Every school felt differently about teacher participation in PTA. Two principals did not want their teachers at meetings, feeling it would allow the parents a more open forum if they werent there. The elementary school my girls went through were very welcoming toward teachers. At the time, I was on the PTA board and would often invite teachers to talk,or have input, especially if it was an area we were considering giving money to for equipment, etc. Many teachers didnt want to be active in PTA, they had children of their own, and responsibilities in the evenings. At the Jr High level, I never attended, mostly because the issues werent of interest to me. That PTA was very focused on the turf on the football field, sports programs, things like that. I was an art teacher, so my interest was in curriculum and making sure the arts werent cut from the budget. Things have changed over the years, and the higher level PTAs are into curriculum now. It all depends on the group of parents/teachers involved, whether the administration is open to a more equitable group, and whether the staff is interested. But often, if you want involvement with teachers, a simple invitation will do it. Most teachers want the same thing parents do...........positive things for the kids. Hope this was helpful to you. G., 56 year old mom of two, one still in high school.