A resource for PTA and parent involvement project ideas
Teacher Involvement with PTA
Our teacher membership has been down for the past years, so we tried something new this year. The new PTA Board greeted our teachers with a Welcome Back letter stating all the things that PTA provides throughout the year for our teachers. We also emphasized the T in PTA and we have had 9 teachers so far (first week of school) sign up. We attached a membership registration form to the letter and also asked what event they would be helping with this year. Every teacher that has joined PTA has signed up to help with an event. We are hopeful that all the teachers will see that they need to be apart of our PTA.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Carissa Dollar on -
Sounds like you are making great steps towards getting them more involved! Does your principal encourage your teachers to join? That makes a huge difference.
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Permalink Reply by Michele Diane Maeder on -
Our teacher membership is okay but active involvement is laking too. We have a teacher representative who attends our PTA meetings. I would like to see more individual invovlement and interaction from the teachers/staff. This year I am trialing something new. One of our officers will hold a very informal meeting with the teachers once a month either over their lunch hour OR right after school to keep them informed. It does not give the parents that attends PTA meetings the chance to mingle with teachers as I would prefer but it is a start for the teachers to give feedback personally to one us instead of coming from another person. I am hoping with building some more interest this year maybe in the future they will come to realize the importance of supporting PTA. I have to admit the teachers are VERY greatful for what we do for the school. This is just a thought to pass on to faciliate any teacher involvement.
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Permalink Reply by Leilani Todd on
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We are looking at ways we could encourage membership as well. We will be listing all the opportunities to volunteer at every function PTA has this year so members can sign up but I love this idea you have here. Would you be willing to share your Welcome Back Letter and request to volunteer letter? If so you are welcome to email me directly at ltodd@hotmail.com. Thanks so much!
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT G BROWNING on -
When I was president of our Kiwanis Club in 1984 a couple of years later women were permitted to join we had 6 female principals join, thanks to a male principal in the club. The only time these new members showed up was when they wanted money for their schools. The club went from 65 members in 1984 to 15 members today.
Note: I am a parent of a 16 year old HS student who cannot get teachers to respond either. I have already had a teacher tell me this year she could not become too involved with the students because of a personal problem (a new baby). I give up.
LOVE THOSE UNIONS!
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Permalink Reply by Amy Willis on
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Do you require all teachers to pay the dues? I'm a bit torn over this issue. We do alot for our teachers and we have a lot of teacher participation. At each meeting our principal requires that each grade be represented by one teacher. Does this mean that they have to join and pay dues. They allready use money from their own pockets in their classrooms every week. I'm not sure what the right answer is?????
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Permalink Reply by Debbie Lou Hague on
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I agree with what Leilani said. You need to let all of your membership know what the PTA does. We get close to 100 percent faculty membership in both the elementary school and high school. We start off the school year with a luncheon or breakfast and the teachers can pay their dues at that time. A five dollar luncheon is worth it to the teachers and the food and theme are always terrific. We have a few door prizes and everything turns out great. This year teachers even entered their information in OMDR before the luncheon so we just checked them off and accepted their check.
I believe that Mr. Browning has the wrong attitude. His attitude may be the problem. I am glad to say I am a card carrying member of the high school, middle school, and elementary school PTAs. I am also a card carrying member of the NEA. I am a teacher and I am President of the elementary school.
I also believe a new baby is a terrific excuse for not being as involved in any organization. Instead of fighting it, make it easy for her. Give her something small that she could do at home. If everyone did just a little bit, the organization would not be burden to the few.
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT G BROWNING on
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Maybe if you had paid more attention in your english classes you may have realized that I did not show an attitude, just expressed facts, in which I was involved. Being 70 years old I am sure that I have witnessed more of the excuses than you have as to your attitude. You would not even have to tell me you are a card carrying Union Member. You state every reason that our education system has sent our students from being taught to be the best in the world as to fighting hard to keep up with third world countries. If you had an education in reading you might find that I said nothing of a teacher being involved in any organization, but being unable to be involved with HER STUDENTS. My students (children) range from 48 years old to an adopted 16 year old. My Mother was a school teacher for 45 years and I have 3 college degrees, my two oldest children have master degrees. Here is another for you: I tried to donate for an electrical hook up for a sign to my sons middle school as part of the costs of a sign that was to cost $30,000 (similar to one I purchase for my business for $5500) after 1 year, changes, several reviews by the State, changes to designs, I gave up and had to withdraw my offer. My electrician was going to install the electricity for $1200, that school estimated to be $5000-$6500. I tried to get the district to do the trenching for me, but your Unions would not permit that unless they did the whole job. The school had been working on this project for several years. The sign still went up 2 months latter. My attitude has been formed through experience not told to me by some Union dictate. Enjoy MY PTA dues. I should be happy that you think that I am the problem. Your system has been trying to convince the public that it is not your system that has a problem but the parents.
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Permalink Reply by Carissa Dollar on
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Can we keep these discussions civil please everyone? This is supposed to be a resource for support and ideas. I'd hate to see people turned off from this community by how they are treated here. Can we all please show respect?
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Permalink Reply by Zsuzsa Fox on
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Do you think the reason why everyone is having difficulty getting the teachers more involved in the PTA is because they simply don't have any more time to volunteer? It is not uncommon for teachers to work 60-70 hours a week. Forget the 40 hour a week workweek. Even if you take a 50 hour work week, they already volunteering 10-20 hours a week. How many people can say they volunteer that much?
At our school we have 100 % participation: the principal sends out a letter telling every teacher that they are expected to pay their dues and become a PTA member. If you have an issue with that, you may see her. I am not sure anyone has so far, but the general opinion is that she would pay your dues for you. The bottom line is, you have no choice. Is it ethical though?
In addition, the principal has a list of all the PTA events of the year and teachers are required to participate in 5 events during the school year. I know many teachers resent this (none of them ever come to a PTA meeting unless they represent a program that needs money) but from the parents' point of view, it really helps, because getting parents to volunteer their time at these evening events is also really hard. One of our PTA's goal is to support the teachers, and so we pretty much leave them alone. We give them extra money to spend in the classroom and make meals for them several times a year, all of which they really appreciate.
My great idea of the day is to rename the PTA PPA (Parent Principal Association). In my experience the PTA is basically there to raise money for the school (and guess who has a bigger say in how to spend the money: the principal or the teachers?) because, unfortunately, people don't value education enough nowadays to be willing to raise taxes to pay for it. So why pretend the teachers have anything to do with the PTA? They simply don't have time for it, so I wonder if we should just leave them alone.
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT G BROWNING on
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Zsuzsa Fox-I agree with you totally. I wondered why the teachers that say they are overworked and underpaid would have time for the PTA. I would prefer that the teachers be available for the students than doing what ever the PTA does to raise money. (really I think they do a good job). The sign to which I previously mentioned was paid for by the school PTA. Just for your information, large companies really lean on their employees to pay into things like United Way, etc. That is a common thing in business.
Anyway I am through. Nothing more to say. One thing that I have noticed is that many of our politicians start with a PTA go to a city council, to a State Assembly and some continue on from there. Then you have the community activists.
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT G BROWNING on
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Respect needs to be earned.
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT G BROWNING on
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Oh Debbie, I may be the problem, but not a yes man. Have you read yet, if possible, that Harvard has come up with the idea that I have expressed even before you were born, that to be a Principle or above you must have a business degree since the schools should be, and are to be run as a business. That part went by the wayside with the advent of your Unions in the early 1970's and education started going in the toilet.
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