26 Things # 15 - News

Yes, it's a new month, and that means a new list of 26 things to work through!

Today I attended a PTA meeting at school, and it was the annual meeting when next year's executive officers were elected. When we lived in New Jersey, I didn't have the opportunity to be involved in Erin's school as I was working full-time. Since moving here (and becoming an economic statistic - i.e. unemployed), I've taken advantage of being able to be at her school as much as possible, and have become quite involved in the PTA. I've heard horror stories about PTAs for years. In many of my friends' kids' schools, the PTA (or PTO) is plagued with problems ranging from political issues to general witchiness among the members and officers, and many of my friends have stated that they'd rather have a root canal than be involved with the organizations in their kids' schools.

At Erin's school, however, the PTA is a truly amazing organization. Not only is there none of the cattiness that can be found at other schools' groups, but it's just the opposite. Here you have a group of (mostly) women that are really dedicated to the school and making positive contributions there. I have no idea how many hours we all spend volunteering at the school and for our own PTA projects, but it's in the thousands. We have incredible fundraisers (including a huge Halloween carnival each year) that allow us to basically provide all of the classroom's technology (laptops for the teachers, smart slates, LCD projectors), science/music teachers' salaries, and other programs that help make our school great. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to work with these great (mostly) women for the last two years, and although I won't be at the school next year, I know that these new leaders will no doubt do great things!