Should I or Shouldn't I?
I'm looking for advice here. Anyone reading this who wants to throw in their 2ยข - I would really appreciate it.
I'm thinking about getting involved in the PTA at the local elementary school where my wife is a 4th grade teacher and where my daughter will be going to school in the fall. As someone in the communications business, I'm verydisappointedd with the lack of use of available technology to disseminate information to parents, teachers and students. The district's website is full of outdated information, wrong email addresses for staff, it's difficult to navigate and - speaking as a designer - it's ugly. The town just built a brand new, state-of-art high school - LCD projectors in every classroom, a new TV production studio - and guess what..., hardly any of the teachers take advantage of it. I'm not even sure the TV production class - which used to put on a weekly newscast - is even doing that anymore. It's insane to me.
I tried to get a teaching job at the school, but they won't even talk to me unless I'm certified. I looked into accelerated certification, but without quitting my current job (which just isn't financially possible), I can't do it. I even offered to come in and teach the kids what I know about design and video production on my own time - the teacher showed no real interest. It's as though everyone is perfectly happy to just continue doing things the way they're doing them (which is something I think just happens when you have teachers who have been in the system for a long time).
So, is the PTA a first step toward trying to realize at least part of my vision? Or am I just going to be disappointed and frustrated with the whole thing? Honestly, I have no idea. I've already been warned about a few "crazy moms" I'll have to deal with (sorry moms). I also don't want it to be the kind of thing where everyone sits around talking and nothing gets accomplished. Is anyone out there a current PTA member? Am I crazy for wanting to do this?
The reality is, I probably can't get too involved given my current work schedule. Most of the PTA meetings are at night - after school when I have to go to work. Still, I have some time during the day to get something done. My wife's principal is very excited at the idea of me getting involved. She actually referred me to the Nomination Committee for an officer role!
The elections are April 3rd. Your prompt feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks!
4 Comments:
Go for it! It's only a year right? So if you get elected and there's still a resistance to updating the technology, etc. at least you know you've tried. It sounds like the principal is on board, at least.
I have some of the same fears about the meetings (lots of discussions, no decisions).
Good luck with your decision! Make sure you post an update.
Whether you choose to run for a position on the PTA or not, my experience with trying to bring people around to embracing new technologies is: it can be painful and slow and painful and unrewarding.
A well planned site, even a simple one, can take weeks of work before the first piece of HTML is even written. Everyone thinks they can build a website (so they have an opinion) and thinks it can be done quickly (they spend no time on it).
I've been on the board of several non-profits in my area, and all I can say is, if you're willing to do battle, go for it. If you can get the site built the way it should be, it will be a asset to your daughter's school.
Good Luck, and keep us posted.
Worthy goal. I dunno how you'll get them to do it, but if you've got the facts right, a campaign of letters to the appropriate people within the school district as well as to the local newspaper might get results.
You have the enthusiasm. You have the skill. You should get involved as much as you can. Any established system has its resistance to change. That's maybe how our life is somehow stable. If you can bring in some change, even a little, as long as it's specific and workable, it should be counted. If you miss some meetings, that's ok. The only way to get hold of people nowadays is via the email anyways.
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