I just admitted that I am burnt out. I will not be as active next year. I never wanted it to come to this cause I don't want the kids to suffer, but I have no choice. After I quit this year, things got bad. And I know there are prying eyes reading this and printing it for everyone to see, but I don't care. The kids have gotten nothing this year! I went round and round with certain people trying to get them to spend some of the money on the kids. It never happened. Luckily I have a good excuse for next year. I will be having a baby in December.
Thanks C--I'm already over it! I am now working on solicitation letters for next year's raffles and auctions. It's unfortunate we are not all on the same Parent Group--we would have one GREAT group!
Mark's Mom- I devised our volunteer program since there was not one there two years ago. Last year I invited everyone who signed up and all of our Character Counts people to a resturaunt at a local resturaunt compliments of the PTO. I had a good turn out but I realized I probably hadn't seen some of those people more than 2xs all year! So this year I put on the form in order to be recognized you had to put in at least 6 hrs. per month. I meant the average. So I decided on finger foods, planned an outdoor event, but it turned out to cool and we had to have it at school. The finger food ending up costing more than the resteraunt and 6 out of 35 people showed up. My vp and I put a lot of time into this thing. One mom said she didn't want to come because she didn't feel that she had done enough to be "honored". This mom does our calender every month and she was a tremendous help during fall festival and Santa shop. I had one volunteer on my list for Character Counts that I sent the gift too and the teacher of the class she was supposed to teach in informed me that this girl has never shown up!
A couple of years ago I helped start a PTO at my son's preschool and our "president" decided everything that came up was against her religion, the same as mine. She didn't believe in basketball tourneys, donations, etc. She did nothing, me and another mom had to do everything. She sat in the office all day and would sometimes answer the phone. On secretaries day the employees took up $100.00 for her and bought her flowers. Then during volunteer week they bought her a gift. The director looked at me when I came in to pick up my child and said "Oh well, we can't recognize everyone." I didn't know what to do, I hadn't said a word. I finally replied after picking my mouth off the floor, "Well, I am doing all this for my son not a pat on the back." After hours and hours of volunteering I am still glad I can say that, but the staff where my kids are now is very appreciative. I feel very lucky to have gotten to work with them, (most of them!)
Keep on plugging because your son and all his pals are soooo worth it, and I for one appreciate everything you do! I wished there were a million more like you.
THANK GOODNESS! I was starting to feel bad,I'v been so not wanting to do the events that are lined up for the end of the year and even praying for rain to rain out one event that is this weekend.I can't even be there but i have to do all the preplanning.My co President is in the process of selling her house and moving away and i've had her to lean on for so long and we both where the whole back bone of the PTO this year.With 3 kids and long hours before and after events i feel that I'm doing this for the kids at the school but our my kids missing out on me time.
I'm always stressing if i will have the help and when i do get help i stress that i'm asking to much of the person and start to feel bad.
We are hoping to get k parents involved and have a few parents who have been on the board back next year.(we won't have our election until next year.)
I got sucked into this position this year because i was fresh blood and then got left with no one to guide me.(Last year memebers didn't like my ideas so quit.)Its been a great year for the school and the teacher are happy with us and the kids love all the new things we have added.
I'm just pooped.
Thank you all for letting me know it just happens and with a group like this we can get though it all.
Well after stewing over it all afternoon--and putting in @ 2 hours of PTA correspondence work....I'm thinking of throwing a bang up PTA volunteer appreciation thing. I was told that the PTA members would be honored at the Field Day event by the Principal. Probably after we are there volunteering and organizing THAT all Day! I'm just nervous that if I am able to recruit a large majority of parents for next year, they will be turned off if this happens to them and they may give up on the volunteer stuff!
I am soo glad I am not alone. Marks mom I can not believe the principal has not called someone to bring to their attention that your were not invited!!!! Our school on the other hand has a volunteer tea, the office staff puts on & they invite everyone!! It's a joke "oh you drove your child to school, your invited, oh you came to your parent/teacher conference your invited" Our board is throwing our own volunteer party next week for us die hards....
I posted my orginal post last night after a school board meeting (late) and then I awoke at 5:30 a.m. today to get ready to have me and my 3 kids at school by 7 a.m. to host/serve/attend to our breakfast w/ moms event at school..... Most the moms came for the free food not to spend quality time w/ their child a few mom's ate & then left their kids there alone.... One mom who's son is on the baseball team my husband & I coach had the nerve to come up and tell me that she would not be able to take her turn in the snackbar at tomorrows game!! Great!!!
I am really burned out maybe because school is almost over & we do have alot going on this time of year... I do have a couple parents lined up to serve as officers next year. thank god!! For now I think I'll stick with it and serve with a good heart!!!
