Been there, done that - last September... It got better and the year ended great. Why is it that one negative seems louder and more powerful that 20 "Great jobs!"?
I think you summed up what every President has gone through at one point or another. When dealing with many, many different personalities, those situations and feeling will arise. Just keep taking deep breaths and tell yourself that you are making a positive difference for your child's school. Tell yourself that you will not let anyone that is abrasive, rude or involved only to massage their own ego run you out of office.
In my old school, there were parents just as you described. However, they would NEVER step up to take an office and the large amount of responsibility that goes along with it. They challenged decisions made by myself or the board, but when you address it with facts, figures and common sense, they may just back down. I actually gained more respect by standing up to a few parents that way since they knew I wasn't one to be bulldozed, a well, thought out decision had been & I was prepared and informed enough to speak about it.
Just keep your chin up and move forward with your plans for the year. If you feel that the first meeting got out of hand, address it during your President's comments at the top of your next meeting. State that the agenda will be followed so the meeting can be productive and all negative or offensive comments will not be tolerated as per your bylaws (given that you have that passage included in yours). All misc items & questions will be discussed at the end. Control your meetings agenda and you can control the behavior of those attending.
dts I can assure you that every pto leader has gone through the I want to quit stage at least 15 times their first year, heck I think I reached the 25 mark and here I am how many years later and enjoying it.
it does get frustrated when you are new, wanting to learn, wanting to make things better, people will get upset, people will say things, people will walk away but you know what stay in your integrity and all of those things will be gone and better next week and then you will, and i promise you will laugh about it!
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
Hi, I guess Ijust remember what my mother always told me you can't please everyone all of the time. I think their are those people everywhere and I find it interesting that the ones that usually have the most to say don't evenattend meetings or p[articipate other than to criticize the people who are actually doing the work. Remember you are doing your best for your child and be proud and hold your head up high to a job well done!
