When it comes to your health thats a whole different ballgame. You are there for your children but they need you well at home too. I hope everything goes well no matter what you decide. The other people at the school should be ashamed of themselves. Keep hope and yourself alive.
I am still involved in my oldest daughters PTO, and next year my youngest moves to theat school. I'll just put all my energy there. Where "They" don't have to be there. I personally don't want to be around those people. They made me feel bad about myself, and made me physically sick. Lost weight and lost sleep over them. I just don;t think they are worth my good health.
Christy, I agree with the others. I have stuck this out for years. I agree there are power trips and backbitting and you name it going on at times. I keep reminding myself and the other officer why we are involved. I find myself wanting to quit and I look at my kids faces when they talk about the bake sales and free passes and other things that the parent group does and I keep going. This is probably going to be my last year at the school that I'm at. I look forward to going somewhere new and hoping I'll find a place where it isn't as stressful as it is where I am. But for my babies I can endure a little longer. Keep hope alive.
I agree with you Cristy that it isn't always about the kids. A lot of times it's not. It's about power and money, about looking good for handing money over to the teachers and school. So many times I have been ready to quit this year, and this bunch from the board talked me out of it. Because if I'm not there for the kids, who will be? Who else will question bad decisions and try to keep things on track? I urge you to stay in PTO and be a loud voice of reason. Be a force of change, because what you do today has ramifications for a long time to come. Quit, and thr group goes on the same as always. Stay, work for change, and sooner or later people will see what you're doing and come around to your side.
iT IS REALLY TOO BAD YOU HAD SUCH A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH PTO this year at your school but know that it can only change with good help from good volunteers. There have so many times I have been so frustrated over the power trips of of president but I cannot give up because it is about the kids. And the only way to make that work is to stay involved and to keep on volunteering! That will show them that you are in it for the right reasons! Just because you are no longer VP, does not mean you cannot be involved in PTO. you still can be. Jump in. Show them that you are there for the kids! that will let them know that your intetions have been in the right place. Believe me, I have discouraged before, but just think if you aren't there pulling for those kids then who will be? GET INVOLVED AGAIN!!!! It's worth it! You will feel better> Believe me on that. Good luck.
Back in May of last year I was suckered into being the V.P. of my youngest daughters school. I was under the impression that they didn't have a V.P. and needed one. I liked helping the school with their fuctions anyway plus I thought it would be a good way to meet new people. People with the same interest as me. Man did i make the biggest mistake EVER. Right of the bat the secretary and the co-v.p.(yes they did have a v.p.) didn't want to have a meeting in Sept. so that threw us back a month on important topics, so we had to make a decision w/out them. Then after that it went down hill. They never helped with questions we had. It was them and us. Never wouldn't help with projects, didn't volunteer their time, it was all on us. Then when a questions about some money came up involving some games we (me and the Pres) concessioned we got what for. They said we wasn't making enough money even though the games weren't over and the true amount of profit wouldn't have been known till then. We still got what for. Remind you they NEVER helped. In the end we did fall short and I truly had no idea what haooened, but I agreed we fell short. Then the BIG one happened. It turned out the reason we fell short wa the pres. had taken some money without my knowlegde. I would and will never condone that. You don't steal form kids. Well now I am at fault because I didn't see the red flags. What flags whas I suppose to look for. i didn't count the money or make deposits. I took up money and thatwas it. But because I couldn't foresee into the furture and know we weren't going ot make what they thought I was at fault. Then all these issue that we had with them was now my fault. We never talked to THEM about anything, we always went over their heads. Mind you they made two meetign with the Principla without talking to us first. No notice just an email. Than they made 4 meeting about the money issue without talking to us, or telling us what it was about.When we couldn't make the first 3 because of proir engaments that I couldn't cancel. One of which was WORKING. It was our falut again. In the end "I" got them there money back(she later decided for whatever reason reason not to pay them back, I called her. But after it wa all said and done I was voted out as V.P. All I ever did was try to do good for this school. Every new idea that they had this year for raising money...mine or the pres. but now they get to take credit for it and they get ot look good. This PTO is a true case of it being about the adult( or those pretending to be adults) and not about the kids. I did the right thing and got screwed. So watch your backs..it's never about the kids. Well maybe never but pretty darn close. It's about what power the grown-ups have.