After 6 years in our PTO (1 as V.Pres. and 4 as Pres.), two corny sayings always got me through those "trying" situations....
"Cream will always rise to the top" and
"Good will always prevail over evil".
You really can't worry about what 'everyone' is saying. Someone, somewhere will always have a negative spin on things. Keep pluggin' away, do what feels right in your heart and don't lower yourself to the mean games people tend to play. It is harder said than done, but I can truthfully tell you---it can be done. We are the adults and we MUST set the tone and example for our kids!
I have recently been doing a lot of soul searching trying to find an answer to a problem regarding the reputation of our PTO. A majority of people feel our PTO is a "clique". Our outgoing prez is very controlling and will not let the reins go. Many of the activities were chaired only by her and her husband. No one else was allowed to help. Of course, this "martyr" thought her control would only result in praise. NOT the case. There is a TON of information she is hanging on to and will not forward to our next years prez. Our incoming prez has tried numberous times to get these documents but to no avail. To me, it seems our outgoing prez was her very own "clique". The remaining members do not want to run things this way. And yes, we have the "she said, she said" soap opera too! We feel delegating responsibilities and bringing in "fresh blood" will only benefit our school. I sympathize with your situation as ours is very similar. However, I think we have to step back, look at the big picture and quit pointing the finger. Our group has decided if we do not get the outgoing prez's notes and guidelines, we will just have to start from scratch. We are all perfectly capable adults. We are currently appealing to parents to join us in making our school the best it can be (through our newsletter and word of mouth). It's unfortunate, but some people like others to fail to make themselves appear indispensable. Maybe she wants to leave some sort of "legacy?" . Ha Ha. As for your group getting back your tarnished reputation, do not allow this woman to do any more damage. I'm sure you are a group of strong, caring adults. Buck up and do what's best for your kids. This woman certainly isn't. You need to inform the school community of the good your PTO does for the students and the school. Corny as it may sound, your kids are depending on you. Isn't that why we care so much? Good luck.
Our new president this year has been very destructive and is ruining our reputation as the PTO to the point, the principal told her if she didn't stop she would do away with the PTO at our school. She has continued to lie, talking to both parents and teachers. She makes promises we have never discussed, she has turned the board members and parents against one another. We as the rest of the board, can't believe what she has been doing, and the principal doesn't know how to get her to stop this behavior. We have parents coming to us, asking why we treat her so poorly, and we haven't done a thing. She seems to have her own agenda. She was even told to resign, she said she was but then changed her mind just to make our lives miserable. We told the principal that we wanted to resign, because our personal reputations were on the line, but she told us that is what her goal has been from the beginning. What we can't understand is why she is doing this. We think she will resign, but my question is: HOW DO WE GET BACK OUR TARNISHED REPUTATION WITHOUT MAKING THIS A SHE SAID, SHE SAID SOAP OPERA??? Please help!! :confused:
