Recovering PTSA-er
It is bittersweet that I find myself no longer scrambling with PTSA activities at the start of a school year. In my nostalgia, thought I’d share 3 stories that sum up my experience and the lessons I’ve gleaned as a former PTSA board member.
1. Stop undermining yourself.
I was on the board for 4 years. During that time, a dad had only volunteered to join the board once. Once.
And you know what position he went for? President. That’s right. With no experience in education or boards, this person decided he was qualified to lead because he was out of a job during the pandemic and had some extra time to kill.
And he did fine. I’m not here to bash him. If anything, I’m still reeling that there aren’t more dads actively involved. My theory is that men would become better leaders if they rounded out their experience beyond their place of employment.
My point is, there were qualified parents in the room. Moms that had been volunteering in classrooms, moms that held board positions for years, moms that advocated for students and families on the regular. Yet somehow, they all hesitated, thinking president was above their experience or skill level.
So women, let’s stop undermining ourself.
2. Be the change you are able to be.
