Parent Teachers' Association

I have heard mixed reports of the Parents at my school, but a school undoubtedly runs better when parents are "on board". Together the school and parents should be a team in supporting the development of every student, and i fully believe in developing a community of learners incorporating students, teachers, parents and myself.

In last week’s Senior Management Team i am ordered to host the first PTA meeting of the year. My remit is very simple – invite the PTA to meet up before the school’s AGM. Traditionally, they are held on the first Wednesday evening of the month. I go through Ms J, the Secretary of the PTA amongst her many hats, which sends a message to the PTA Chair and we agree to advertise the meeting on the school notice boards as well as direct approaches and canvassing to arriving and departing parents.

Last year the PTA had some 6 active members, all from the Primary School and poor Mr N (newly arrived Head of Sec.) is forced to attend also. Unfortunately whilst i have advertised as a 6.30 start, Mr N has adapted it to 6.15 whilst the “norm” is 7pm. 

With no idea of how many parents to attend, i open up the Library, possibly the school’s best resourced room, put out a few bits of paper and biros and wait. Come 6.30, there are about 10 expectant parents, almost all new to the school and all from Primary. It’s a bit embarrassing, especially as the PTA Chair hasn’t turned up, nor my Boss who promised attendance.

Come 7pm there is still no Chair and i don’t really know where to look anymore. As no-one is taking a lead, (surely someone from the PTA!), i feel obliged to get up and introduce myself and express my desire for school/parent co-operation to support the student/child. I then apologise for i have no idea what the agenda for the meeting is meant to be about and i don’t know how i’ve found myself leading this forum. I see Mr N. nodding off in the corner so i decide to put him in the limelight. N. blags well. 

I then stall for more time by insisting that everyone introduces themselves, and by 7.15pm the Chair turns up without much apology.  He talks at length about not very much at all and, as i could have predicted, the conversation turns eventually to the thorny issue of school uniform – the PTAs seemingly only contribution to the School in over 2 years. 

By this time it’s 8.30pm, and after 14+ hours hard at work, and so many more important things to fret about,  i just wanna shoot myself. 

Mr N’s Kenyan wife is so furious with his late arrival back to the familial home she locks him out of the bedroom for the night.