Should the Francis T. Evans PTA Continue to Exist?

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Should the Francis T. Evans PTA Continue to Exist?

Posted by ftepta on October 17, 2008 at 4:13 PM

I'm not sure that it should continue to exist because there is a lack of family involvement and commitment. It defeats the purpose of having a PTA, if you don't have people who consider it important enough to come to committee meetings in order to provide meaningful programs, events, and activities that enrich the academic lives of our children.

It's unfair to those few who do consider the PTA as important, make inovolvement a priority, and take time out of their busy schedules to do the work that needs to be done. I'd like to hear what others think. I'd be surprised if enough people will visit the site or reply to be able to know the general consensus.

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10 Comments

Reply Gretta

02:37 PM on October 19, 2008

Because we are all part of the learning community of Francis T. Evans, we are an organization whether we choose to be active or not. The value of the PTA members is that the "organization" of students, parents and teachers can develop a focus for their energies. Our parents deserve and need a point in their busy lives during which they can compare notes with others whose children are part of the learning community. Our teachers deserve and need an active parent community with whom they can exchange ideas and build trust. Our students deserve and need a fully active PTA. The more people take a few moments to consider how to add their energies to those of others, the better our PTA will be.

Reply Vanessa Ridgeway

10:23 PM on October 19, 2008

Don't give up on us. Our hearts are in the right place. It is unfair to those who are able to make the meetings always. On behalf of the busy parents who haven't been able to make the meetings, we're sorry.

Reply A. Morgan

11:46 AM on October 20, 2008

The PTA is essential. Kids depend on the PTA for fun learning activities. My daughter would be so disappointed if the PTA was to dissolve. Parents need to be educated on the value of the PTA. Many schools wish they had a PTA with individuals that are willing to give up some of their free time. Come on people show your support and let this be a rocking school year!!!

Reply A. Morgan

11:48 AM on October 20, 2008

Reply Deithrea

01:25 PM on October 20, 2008

To the FTE PTA Members that have been involved I applaud you greatly! I know how much work that has gone into making the PTA a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and students. I don't have kids that attend Francis T. Evans but because of how much I value education and the sincere dedication I see on a daily basis from the leader, I joined the PTA in addition to volunteering at my kids' school. To be honest with you, those who need to see these comments probably won't because they don't visit the site. These are the Monday morning quarterbacks instead of the game changers. These are the reactive people versus the proactve people. What does it take to know that parents that take an active role in their kids' education do better overall! Does it take a negative article on the front page of the Washington Post or the local news channel? How much do we really value our children's educationa? Don't we realize just as we invest monthly in our retirement plans that we have to invest in our children's education? What if we had performance meetings to determine where we are on meeting the expectation of active parent involvement? Do you think at the end of the year we would get that pay increase?? Each parent must realize that the PTA is just as important as swimming, football, or any other extra curricular activities. That using their Blackberry, iPhone, or any other electronic device to input weekly errands can be used to input PTA meetings. Let's remember the return on our children's investment depends on what we contribute.

Reply Cindee

05:18 PM on November 17, 2008

YES! FTA PTA MUST exist. My experience has been a school with no active PTA is not a school that strongly support and care about the kids, teachers and parents. An good PTA is a successful school with many opportunities for all parties involved. Just my 2cents!

Reply A. Morgan

10:00 PM on January 27, 2009

Francis T. Evans PTA continues to demonstrate that learning can be fun and exciting. We had a wonderful time at Barnes & Noble located in Potomac Yard on Saturday January 24th (Alexandria, VA). The kids were very interactive with the readers as they read various stories and enjoyed creating books marks. They were exposed to new books and new adventures. Reading is fun and can create a world of endless adventure for each child that ventures to read a book. Parents read to your children. Children read to your parents. Parents take your children to the library or the book store. Watch their faces light up as they see the different characters on the covers of a book. Wondering, what is this book all about. Read with your children and watch their vocabulary take flight.

Reply Tony Newsom

03:30 PM on October 08, 2009

At http://www.FreeParentingBook.com , Parents, Educators and School Staff can read free parenting books, child development books, nutritional books and more online for free.

Reply staci thomas

04:35 PM on January 16, 2011

I have been on the PTA since June. Unfortunately, I have not seen a single teacher present at any of the meetings. Once, I heard a talk that a teacher showed up to a meeting. However, if that actually did occur, it was one time. Although, I am not making excuses for parents not being involved in the PTA, I can some what understand why they are not. The title is PTA (parent teacher association) not the parent association. The PTA is supposed to be an advocate for parents as well as a supportive line of communication for parents and teachers to link up for the betterment of the students, SO,,, where are the teachers? Each year a teacher appreciation week occurs. WHY is that even on the calendar this year? Being a teacher does not mean you have to spend countless hours after school on events. However, being an educator and not just a babysitter, which a large portion of the staff at this school seem to be, means going the extra mile for your students. Spending a few hours a month even when your not being paid for it, is not too much to ask, it should be desired by the teacher. Everyone understands that teachers have personal lives also. When one takes on a career as an educator they are saying that they care for the success and progression of every child in their reach. Teachers should want parents and students too feel comfortable and as though they care, and are will be willing to hear any and all concerns which might support the academic development of a child. Even if it is discussed after the nine to five ends every once and a while. Judging by the way the staff addresses the student body at this school, I am confident in my assessment that most of the staff are not natural educators and are merely babysitters collecting a check. To my amazement I have began to vent on the blog and I wont even go into my use of grammar or lack there of, so I apologize for that, however, I still feel the teacher appreciation week needs to be revised. Maybe a day that allows the students to show their teachers their appreciation should be sufficient. The PTA should not be spending more money on uninvolved teachers than it spends on the student body. I am sure the people that are interested in the PTA for its so called social network will not agree with me. I understand everyone has their own reasons for things, but lets just think about it and dare to change it.

Reply Staci Thomas

09:50 PM on January 17, 2011

"The PTA is sometimes perceived as a fundraising group, but according to the organization, this is not its primary responsibility. Nonetheless, in states where schools face tough budget restrictions, the parents in the local PTA may raise funds for everything from playground equipment to salaries for elementary music teachers. At schools where the PTA raises a significant portion of the school's discretionary money, the PTA has a lot of power to influence which programs are funded. Ideally the PTA will work with the principal and the school site council to decide jointly which programs will most benefit the school.

Local school PTA meetings can serve as venues for discussions about a variety of educational issues. Teachers may talk to the parent community about a new reading program or student discipline issues. Experts from the community may talk about building better relationships with adolescents, or share important information about school reform initiatives. Parents may raise concerns about such things as homework or proposed changes in the school curriculum. The PTA can also provide a powerful mediating function, providing a neutral forum for resolving conflicts that sometimes occur in schools around controversial issues.

At the high school level, the PTA can become the Parent Teacher Student Association, or PTSA, as adults encourage students to offer their perspectives and get involved in the decision-making process." From the great schools website. I think this is a great sample of how PTA in supposed to function. WHAT HAPPENED?? LETS WORK HARD TOGETHER TO GET OURS BACK ON TRACK!!!!