Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Getting Involved

This is the public servant approach.

As you are dealing with entities whose reason for existing is serving the public, you, as the public, the sovereign entity in this case, are merely requesting that your subordinate execute your will.

It may work better if you request that they swear fealty to you first in order to properly reaffirm their subordinate position within the political hierarchy.

The schools my kids have attended have always welcomed a lot of parental help & input and parents do a lot more than just bring treats to a class party. The PTA has made some big changes and does a lot more than just bring treats. In my district we have School Site Council which is a committee of teachers, parents and in the older grades students who made actual decisions about future direction & budget of curriculum for a school.

What I have personally done is to volunteer in the classroom (until jr high) and find ways to help at the school after that. One year I tutored 8th graders struggling in Algebra. The closes I got to avocation, was to run for School Site Council one year. I've joined the PTA and while I've never been overtly active in the running of it, I've helped in various projects other than fundraising. And I've supported a friend who was on the local school board for 6+ years.

All this volunteering time really made it much easier when it was time to advocate for my kids needs. I knew the teachers, principal and other parents and in the early elementary grades what was really going on in the classroom.

I recommend volunteering at the school and with the PTA. The amount of involvement possible really varies from school to school. Getting to know the other parents at the school and the teachers is a huge help. This way you won't be one of the outsiders.

Of course not; however, if you can't mitigate the fiscal impact, can you or your child do something in exchange for the inconvenience/expense? THAT is the kind of quid pro quo that school staffers REALLY understand.

It might not be time or money, but it usually needs to be something that the school, principal, or teacher needs or something that would make their lives easier somehow...but does not step on their toes in terms of autonomy or authority.

Those kinds of things tend to be highly idiosyncratic and often require very creative thinking.

Honestly, most of this is about being a team player, and then being in the right place at the right time.

On PTA service: I've found it to be very effective to work in the trenches on a school issue that affects the whole community and one that I'm passionate about. In my case, that's walking to school. I've used my expertise to analyze Safe Routes data to make specific recommendations to the PTA and for ways in which walking could safely be encouraged. This brought me into regular contact with the principal in a manner that was 100% aimed at the safety and well being of the entire school community. It means that when I meet with him about my complicated kids and the gifted program in general, he comes into the room with the mindset of meeting with someone who is a positive team player. He knows that I think more broadly than just my own kids. It has opened so many doors.

DW and I would have been open to working with the PTA, but in our first contact with them, this happened:

PTA: "Come join the PTA! If you join and pay your dues today, you get a free t-shirt!"

Me: "Great. What is it you guys do?"

PTA: "Ummm... you get a free t-shirt!"

I was thinking one place to start is at the National Association for Gifted Children and identify your state organization:
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=609&gbs

I have a strong sense that my state's organization played a strong role in getting the state to where it is now. Seems like a good level. It also may mean you can do circular pushes: like ask someone in the organization to send information on a certain topic to a school. Our district has parent university courses including topics like meeting the emotional needs of gifted kids.

Would you tell us more about the parent university courses? For example, what university are they through? Who sponsors them? Are there reading materials or links which can be shared?

I should've put quotes around that. It is a program that the district titles as "Parent University." Ones I've been to have been one to two hour slide show type discussions. During the one on emotional needs of gifted, they actually referred to (and had samples of) some of the literature from like SENG. The sessions are hosted at different various schools in the district.

Here's the link to it: http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/parents/ParentUniv/Pages/default.aspx
But I'm not finding the current course list from the link; odd.

They also allow organizations and others to propose courses.

I would have gone running as well. I hate these kind of "free" t-shirts, particularly as I probably would never wear it.

Sadly not all PTA's are equal. The PTA at all my kids schools are very involved and do a lot for the students & teachers. They really work as a partnership with the administration & faculty. But I know this isn't always the case.

Our PTA is a political action arm for the school. Apparently, I mean. It's possible that it is the other way around, actually...

It's a little unclear what the relationship actually is, but I found it extraordinarily distasteful, myself-- it reminded me very much of middle school gossip and backbiting, frankly.
Or maybe of the Colbert Report. They weren't too happy when I responded by laughing at some things that were clearly a joke, though, I must say.

I was also persona non grata with them primarily because I do not share a political affiliation, faith, or much of anything else with the major movers and shakers in the PTA. They were quick to let me know that GroupThink dictated that I could either shut up while nodding vigorously and enthusiastically shouting "YES!!" at pep rallies-- er, strategy meetings-- or I could slink away where I wouldn't bother them anymore.

I don't assume that all PTA's are of that ilk, but it pays to be aware of the political underpinnings of the parent cohort if you're with a charter school, for sure.