To feel aggravated and harangued by schools constant demands for cake, sponsorship, help?

I'm not even on the piggin' PTA

I don't think we have a PTA...

If we do they're a quiet bunch.

Agnes

hey I've spent the last two mornings fixing and painting huge wooden planters outside our school

the hysterical thing is people who don't get involved in their school think these things happen because the school is paying people to do it ..

yeah right .. there's a small percentage of total numpties who do the hard graft .. the rest of them just complain about it ..

.. oo I wouldn't have chosen that colour, ooo those plants are nice

arrgghhhhhhhhh

(that's a general comment btw, not aimed at anyone in particular).

PTA is not a compulsory activity.

You either join in, at any level, or you don't.

But please don't whinge about other people trying to enhance your children's education.

Ah, thanks Twig

God, some people have such a narrow and simplistic view of what goes on in school.

the reason behind so much fund-raising is because schools are sorely lacking in funds

so either you do it with grace or don't

what pisses me off is the people who slag off PTA for actually daring to try to make a difference (not saying anyone here does)

they are valiant people giving of their time and effort

have just put ds (2) name down on v long waiting list for local nursery and have already been asked to steward at fete! i don't object, i think is much worse not to be involved at all than to get stuck with a tombola once a year. i really can't see the difference between helping to run somethign fora couple of hours and visiting and buying stuff from stalls.

Errr I don't think so somehow!! Do you honestly think having a 3 yr old help run a stall a good idea when she will be surrounded by a few hundred people, toys, bouncy castles, food....whilst she is a good girl I wouldn't daren't have her stood next to me when she could slip away or be tempted by a friend walking past! And to expect a 3 yr old to stand there for 2hrs is asking far too much....

8yr old .... yes, 3yr old...nope.

Oh and forgive me for sounding ignorant in all of this but I send my children to school to learn, to become educated and hopefully find employment afterwards. I do not send them to school to be sent home with sponsorship forms, raffle tickets, requests for this and that, money for trips, tombola prizes, lucky dip prizes, cakes etc etc. Turn the clock back 30yrs ago, when I was a young girl at school, we might have done a sponsored event but never were our parents asked to help/donate etc quite as much as parents are asked nowadays....

Oh hum.

Nah, Rebel changes her mind about passing comment cos she's too knackered from helping to sort out everything for the summer fete, and it doesn't even take place until tomorrow....

I would say if you have an 8 and 3 year old they can help you run a stall

ummm .. . who the hell do you think runs school fairs .. it is parents only

I constantly am amazed at the parents who think they've done a huge job manning a stall for an hour when there have been parents working for months to pull it together .. and it needs setting up in the morning and clearing up ... so even if your school fair is 11 - 2 say .. there will be people there at 9am and still there at 5pm

if you can't go then fine, if you can only go and spend your money then fine

but nobody THANKS the pta

I'm not even on the pta any more but it still pisses me right orf

My eldest child has brought home a note today that is appealing for parents to help out with a minimum of 2hr stints for their school fair next Saturday and unless volunteers come forward the fair will be cancelled....

I would help if I could. I work Saturday mornings and my husband works in the afternoon. I have no-one who can have my kids for me (8 & 3) that haven't already got kids of their own etc etc

IMO if a school can't run a fair without relying HEAVILY on parents helping them they shouldn't run the fair in the first place. They have even told my dd that unless parents come forward it'll be cancelled.....so, nothing like a bit of pressure from one's kids too!

They also serve, who only buy the cake! Our pta ring up and ask you do do something specific off a list for a big event, like a cake, a 2 hour timeslot, selling raffle tickets etc.

We can't make cakes anymore. Has to be shop bought cakes. I would willingly do that but I rarely have the time to do more - not that I've ever been asked, the PTA here seems to be a closed shop .

Disclaimer: The PTA are a wonderful buch of people who deserve to be worshipped on bended knee.

lol at dissing the pta, (am skimming thread)

Here Here WWW

So we should be complaining abut the govt underfinancing schools, not fannying about baking cakes IMO.

What drives me nuts about cake stalls is the tiny amount the cakes sell for. I always do a mammoth contribution (as a SAHM, I feel I really ought to) and then the cakes are sold for a pathetic amount, often less than the ingredients cost let alone the time. I am very tempted to give cash instead.

pta wouldn't have to exist if there was enough money to pay for things like playtime equiptment, etc. We are a neccessary evil!!!

Hey CC, agree with your OP, have said so many times on mn and it hasn't gone down well! haven't read this thread but anyway, I'm with you. PTA is a PITA IMO.

I am a SAHM. Im not a member of the PTA. I do try to bake cakes, as i cant always afford to buy them. I cant help out at fetes cos i have 4dc. Im a lone parent so there is no one else willin to help out.
My life is busy and i apologise that i cant help but i make my contribrution in other ways.

What hacks me off is when there is a small trip or activity that is going on at the school and are asked to make voluntry payment of silly amount of pennies, its some of the FTM that dont pay. Well that happens in my dc school anyway.

I'm also a PTAer and I do get angry at parents who NEVER help, but always moan (not you obviously curious!!! ) But instead of having a go at each other we should be having a go at the the government for giving so damn little money to the schools. It still staggers me the things we have to raise money for. Shameful!!!