Front row seats for PTA

[pitapta]

I’ve name changed because a few people know my usual username on here and I’d rather not be linked to the following petty moaning…

I know there are bigger things to worry about at the moment BUT this has really left a bad taste in my mouth. I attended DD’s first ever school play this morning with my partner. She’s our PFB and this is the first time we’ve seen her in a school production so were really looking forward to it. I was told yesterday by a fellow parent that, although the play didn’t start for an hour, parents queued from drop off time so we wrapped up and joined the queue. We weren’t first but were three couples from the front of the queue. Waited in the freezing cold until doors opened at the start time only to be greeted by ‘reserved’ signs on the entire front row. Obviously didn’t know who these seats were reserved for so we dutifully took our seats on the second row before a bunch of the PTA waltzed in and took their front row seats. I had to ask two of them to lower their phones during the performance so I could actually see.

Is this normal? I couldn’t believe it. Surely it’s first come, first served and the fact we’d been queuing in the cold for an hour meant we should get the seats we wanted?

The show was great; I know this is the important thing but I still feel really cross and like this is deeply unfair. I wanted to email the school but my DP thinks they’re label me as pathetic and ignore it anyway.

AIBU and should I say something?

I expect all schools run their PTAs differently. Ours has a Chair, secretary and treasurer who essentially run it, then every parent and teacher is automatically a member. There's a group of around 10-12 parents who generally show up and do everything (school has 500 children). We have meetings in the evening and it's gone to bring dc, although very few do as they can go on a bit. Not everyone attends every meeting. Everyone works.

I’d be surprised if you could take Dd and baby to meetings - nothing would get done if everyone had their kids there, and people want to get back to their own families.

A lot of the PTA work at our school is either evening meetings, or involves helping out either at drop off or pick up, doing collections etc. You can also sign up to help with events on the weekends, but that’s not really “being on the PTA” as such, it’s just helping out.

Definitely volunteer for PTA where you will meet other frazzled parents juggling work, children and evening commitments. I joined because I didn't know many parents as I don't do drop off and pick up, and is great to meet people and improve the school plus to find out all the school gossip and gets a heads up on school events dates luke sports day.

I was PTA treasurer for 5 years, never got anything more than a Christmas card to thank me for the hours of my time I dedicated to support the school! Every PTA struggles for volunteers, I say good on the school for offering a reward and maybe it'll incentivise some future support.

At DS's primary, many years ago now, the front row would be reserved for the head teacher, deputy head, form teacher, vicar, governors and other assorted local worthies. 😒

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I used to run the catering for the PTA at school events. We would be given front row seats because we were too busy prepping the refreshments to queue outside with everyone else.

The Christmas concert always used to be the afternoon before the Xmas fete and I would usually be in the school kitchen as soon as the lunch service finished prepping for the next day. I'd have already spent the whole morning picking up all the food for it too. So I was very grateful for my reserved seat so I could pop out to watch the show and then get back to the kitchen.

I'm the Chair of our PTA. I'm a single working parents with three SEND children and no childcare, and I organise the majority of our events.

Reasonably sure you can spare a couple of hours here and there 🙄Nice name there, as well, pitapta. Should be pitacluelessmoaningparent, though.

I’m chair of our PTFA and will have a seat reserved for me and DH-I have taken a half day leave to sort out the raffle and prep the hall before the performance,
on the day I will be selling raffle tickets and also sorting the refreshments so too bloody right I’m having a seat reserved so I can see my precious darling pick his nose on the front row while he shakes a maraca along to little donkey.

And in reply to your most recent question ... I did this around a full time job, mainly to get involved with the school because I wasn't able to do drop offs and pick ups.

Keeps them all in one place,corralled together,so they can’t annoy other parents. Great idea

Absolutely. 😂

YANBU.

Normally their are a few reserved seats at the front center for teachers (so they can view it, give cues, spot problem etc...) but they usually keep their heads down or stay low going to assist children etc... and parents can sit in the others.

One year we queued like you and got the seat 2nd row center behind the teachers, the place filled up wall to wall quickly, then after the show was starting (about 5 minutes in) a family (who where close with the head teacher, I heard her cousins but she definately let them do whatever they wanted) came strutting in, marched straight to the front and plonked themselves on the teacher seats.

This guy was a human MOUNTAIN like 6 and a half food and 400lb and he kept trowing up and waving his twisty toddler in the air above his head blocking the view for most people while they loudly chatted to each other. The teachers looked irrated too but I guess they didnt want to cause a scene.

Everyone just seethed quietly but this guy had form for being a rude, entitled cuntmuffin (He even deliberately push a 6 year old child over once to get to the buffet at another event, didnt even apologise just said 'well you should have moved') so it wasnt a 'suprise' but it did ruin it for most people.

And in answer to your question, the majority of our PTFA work full time and everyone mucks in and only commits to what they can with no pressure, we tend to meet in evenings about once per half term.

The sad fact is that the funds are supporting the school in essentials where it used to be the extras we supported with but that is a whole
other thread.

I think its a nice thing to do for pta tbh, I wouldn’t begrudge them this, given all that they do to help the school my child attended.

I've been to countless school shows and there was ALWAYS a front row of reserved seats. Occupied by guests from the local old folks home; generous donors (to the show) of time money or expertise, local press.

I volunteered hours and hours was never ever given a preferential seat. In fact, in one sale just 2% of parents (I calculated) actually said thank you for volunteering your time.

I wouldn’t begrudge them given the work they put in

At my child’s play last year, we reserved a front row seat for a parent with terminal cancer, would you whinge about that as well?

I can't get worked up about that, PTA is a fair bit work and brings a lot of benefit to the school and children, the last school we went to didn't have one due to lack of help and it was pretty miserable, much less for the kids especially this time of year. It can be hard to recruit and maintain the help so this seems a good incentive!

How is that, in any way, comparable?

Fairly normal for PTA or Governors in my experience.

Seriously, you begrudge them that after all the unpaid work they put in? Jeez. What is PFB by the way??

I’m not on the PTA but I think it’s fair enough to be honest as they do a lot to raise money for the school and it’s a pretty thankless task.

Blocking other people’s view is totally unacceptable though!

Reserved front row whilst desperate parents are queuing for an hour in the cold to gush over their PFB, doesn’t matter who the seat is reserved for it’s reserved for a reason.

get your arse into the PTA - problem solved for next year !