Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Annoying PFA letters

53 replies

UnquietDad · 30/09/2006 16:51

The Chair of our PFA sends out letters which I'm sure are well-intentioned but annoy the hell out of me. For one thing, they're peppered with grammatical/syntactical oddities. Not always in-your-face howlers, but more often sentences phrased in a very odd way. This week, though, we also got "baring in mind", and lots of missing capital letters including "pfa" itself in lower-case.

And there's stuff put "in inverted commas" when it "doesn't need to be". That really "pisses me off."

Then there are all the exclamation marks!!! Sometimes she thinks not even three is enough and she has to add five!!!! or even six!!!!!! After spending a paragraph explaining something this week, she then adds "I know!! Clear as mud!!"

By the end of the letter I just "want to kill her"!!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

UnquietDad · 30/09/2006 18:36

You misunderstand me. bb; it's not a problem with the timing of the events. They're mostly in after-work hours (although some are DIRECTLY after school, which is a problem for working parents who can't get away from the office before 5pm). It's the problem of giving additional time on a voluntary basis when you already do a full-time job.

If people can find the time, good luck to them. I just feel our PFA could come across as a little less cliquey if they need more people to help. If I had time to proofread their letters, I would. (I actually work as a freelance writer and editor.) It's just that I have a feeling it might be received in the wrong way. People are touchy about such things.

OP posts:

beckybrastraps · 30/09/2006 18:44

Possibly they think the little time you have to offer could be more constructively spent in other ways than correcting grammar.

Sorry. I'm touchy about these things.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 30/09/2006 18:52

So am I! Touchy, that is. Which is why it gets on my nerves.

Sorry, but I DO think it's important.

(Sorry if the "alpha mums" comment offended anyone. I probably wouldn't have used it if it hadn't been a bit of a buzzword on here recently...)

OP posts:

SherlockLGJ · 30/09/2006 19:08

I hate loathe and detest bad grammar and syntax, and TBH it was the Alpha Mum comment that did for me.

beckybrastraps · 30/09/2006 19:08

Seriously. PTAs are for raising money for the school. Of course it would be better if their letters were in good English, but is an ungrammatical letter any more annoying than giving up an evening to go to a PTA AGM that cannot go ahead because not enough parents have turned up for it to be quorate? I understand that you are just venting on here, but something about your posts has annoyed me. I find the same people do tend to run many things in our village. They are the sort of people who can't get through an AGM without volunteering. I'm one of them I suppose. That might be where the clique myth comes from. We are a self-selecting group only in that we are the ones who volunteer. When the committee can't be formed because there aren't enough people, we're the ones who get asked, because we are likely to agree, yet again, to give up even more of our evenings and weekends so the extra money can be raised.

My apologies for this little rant. You were having a go about grammar. I'm off the point. But as I've just been put on yet another committee because no-one else will step up, I'm a little sensitive on the subject.

noonar · 30/09/2006 19:09

i knew it was you as i remamber a comment you made about school correspondance, on another thread. it was about the use of the possessive apostrophe. it just sounded familiar, that's all

ps my dd has just started reception, and i'm going to the PTA's AGM next week. don't know if i'm brave enough to break in to an established group, though!

beckybrastraps · 30/09/2006 19:11

OK. Just re-read my post. Please ignore me. Projection!!

curiosity · 30/09/2006 19:20

lol, beckybrastraps, I'm with you on this.

peegeeweegeewoo · 30/09/2006 19:50

Fair enough uqd! I am lucky enough to be a SAHM so yes, I have more free time, didn't think about working parents per se, at our school it seems to be those with two school age kids, who don't work who critisize and won't get involved (whereas I take my little DD - now 3 - with me, and once had to make a loudspeaker announcement as I lost her at the summer fete when she was 1 and I was manning the tombola....)

yes Edam, the world of coconut shies, icecream stalls and hook-a-duck awaits!!

slalomsuki · 30/09/2006 20:00

I work full time, have three kids and am deputy chair of our PTA and it really annoys me when people demean the efforts put in by the willing few. We have done lots of things and added value to the school. The head even puts our stuff in the school brochure and passes it off as a school purchase.

I hate those parents who don't get involved and then spend their time moaning. The PTA is a direct line to the head and we also have a school govenor on the PTA and have manged to get loads of things improved upon through the PTA. Often the head and the govenors don't really see what needs to be done or how the school looks. I am also a school govenor at another school and have passed my PTA knowledge on to them.

I say get involved no matter how trivial it is and then moan.

SherlockLGJ · 30/09/2006 20:02

slalomsuki

At your Head.

mummydear · 30/09/2006 20:27

The Chair of our PTA is a man who works full time, so theres no excuses really is there ?

Original poster

UnquietDad · 30/09/2006 20:47

"The head even puts our stuff in the school brochure and passes it off as a school purchase."
slalomsuki - I hope you set the record straight.

As I've said below, DW and I get involved as much as we can - which is probably less then some, but a lot more than many others. We do support all the events and have helped out. What we don't have time to do is make a regular commitment, and there's no point pretending that we do.

OP posts:

notagrannyyet · 30/09/2006 21:07

I got roped into the PTA when my eldest now 26 first started school.I'm still there 21 years later with DS5 who is 9.....only 2 more years and I will have finished with it!!!!!

I'm certainly not an alpha or a beta mum I'm just a b**y mug whose does her best along with a few others to raise a few extra £s for not just the school but the Church, the scouts/guides, cricket & tennis clubs etc...

When children need transporting to sporting events both during and after school the same few parents volunteer to use their own cars to ferry children to and fro.

I am a SAHM. Well as good as. Working from home and voluntary work doesn't count as real work does it.

I've also written and printed letters and notices for various events over the years. I do get DH to check them over because he's not dyslexic and he knows all about syntax.....I had to look in the dictionary to find out what that was!!!!!

Hallgerda · 30/09/2006 21:31

Are you sure "baring in mind" doesn't mean "we're considering a nude calendar to raise funds", UnquietDad?

wheresthehamster · 30/09/2006 21:48

I was PTA treasurer for about 9 years and at any given time there was only a handful of people who you could rely on for help.
When the current chair took over 2 years ago I was slightly embarassed that her letters home were full of exclamation marks and grammatical errors but the offers to help came flooding in and have never stopped.
Perhaps it put paid to the illusion of snobby, cliquey types running the show and reinforced the fact there was 'normal' people in the PTA.

curiosity · 30/09/2006 23:24

You choose whether you've got the time to commit to the PTA, or any other organisation, whether or not you work.

I have no problem whatsoever with people not getting involved, each to their own, but it does rankle slightly that some of those that don't get involved will spend time criticising the efforts of those that do.

ProfessorGrammaticus · 05/10/2006 13:40

I work. And I'm on the PTA. Get off your arse Unquietdad!!

drosophila · 05/10/2006 20:48

I am on the PTA and on the school playground committee. Interestingly the playground committee is mainly men and the PTA is mainly women. I think the men are interested because it's practical and has a goal in sight but there are definite difference the way meetings are run. The Playground C. meetings are held in a pub in the evening and are pretty focused whereas the PTA meetings are rambling affairs discussing very little over a very long time. Luckily for us one of the PTA is an English teacher and she is married to an editor so there are few errors as she checks everything.

Unquietdad - CHILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are more important things to get worked up over. We have to raise £65,000 for our dreadful playground and against this backdrop I couldn't give a flying f*k what the grammar is like in our literature. With over 40 different languages spoken at our school I suspect the parents could give a flying f*k either.

drosophila · 05/10/2006 20:49

I work too as do most of the PTA and all the Playground C.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 06/10/2006 13:05

I do apologise for thinking that letters which go out in the school's name should be correctly spelt and punctuated. It annoys me, because it's not difficult. Yes, there are things to get more annoyed about, and I'm sure I will/do when they come along!

I am not sitting on my arse. As I've said, I do a lot of stuff for local committee etc., and always support school events.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 06/10/2006 13:34

Thing is, it might be difficult for her. It's easy for you maybe. Maybe she's not got the time to put it all into proper english and just types as she speaks.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 06/10/2006 15:52

Maybe. Possibly I'm being unfair. Our PFA letters tend to go out stapled together with the official school letter, so I was thinking they ought to look "professional". I realise someone is doing it in their spare time, but it only takes a minute to flip ti across to someone else for a proof-read.

OP posts:

PhantomCAM · 06/10/2006 16:00

Stand your corner UQDad. I was on my PTA for 3 years and it was like a full-time job (I was a SAHM).
Now I'm not a SAHM I genuinely don't have time or ability to go to daytime PTA meetings. I do help out on fete stalls etc when asked though and make stuff for them.
Nothing wrong with correct spellings, especially with spellcheck available.

drosophila · 07/10/2006 14:35

I just wonder why it bothers you so. Is it like hearing nails scrape on a blackboard for you?

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread