Sadly too few parents make a regular habit of attending their school PTA meetings. The PTA (or PTO or PTSA, etc.) exists to enrich your child’s school experience.
These groups provide funding for school assembly shows, field trips, playground equipment, class room equipment and more.
As a parent, this is your place to make a positive impact on the learning environment your child is in.
- Set a Good Example for Your Child
Throughout life, occasions will arise when you simply must attend a meeting or seminar that you would rather not go to. While you might need to struggle to resist the urge to find a reason to avoid going to the meeting, you go anyway. As an adult, you understand the importance of attending the seminar or meeting whether it is business community, or school related. However, as a child, your son or daughter might not yet have learned the value of showing your support as a member of a specific organization. Your attendance at the PTA meetings shows your child the value of following through on commitments, even ones that are unspoken or informal. - Become Informed about What Is Happening at School
PTA meetings are generally informative, so they give you an update on upcoming events and changes regarding school events and policies. Attending these meetings is the best way to obtain clear and concise answers to any questions that you might have about future events, rule changes, or modifications in the school’s policies.Typically, each PTA meeting discusses new and unfinished business that is pertinent to the school and its operation. Important announcements are made, giving you first-hand access to events or changes that affect your child and his academic life. - Make a Difference in Your Child or Grandchild’s Academic Life
When you attend the meetings held at your school, you show your child that you care about what happens during the school day. Your attendance shows that you want to be involved in the decisions that are made. In fact, it is only as a member who attends these meetings on a regular basis that you can make a difference through your input. As a result of your attendance, you will become familiar with the teachers at the school, have better access to volunteer positions, and be able to provide suggestions that can benefit the students as a whole. Most PTAs require you to be a paid member in order to vote on any decisions that are put to the general assembly. However, the fee to join is usually nominal and well worth it.