PTA or Pain?

   Are you involved in your child's school?  Do you attend parent meetings, like the PTA if your school has one?  At our school, we have to earn "parent involvement hours" in order for our kids to be eligible to attend next year.  This year we have to earn 40 hours total.  Doesn't sound like a lot when you have a whole year to do it but it can be tough when you have so many other things to juggle.

   Do you think your parents' organization accomplishes things, or is it just a farce?  I think ours does come up with fundraisers that make a lot of money for the school, but our problem has been that they are so expensive to attend or take part in that we have not attended them.  I do donate items for the annual basket auction, where each classroom picks a theme for their basket, but some of these have gone for $65,000!  Unreal -- and that basket had a George Bush theme.  LOL.

   I have to attend an upcoming meeting to earn another hour.  I am trying to get all my needed hours in before the middle of the school year, or at least come as close to that as possible.  The second half of the year seems to offer little opportunity for earning these hours.  I have to attend this meeting with 4 kids in tow, because hubby will be working.  I can either pay $8 for someone to watch them for me at the school, or sit in the middle of them and have them all bring a book.  The second is fine with me but I know the staff will raise a fuss over it, even though my kids will likely be fine and sit still and relatively quietly. 

   Do you attend the meetings at your school, and what do you think of them?  I think we don't achieve much because the school staff basically talks at us, not listening to our concerns as parents.  They have already decided how it's going to be and this is just their forum to inform us of their decision (not that we had a heads-up to begin with on the topic at hand).  Not looking forward to it.