This was my PTA journey -- accepting challenges, coordinating chaos, wrangling volunteers, ignoring complaints, spreading positivity. This past 2023-2024 school year as PTA president, officially done June 30th.
Deep exhale.
Since my departure, friends have mentioned that I look so much lighter, they even described me as *radiant*. What?! By the end of my tenure, many people introduced themselves to me for the first time, sharing that they plan to be more involved next year. My PTA colleagues surprised me with a dinner sendoff, and a few mom friends and I celebrated with a karaoke letting go session.
I haven't shed a tear as I am relieved to be finally done, proud of what I accomplished amidst mainly personality challenges and entitled dynamics, grateful to have earned the respect of our school community - teachers, staff, administrators, and parents, and thankful to have made good friends along the way too.
By the way, the movies don't lie. Bad Moms, Field Day, their material comes from somewhere in real life.
No regrets as I had a good dose of what it's like to work outside of the home while still accessible to my daughter, partner and our family needs. PTA president is a J-O-B. While I chose to commit full time to the position, it was the push I needed to truly know that I have viable, serious professional skills that still apply to the most demanding of workplaces.
Lessons emphasized:
Deep exhale.
Since my departure, friends have mentioned that I look so much lighter, they even described me as *radiant*. What?! By the end of my tenure, many people introduced themselves to me for the first time, sharing that they plan to be more involved next year. My PTA colleagues surprised me with a dinner sendoff, and a few mom friends and I celebrated with a karaoke letting go session.
I haven't shed a tear as I am relieved to be finally done, proud of what I accomplished amidst mainly personality challenges and entitled dynamics, grateful to have earned the respect of our school community - teachers, staff, administrators, and parents, and thankful to have made good friends along the way too.
By the way, the movies don't lie. Bad Moms, Field Day, their material comes from somewhere in real life.
No regrets as I had a good dose of what it's like to work outside of the home while still accessible to my daughter, partner and our family needs. PTA president is a J-O-B. While I chose to commit full time to the position, it was the push I needed to truly know that I have viable, serious professional skills that still apply to the most demanding of workplaces.
Lessons emphasized:
- Sometimes an organization has to muddle its way through after collective trauma, mainly the pandemic, to find its way back to a new way of being.
- While it pays to be patient and respectful, it is also appropriate to stand your ground and push back too with a sense of advocacy and integrity.
- The position of PTA president is not for the faint hearted or thin skinned at all, necessitates a mindful sense of sincere collegiality, grace and politicking.
Yes, I did.
Here I am, mid-summer. Ready to figure out my next chapter. I got this.
