If you’ve seen Bad Moms

[kdeunc]

10 Luncheons is way over the top. IME, the teachers just come when they can, during lunch or recess. I must be missing something here because I don’t understand why anyone would have to take over a classroom. It’s not like the kids are with the teachers the entire time.

In our school teachers do not have duty free lunch or recess. They eat lunch with their students in the cafeteria. Our PTA does 3 lunches a year and the teachers eat when their kids do. The only "kid-free" time is when the kids are in their "encore" classes, PE, Art, etc. This is 45 minutes per day and it could be first thing in the morning. As a PTA we have discussed trying to find a way to provide a duty free lunch for the teachers but the school is concerned about liability issues with some students.

[specialp]

People at our school (luckily a limited few) b*tch about having 1 luncheon/ year and call it "over the top". Ha! Their heads would explode to find out that other schools do 10.

I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have even one if the parents had to bake and cook and serve the food. I wouldn't be thrilled with that either. I think they just need to move from the SAHP mentality. It isn't the reality for most and it just sucks to assume everyone has all this free time in the middle of the work day.

In our school teachers do not have duty free lunch or recess. They eat lunch with their students in the cafeteria. Our PTA does 3 lunches a year and the teachers eat when their kids do. The only "kid-free" time is when the kids are in their "encore" classes, PE, Art, etc. This is 45 minutes per day and it could be first thing in the morning. As a PTA we have discussed trying to find a way to provide a duty free lunch for the teachers but the school is concerned about liability issues with some students.

Yes. This is the same for us. Maybe that's the reasoning for the frequency. Other teachers (sounds like in most places) get their 30 minute lunch/free time to themselves. Our teachers do not. They are always on duty. I do understand the money part. A lot of the food is sold at cost or deep discount because there is some connection to every restaurant like the owner went to the school or sent his/her kids to the school.

I haven’t seen bad moms, just the sequel.


I cannot wrap my head around having 10 teacher appreciation lunches that are fully catered and provide free babysitting for volunteers!!.

If this is at me, there is no babysitting for volunteers. The volunteers are to watch the lunchroom so the teachers, who would normally be in the lunchroom, can go to the luncheon.

[Globetrotter]

In our school teachers do not have duty free lunch or recess. They eat lunch with their students in the cafeteria. Our PTA does 3 lunches a year and the teachers eat when their kids do. The only "kid-free" time is when the kids are in their "encore" classes, PE, Art, etc. This is 45 minutes per day and it could be first thing in the morning. As a PTA we have discussed trying to find a way to provide a duty free lunch for the teachers but the school is concerned about liability issues with some students.

Ah, ok, that’s tricky. Then maybe leave out cold snacks that they can take any time during their encore period/s. That’ll also be easier than serving a hot lunch. Or deliver the lunches to the teachers in their classrooms.. and keep it simple (have them place an order at one specific restaurant if you can get donated or subsidized meals.)
of course it’s not the same and lacks the social aspect. Regardless, I agree that 10 is a lot and hard to plan and sustain interest with volunteers - Like you said, how many times can you ask for help?

[niccig]

. Whereas, this is the first year I’ve been on the PTA board and I didn’t have as much say as I would’ve liked in the projects that I was actually in Charge of. There are more egos in the PTA, and more rules and red tape, so it’s hard to make any significant changes.
.

And this is why I won’t take on a board position. I don’t have time for the egos, rules or red tape.



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[jerigirl]

Ha! We get this a lot. I often joke that they want us to come to their house and do a interpretive dance to communicate our business.

I’m a PTO President and I never wanted the job. Nobody I know does. I only did it because nobody else would. And I would happily cut 50% of our stuff but nobody else is willing to give it up. Everybody has ideas for new stuff though (as long as they don’t have to organize it or work at it).

We have very little drama though and I am so grateful for that. That was one of my biggest fears.



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This made me laugh out loud! I could have written your post exactly!

[TwinFoxes]

I've found at our school it's not former board members who complain about "that's not how it's done" it's parents. Our current board (which I'm not on) did some different fundraising efforts that got us a LOT more money than previous efforts. But the board used outside companies that took a percentage (in one case we still made almost 3x as much money). If one more person had written on the PTA FB "I bet youf the PTA could do this without the outside company and keep all the profits" I think I would have screamed. Of course the main person who wouldn't let it drop was the person who ignored my emails when I was on the PTA search committee looking for new board members. She could complain and come up with extra work for the board, but she wouldn't even answer my emails about running for board.

[nfceagles]

I've found at our school it's not former board members who complain about "that's not how it's done" it's parents. Our current board (which I'm not on) did some different fundraising efforts that got us a LOT more money than previous efforts. But the board used outside companies that took a percentage (in one case we still made almost 3x as much money). If one more person had written on the PTA FB "I bet youf the PTA could do this without the outside company and keep all the profits" I think I would have screamed. Of course the main person who wouldn't let it drop was the person who ignored my emails when I was on the PTA search committee looking for new board members. She could complain and come up with extra work for the board, but she wouldn't even answer my emails about running for board.

Boosterthon? But I agree with you.


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[specialp]

I've found at our school it's not former board members who complain about "that's not how it's done" it's parents. Our current board (which I'm not on) did some different fundraising efforts that got us a LOT more money than previous efforts. But the board used outside companies that took a percentage (in one case we still made almost 3x as much money). If one more person had written on the PTA FB "I bet youf the PTA could do this without the outside company and keep all the profits" I think I would have screamed. Of course the main person who wouldn't let it drop was the person who ignored my emails when I was on the PTA search committee looking for new board members. She could complain and come up with extra work for the board, but she wouldn't even answer my emails about running for board.

I see that comment a lot, too. It can be done, yes, but it takes a ton of volunteers to do the organizing and planning which starts long before the event day and continues through post-event date. It's a huge undertaking and only looks easy because companies know what they are doing and are efficient at it.

[TwinFoxes]

Boosterthon? But I agree with you.


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That was one of them. The other was running our silent auction online. Ch-ching.

I see that comment a lot, too. It can be done, yes, but it takes a ton of volunteers to do the organizing and planning which starts long before the event day and continues through post-event date. It's a huge undertaking and only looks easy because companies know what they are doing and are efficient at it.

EXACTLY. Step-up, or shut-up.

[KrisM]

I'm on the middle school board for next year. In the past, we've done 7 days of teacher lunch type things. Some were quite small- just coffee and donuts. We do that the first Wednesday of the school year. Then one night dinner during conferences because they start shortly after school lets out. Then 5 during teacher appreciation week, but only 2 are larger sized lunches and the rest are more snacks.

This year, someone coordinated it and got donations to cover an entire week of lunches, so it was full lunch every day for them. Teacher loved it and we only needed people to pick up the food and set up the room. It was great!

Our schools hire noon-aides for the lunchrooms. They do all lunches and recesses and teachers have 30-45 min of no kid time (depending on the level) between lunch and recess. Elementary has 45 minutes from when teachers drop off to lunch and pick up from recess.