Today, I met with my VP and we got alot accomplished. We realize we are great at coming up with ideas...really great ones. We've single-handedly revamped one of our main events for the fall, giving it new life, a new look, and some new events. Now, just because we come up with all these great ideas doesn't mean they're all doable. But, we'll do our darndest to get them done. AND, not waiting until 4 weeks before the event may actually give this stuff a snowball's chance in Kentucky of getting done. (See a snowball might actually make it in Kentucky - hence my changing of the usual phrase "snowball's chance in hades - get it? oh, i crack me up)
I plan on meeting with each of my board members to get their ideas on their particular events and responsibilities. Just a little something I call one on oneism, or individual attention. And who doesn't love a little attention?
I've said it before, not on here I think but I have, I think this year is going to ROCK! We have some great people on this board and I can't wait to see them in action.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Plumbers group
Wow, a whole 5 days into the presidency and I've only made people mad when I wasn't the president. Hmmm, what am I doing wrong?
We sent out a note to let parents know what would be going on during the summer (because we, unlike any other board) actually wanted to do something in the summer. We're having 2 seperate activities for the children to participate in (I won't go into them, lest I give myself away). But, because we weren't the board "officially" we stepped on some toes doing this simple informative act. Who knew? Well, they can kiss my information.
I think I also might have mentioned that our budget meetings wouldn't last 4 hours like theirs did. Hmmm, that really ruffled feathers. Although, now, I wish I had written down who I said that to because that would give me my leak. Maybe I need a "plumbers group" to find the leak.
We have our first "unofficial discussion" time next Wednesday. How exciting. We'll see if we're all really going to get along or if it's just my delusions of grandeur that say we will.
Time will tell.
Check in later for more confessions!
We sent out a note to let parents know what would be going on during the summer (because we, unlike any other board) actually wanted to do something in the summer. We're having 2 seperate activities for the children to participate in (I won't go into them, lest I give myself away). But, because we weren't the board "officially" we stepped on some toes doing this simple informative act. Who knew? Well, they can kiss my information.
I think I also might have mentioned that our budget meetings wouldn't last 4 hours like theirs did. Hmmm, that really ruffled feathers. Although, now, I wish I had written down who I said that to because that would give me my leak. Maybe I need a "plumbers group" to find the leak.
We have our first "unofficial discussion" time next Wednesday. How exciting. We'll see if we're all really going to get along or if it's just my delusions of grandeur that say we will.
Time will tell.
Check in later for more confessions!
Friday, May 25, 2007
The board
So, since no one ran for any position on the board other than Treasurer and President, I got to choose who I wanted on the board. I was advised to be careful, that some people may say "she chose her friends to be on the board". I immediately said "then those people should have run". Of course I am going to choose people I know to serve with me.
My VP is a hard-working, fun-loving, like-minded (with me) person and I am already enjoying working with her.
I chose the community service person first because it was so obvious to me who should do it and luckily she said yes.
Hospitality, I only knew her a little and I can't wait to get to know this person more. I think she's a great person.
Secretary, well, she just happened to be in the wrong (0r right-for me) place at a time when I really needed someone to be Secretary. But, luckily for me, she said yes. She is another one I will enjoy getting to know.
Fundraising...man, I am hoping she is as good as she says she is. She didn't say she was good at fundraising but that she gives 110% to everything she does. Let's hope so.
Volunteer Coordinator. She is one of the few people who were on the board last year and she will have valuable insight. However, because most of us agreed to do this with a vision in mind that ended with things done differently than in the past, we could butt heads every now and then.
PR person is going to be great. This is a position I wouldn't have minded doing. I believe, as does she, that our name is not in the paper nearly enough. I see that changing.
I think there is a position or two I forgot but that's ok. (I'm only the president, am I supposed to remember everything?)
This board is going to be great. I say that because so far we've gotten along. We've discussed ways to do things better. We all believe in change when appropriate (and man is it appropriate now) and we've already implemented some changes. And I don't think any of us are scared. (Well, maybe I am right now, on the eve of my ascension. But, I'll be OK.)
The other day I told someone (who had told me things may not go smoothly with the principal) that maybe he was allowing us to change so much because we did volunteer, or say yes when asked to step up, and so maybe he's willing to let things change because people with a new perspective are on board.
I realize that all PTO boards are volunteer. But, in general, there are several people who would like to run for particular offices and there's an election and so on and so forth. But these ladies, in my mind, deserve high praise and kudos for saying "yes" when asked to serve. None of them wanted to enough to run. But because there was a need, they stepped up. Thank you all, ladies, you have my eternal gratitude and I only pray that I am a worthy leader.
So, in 1 hour and 25 minutes, I will be PTO President. I'm a little excited at seeing how I do. I'm a little (alot) nervous that I may cause irrepairable damage. But I also realize that we are here to make the school a better place, to help the children learn in any way we can, to help make the teachers' jobs easier, and be uniters, not dividers. If I can keep these things in focus, I think when the year is over, I'll be proud of what we've done.
My VP is a hard-working, fun-loving, like-minded (with me) person and I am already enjoying working with her.
I chose the community service person first because it was so obvious to me who should do it and luckily she said yes.
Hospitality, I only knew her a little and I can't wait to get to know this person more. I think she's a great person.
Secretary, well, she just happened to be in the wrong (0r right-for me) place at a time when I really needed someone to be Secretary. But, luckily for me, she said yes. She is another one I will enjoy getting to know.
Fundraising...man, I am hoping she is as good as she says she is. She didn't say she was good at fundraising but that she gives 110% to everything she does. Let's hope so.
Volunteer Coordinator. She is one of the few people who were on the board last year and she will have valuable insight. However, because most of us agreed to do this with a vision in mind that ended with things done differently than in the past, we could butt heads every now and then.
PR person is going to be great. This is a position I wouldn't have minded doing. I believe, as does she, that our name is not in the paper nearly enough. I see that changing.
I think there is a position or two I forgot but that's ok. (I'm only the president, am I supposed to remember everything?)
This board is going to be great. I say that because so far we've gotten along. We've discussed ways to do things better. We all believe in change when appropriate (and man is it appropriate now) and we've already implemented some changes. And I don't think any of us are scared. (Well, maybe I am right now, on the eve of my ascension. But, I'll be OK.)
The other day I told someone (who had told me things may not go smoothly with the principal) that maybe he was allowing us to change so much because we did volunteer, or say yes when asked to step up, and so maybe he's willing to let things change because people with a new perspective are on board.
I realize that all PTO boards are volunteer. But, in general, there are several people who would like to run for particular offices and there's an election and so on and so forth. But these ladies, in my mind, deserve high praise and kudos for saying "yes" when asked to serve. None of them wanted to enough to run. But because there was a need, they stepped up. Thank you all, ladies, you have my eternal gratitude and I only pray that I am a worthy leader.
So, in 1 hour and 25 minutes, I will be PTO President. I'm a little excited at seeing how I do. I'm a little (alot) nervous that I may cause irrepairable damage. But I also realize that we are here to make the school a better place, to help the children learn in any way we can, to help make the teachers' jobs easier, and be uniters, not dividers. If I can keep these things in focus, I think when the year is over, I'll be proud of what we've done.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The reign begins
On the eve of the eve of my becoming the President of the PTO of a school that will remain nameless, to protect the innocent, I thought I would share how it came to be that I am president. Because I consider myself a "reluctant ruler".
In the last fifteen minutes, of the last day that self-nominations could be turned in, I was on my way to submit my application for "hospitality chair" (or something else should that one already have lots of people running for it). When I got to the door, I ran into the Secretary of the PTO for this year. I asked how things were going, were there lots of applications for PTO? "One" she said. She told me that the only office that had an application turned in was Treasurer. And, according to her, we have to have a president in order to have a PTO and we HAVE to have a PTO in order for this school to function. Silly me, I said "what can I do to help"? She, of course, said "run for President". Of course, in retrospect I see why I wasn't expecting that answer.
I have never even been on a PTO board or any other board for that matter (well, except a diving board but I don't think that applies here). Never in my life would I have expected someone to think I was capable of running for PTO president, much less win, even much lesser, be able to fulfill the duties of the office.
So, against what little judgement I had at the time (we were going through a death in the family at the time, one I was involved with, as in making decisions, etc.) I turned in the lamest application for President ever known to man. If I remember, I will see if our esteemed Principal will let me make a copy of it for posterity sake and I will share with you some of my answers.
Said esteemed Principal, when he saw me the next day, said I was looking particularly lovely. I was still numb from "death-watch" so it didn't occur to me what he was all about. Then about an hour or so later I got a call from him and he said something to the effect of - "I am assuming you would vote for yourself in the election"? I hesitantly said "well, I guess so". He said "your the new PTO President". Can you say "ton of bricks bouncing off your head"?
The enormity of the situation is only just now starting to sink in and it's been 2 months since that phone call.
In this blog, I will chronicle my exciting tenure as President of the PTO at a certain fantastic school. Good decisions, bad decisions (I hope there is more of the former than latter) maybe some scoopage? Who knows?
I will go into the rest of the board tomorrow, the eve of the beginning of my reign of terror, I mean, my Presidential reign.
In the last fifteen minutes, of the last day that self-nominations could be turned in, I was on my way to submit my application for "hospitality chair" (or something else should that one already have lots of people running for it). When I got to the door, I ran into the Secretary of the PTO for this year. I asked how things were going, were there lots of applications for PTO? "One" she said. She told me that the only office that had an application turned in was Treasurer. And, according to her, we have to have a president in order to have a PTO and we HAVE to have a PTO in order for this school to function. Silly me, I said "what can I do to help"? She, of course, said "run for President". Of course, in retrospect I see why I wasn't expecting that answer.
I have never even been on a PTO board or any other board for that matter (well, except a diving board but I don't think that applies here). Never in my life would I have expected someone to think I was capable of running for PTO president, much less win, even much lesser, be able to fulfill the duties of the office.
So, against what little judgement I had at the time (we were going through a death in the family at the time, one I was involved with, as in making decisions, etc.) I turned in the lamest application for President ever known to man. If I remember, I will see if our esteemed Principal will let me make a copy of it for posterity sake and I will share with you some of my answers.
Said esteemed Principal, when he saw me the next day, said I was looking particularly lovely. I was still numb from "death-watch" so it didn't occur to me what he was all about. Then about an hour or so later I got a call from him and he said something to the effect of - "I am assuming you would vote for yourself in the election"? I hesitantly said "well, I guess so". He said "your the new PTO President". Can you say "ton of bricks bouncing off your head"?
The enormity of the situation is only just now starting to sink in and it's been 2 months since that phone call.
In this blog, I will chronicle my exciting tenure as President of the PTO at a certain fantastic school. Good decisions, bad decisions (I hope there is more of the former than latter) maybe some scoopage? Who knows?
I will go into the rest of the board tomorrow, the eve of the beginning of my reign of terror, I mean, my Presidential reign.
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