Strollerderby : PTA

Do You Have an Easy Bake Oven in Your Vagina?

Miriam Axel-Lute — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Though the post is fairly long and rambly, I couldn't resist sharing this call-to-arms by Renee at Womanist Musings about lingering gender assumptions, especially by schools:

"The education system seems to think that this is still 1950 and that mothers are at home with tons of time on their hands to participate in bake sales. This request is never gender neutral, even though Daddy has two perfectly good hands himself. Why is this still the norm when most women work a double day? Even if a woman is a stay at home mother how does a vagina translate into the ability to bake? Do I have an easy bake oven stashed somewhere in my vaginal opening that I was not aware of?"

She has a larger point about the very narrow defintions of acceptable motherhood, but the comments are filled mostly with horrific stories about teachers telling single and/or working-outside-the-house and/or non-crafty moms that a purchased stocking/Valentines cards are not good enough, or that a married working mom couldn't interrupt play group for a work call while a single one (or a married dad) could, because for her a job was choice. Would like a little judgment with your assumptions? Or the other way around? Yeesh.

It's all a bit disheartening. And she's writing from Canada, too. Aren't they supposed to be more evolved than we are? (I'm kidding. Don't answer that.)

Photo by Tracy Hunter.

More by this author:

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Schoolyard Angst Makes It to Book Form

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:08:00 GMT

While I fully admit I'm biased in writing of this -- one of my stories is published in this anthology -- it still doesn't take away how much I love to hear these cringe-worthy stories of schoolyard social angst.

Can I Sit With YOu? is a treasure trove of web essays detailing "the stormy social seas of the schoolyard" and it's all for a good cause, raising money for a citywide special needs program in Northern California. This has got to be one of the funniest, richest fund-raising ideas I have ever come across.

Check out the new book -- volume two -- and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Here's a sneak.

[Cover art: Diva Lea]

Mom Kicked Out of the PTA for Position on Prop 8

JeanneSager — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:25:00 GMT

The Roman Catholic school where Robin McGehee's been president of the PTA was OK with her being a lesbian. But supporting her own rights? Apparently that was taking things just too far. McGehee's been kicked off the PTA after attending a vigil thrown by the No on Prop 8 campaign.

McGehee and wife Kathy Adams' son, Sebastian, attends St. Helen's Catholic School in Fresno,Calif. Trying to be an involved mom, McGehee joined the PTA and was elected president. It's exactly what the school promotes on its Website, stating parents are expected to be involved in their children's education. But the day after the vigil, she says a priest from the Diocese of Fresno told her she was being relieved of her post in the parent-teacher association.

Raised as a Roman Catholic, what surprises me about this story isn't that McGehee was kicked out. I'm surprised she was on the board at all considering the church's stance on homosexuality. By its own admission, the school is built on the "traditional values" of Catholocism. The school philosophy lays out a code for kids to follow, including attendance at Mass and adherence to the church's teachings.

Those teachings are exactly why I'm a casual Catholic these days. I can't adhere to those teachings that specifically deny my gay friends the rights to love, honor and obey each other. I can't raise my daughter to look down her nose at her uncles who hold hands and kiss the way Mommy and Daddy do.

So why are McGehee and Adams subjecting their child to a place that teaches against their family?

Image: St Helens School

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Political Nanny: Ridiculed Community Organizers Fight Back

Madeline Holler — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:27:00 GMT

Speakers at the Republican convention last night let it all loose, which made for good TV and great base energizing. But it was stunning to hear members of the GOP -- the party which so wholly embraces faith-based groups and volunteers as the strongest rope in the American social safety net -- ridicule the work, mission and gravity of community organizing.

Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin laughed at Barack Obama's years of work as an organizer in Chicago. Giuliani implied community organizer isn't much on a resume. Palin implied organizers don't have responsibilities. The fairly full hall of delegates and others threw back their heads and laughed. The cameras, panning the crowds, caught one woman mouthing "I can't believe she said that!"

Neither can community organizers! And they're fighting back. The mantra: "we're working to clean up your mess!"

Fewer than 24 hours after the speeches, they've got a website. Other groups are pissed as well.

One can't help but wonder whether Palin's beloved PTA moms will also log on to the website -- they're sort of the earliest form of community organizers around!

Photo: organizersfightback.wordpress.com

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Amy S.F. Lutz — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:35:00 GMT

Here's a role reversal for you: students at a Shawnee, Kansas school are protesting because alcohol will be served to parents at a PTA fundraiser.

The students, from Prairie Ridge Elementary School, feel that by drinking at a school-sponsored event, their parents would be sending the wrong message about drinking and driving. They firmly deny critics' claims that their righteous objections are motivated purely by fear that the adults will get toasted and tell embarrassing stories about them, like how they used to run around naked.

The PTA had no comment, but I'm guessing if they did, it would be something like, "This is Kansas! What else is there to do?" *

*Note to our Kansas readers: No, it never gets old. Sorry.

"Be Prepared" . . . To Sell A TON Of Popcorn

Amy S.F. Lutz — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:35:00 GMT

How did I live 37 years on this planet without discovering that popcorn is to Boy Scouts what cookies are to girl scouts? It must be because I don't live within hawking distance of Anthony Aldrich II, who as of last week was gunning for his fifth sales title in six years among Boy Scouts nationwide. In case you're wondering how much popcorn one would have to sell to contend for the title, Anthony had already sold $22,000 with more than a week left in the selling period.

I'm sure Anthony's mom is very proud of him. But I think if he were my son, I just might be wondering, is this why I signed him up for Boy Scouts? So he could peddle more popcorn than Orville Redenbacher?

I hate fundraisers. I understand the need for them, and how they help schools and clubs defray costs which might otherwise burden families unable to afford them, but I wish there was a better way. My husband and I feel uncomfortable asking our friends and neighbors to buy wrapping paper and tubs of cookie dough and pizza kits I've admittedly never sampled but suspect are far inferior to, say, Domino's. Besides, then we would be obliged to pony up when their kids came around selling magazine subscriptions, chocolate samplers, etc., so it just seems easier to swallow the costs ourselves. And my kids are definitely asked to participate in many more fundraisers than I did, back in the day - this year starting as early as the first week of school.

I can't help but think I wouldn't mind fundraisers so much if they were less frequent, but on a larger scale. For example, I rather like charity auctions, where I have the opportunity to bid on interesting items I might actually use. I guess what I'm looking for are great fundraising stories I can use to inspire our PTA, and possibly make me feel less like a sourpuss about the whole endeavor.

Hey, Teacher, Leave Those Kids' (Parents) Alone!

Madeline Holler — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:23:00 GMT

Don’t get me wrong, I love reading and writing and thinking and talking and everything about learning and mind expansion and all that.

And I love supporting my kid’s school, helping the teachers, setting a good example for my daughter. I even feel a little crushed when I see the same faces at school meetings, wishing more parents would just get involved.

So I’m not sure why, but I’m really irritated with this New Jersey high school teacher who assigns the parents of his students homework. The students’ grades even depend on whether the parents do their assignments.

Parents are told to read Kafka and presidential speeches and all kinds of things I would love to read and discuss with my daughter. But being told to? Holding my kid’s grade hostage? Screw you, Teach!

He says his aim is to give parents something to discuss with their kids, blah, blah, but I’m just thinking, "butt out!" What makes him think we’re not already discussing Continental literature and deconstructing political rhetoric. I mean, we’re not. But how does he know that?

Photo: New York Times

PTA Numbers Are Dwindling

Melissa Summers — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:20:00 GMT

I went into this story prepared to make fun of the hyper involved parent I know. The ones who take on so much responsibility at school they don't have time for anything but school related activities. I was going to snarkily imply that sometimes it seems like the Uber Volunteers at school seem to be filling the void left when they're not in charge of child care for 24 hours a day anymore.

Then I read about these volunteers, like Chester Tuella who serves on local, county and national PTA posts even though his children are grown. Then I thought about the Science Alive assembly my kids couldn't stop talking about or the Hands On Museum presentation they raved about and how my PTA set that up and I felt a little guilty.

PTA membership is dwindling nationally, membership has hovered around 6 million for the past five years, from a peak of about 11 million in the 1950s. The PTA can't seem to drop it's image as a group of bake sale throwing mothers and with so many working parents, the opportunities for volunteering is scarce. In my circle, the PTA can't drop the stereotypical behavior of bored housewives with too much time on their hands. True story: An aquaintance told me a mother had called to volunteer for a book fair, but the other mothers didn't like her so they lied and told her the job was already taken.

The dwindling numbers are unfortunate because the group does great work to help schools offer extras lean school budgets can't provide. PTAs bring special programs to the school, like science assemblies and character building programs. PTAs also help organize fundraisers which help defray the cost of field trips and extracurricular programs.

Maybe I'll get involved.....next year when we're at a new school.