Do you work part-time/full-time and serve on your PTO board? How do you feel you've handled the responsibilities? Are you expected to be present for all events? Do you feel guilty if you can't? Would you do it again?

I spent part of the year watching another toddler as well as my own and now I am going to school full time in the evenings. Considering our President didn't do anything and when she did she may as well have not bothered and then she left, I'd say I've managed to fulfill my requirements as well as those for the other 3 board positions. Considering there are only 2 parents on the board (and one is really new) we are expected to attend all of our events. For next year, we have limited the number of activites at the school-because they don't do well and are very stressful-and they are scheduled around when I am out of school. This wouldn't work for a lot of schools, but it does for ours. I plan on being a part of the PTO until at this school until my kids leave it. I feel like it's the only way someone will pay attention to what parents are saying and quit doing things just becasue they were done before(I hate that excuse).

I work full time. If I have enough advanced notice I can schedule time off during the work day. I've been with my employer for 18 years so I do have time in my vacation bank. We alternate PTO meetings between evenings and mornings, so I do try to make as many as I can.

This coming year I will be PTO President, but I think I can make it work. I did it this past year as a just a board member and it wasn't too bad. The only thing that I found was that there is some pejudice out there on the part of stay home mothers to want to do everything during the school day. They use the excuse that no one comes anyways, but I think that you have to try to get people involved more, now just the ones who can do everything during the day. And we need to get some men involved.

I think you have to set your own expectations for yourself, don't worry about anyone else.

When I did serve on my board I had the luxury of being able to work (and still do) part time hours after school everyday. I mostly work with children so afternoon after school is usually it for me( and on Saturdays too)

I was able to always be accessable to do HSA things during the school day and most days I Was in the school doing HSA work.

I work full-time, but about half of it is out of my house and not at the office. I also coach sports year round (except a couple weeks between each one) in addition to being PTO president.

The first year I found it very overwhelming and hard to balance it out. But my second year as pres, I had a good group of parents working on the board and we have a lot of things in place so I was able to pull myself back and oversee much more and be less hands on. I still try to attend everything, even if I'm not working on or at it. And, I do feel guilty if I don't make it to stuff, but that's my nature.

I think that a supportive family makes a big difference, my wife is very supportive of my involvement, and my kids like it too. Besides, we've met some really great people/families (as well as some that aren't so great) along the way.

I've accepted a third term recently, and am of course concerned with the time that is involved, but it always finds a way to get done.

I've heard stay-at-home moms complain about having to do everything but never schedule things well to include paying-job moms. I've also seen paying-job moms use their jobs as excuses to not help. I don't know, but there must be some middle ground here somewhere. There IS some way to accomodate everyone who wants to help...I just haven't figured it out yet.