Not since Barbara Eden was traipsing around Harper Valley have parent group volunteers had this kind of attention. You can’t turn on the TV or read the paper without reading about how this PTA mom has ascended to the national stage. Cool, right?
I ‘m hopeful that the attention leads to even more school involvement. Now there’s a platform we all can get behind!
I do have a quibble, though, or at least something to keep an eye on. While no one is making the case that PTA or PTO leadership is akin to national and international standing, it should be equally clear that volunteering (and leading volunteers) shouldn’t be any kind of a blackmark either. I can’t give you an exact link (if you have one, send it through), but several of the commentaries I’ve seen contain a subtle condescension toward Palin’s school volunteer work, as if no one of real substance would have done that job. That’s equally unfair and says more about the speaker than it does school volunteers.
Finally, one interesting link. Found this memo from/to national PTA leadership re: what to say about Governor Palin.
Will be interesting to see if Palin’s school work/school beginnings stay in the spotlight or if — as I suspect — that element of her biography will fall more into the background as the election nears.
