The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the committee that involves both parents and teachers of a school. This involves both parties having regular formal interactions regarding the status quo, the challenges and possible solutions to those challenges in the school.
In this article, we go above and beyond to point out and discuss the major and most significant roles of the Parent Teacher Association in every school. They include;
1. Bridging the gap between teachers and parents
As a teacher, you probably know that facing parents is one of the hardest things for teachers, especially newbies. However, having both teachers and parents in the same organization or association unites them through things like;
- Parties
- Meetings with constant exchange of ideas
- Funding the school’s activities together
When teachers and parents work together to solve the main problems in the school, it’s hard to find cases of teachers and parents having a heated verbal exchange over their students.
2. Supporting educational activities at home
While parents usually try to get their children to read while at home, it usually seems and feels like walking through a maze without a clue.
The PTA enables teachers to figure out solutions to the problems that parents face and put them forward for parents to implement.
3. Discussing the future of the school
Aside from the normal way that teachers and the school administrators sit and discuss the fate of the school, the PTA involves parents in discussing the future of the school, including things like;
- Aims
- Goals
- Possible obstacles
- Expectations
Because the PTA makes parents directly concerned with everything that happens within the school, they become eligible to raise as many ideas about the school’s improvement as they can.
4. Designing the school budget
In every school, there are lots of things that have to be accomplished, and that includes things like;
- Setting up new infrastructure
- Renovating old existing infrastructure
- Buying more equipment
- Stocking the libraries
With all these goals in mind, the school is supposed to let parents know and possibly suggest their own ideas. This creates an image of transparency – a quality that parents deeply admire.
5. Organize social events for the school
Just as parents love to see their children have as much fun as they can, it is usually normal for them to contribute and organize social events within the school such as;
- Speech day
- Sports day
- Pioneers’ day
- Parties for students
With these events in place, there’s a lot that students learn from one another – and above all, it’s fun and refreshing.
6. Sharing information between teachers and parents
PTA is the window through which parents can receive information including updates on the status of the school. This is usually through meetings between parents and teachers, mobile communication means, etc
This keeps the parents feeling secure about their children in school because they know everything that’s going on.
7. Counsel students on discipline matters
Now this is the real elephant in the room. This is the actual reason why parents need to join PTA, because the role of raising children can’t be played alone. Here are the benefits of PTA in that sense;
- Parents and teachers share information regarding certain students and why they behave the way they behave
- Suggesting ideas on how to handle the student
- Giving advice to students as an organization
One other unseen benefit is the fact that students are more likely to tone down on their bad behavior if their parents are part of the PTA.
8. Creates solutions to academic challenges that students face
Besides discussing the disciplinary state of the students, there are so many academic challenges that can be changed if thoroughly discussed between parents and teachers.
These solutions, if created and implemented, can become a permanent fix for the school’s state of education.
9. Fundraise for the school’s expensive necessities
As a school administrator, you know that sometimes things might get a little hard and the school’s most important goals seem far-fetched.
Discussing these goals with parents and asking for their help in terms of monetary contribution is one of the quickest ways that the school can achieve those goals.
However, this only works well in the presence of transparency and mutual trust.
Conclusion;
So many times, some parents stay out of the PTA and they give all sorts of excuses like lack of time and anything else. However, being part of the PTA is important for every parent and in the very end, most students benefit from it in the long term. Even though it might just look like a teacher’s scheme that’s aimed at making money from innocent parents.