Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a formal organization of parents and teachers that is formed to get parents involved in their children’s academics as well as to help and reform the school systems. The main focus of any PTA is to work for the prosperity of the school going children and raise funds for different academic and nonacademic causes. PTAs provide parents and teachers a mutual platform to work for the betterment of the school, teaching, and everything thing that influences the physical and intellectual growth of a child. The success of a PTA meeting is very important as it helps both parties involved to discuss and solve any particular issues that the parents, teachers or the students are facing. Below are the 10 things that every PTA meeting should cover in order to make it is effective and fruitful.
1- Academic Performance
The core purpose of PTA meetings is to discuss the academic performance of a child. PTA meetings are an opportunity for the parents to discuss their child’s academic performance with the teachers. You should know about your child’s strongest and weakest subjects, what are the proofs of his strengths and weaknesses in those subjects, and how improvements can be made in any particular area of concern. The quality of homework submitted by your child should also be discussed and whether or not your child delivers the homework on time. Think of the PTA meeting as a medium for you to analyze and work on your child’s academic performance.
2- Classroom Behavior
A lot of kids that are confident and active at home act differently while in their classrooms. Parents and teachers should discuss the comfort level of the child during a class. Whether or not the children are comfortable asking questions, how their inquisitions are handled, and how well they understand a topic that is under discussion during a class. How well-behaved a child is during a lecture is also an important thing to cover during a PTA meeting. Things like, is your child able to fully concentrate during a lecture, does the child easily understand what is being taught, and how well the child comprehends what is being said, should also be discussed. The classroom behavior of a student also includes the attitude of the child towards the teacher and the subject being taught so this is another important thing to be covered during the PTA meeting.
3- Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities play an important part in a child’s personal and intellectual growth. It is important to talk about the attitude of your child towards extracurricular activities. You should discuss things like which extracurricular activities does your child likes the most, and to what degree does your child takes part in extracurricular activities. Another important thing to discuss is that if your children are equipped with the accessories that are required for the extracurricular activities in which they participate.
4- Social Skills
Discussing your child’s social skills is also one of the most important things that should be covered during a PTA meeting. You can learn about how your child interacts with other schoolmates and staff members. It can help you figure out that your child is not suffering from any sort of social anxiety disorder, is not being bullied or is not depicting any type of aggressive behavior towards his classmates.
5- Interactions with Other Parents
Interacting with other parents at a PTA meeting can be really helpful for both parties in a number of ways. None of us are “born-parents” and parenting is something that we learn from experience. Sharing your experiences and listening to other parents about their learnings can give you some great insights on how to handle certain things and situations.
6- Talents
Kids spend half of their days at schools. And schools should be the places where they get to an opportunity exhaust their energies and prove their talents. Highlighting and encouraging a child’s talents should be one of the main priorities at a PTA meeting. Especially in the case of a primary school student, even a good handwriting skill should be acknowledged in the presence of parents and teachers. Such acknowledgements boost the morale, confidence, and the self-esteem of a child.
7- Hobbies
There are certain hobbies that positively influence the intellectual growth of a child, for example, gardening, playing certain video games, and even watching cartoons. Parents and teachers should discuss the hobbies that the child claims to be his favorite so to study the impact of his hobbies on his academic and personal growth.
8- Child’s Home Life
This point is very important when it comes to give the teacher an idea of the personality of a child in his comfort zone. Parents should also discuss any noticeable odd behavior which can arise because of the stress caused by homework, inability to understand a subject or bullying. By covering this topic, you will be able to make sure that your child is happy with both his academic and personal life.
9- Fundraising
A lot of schools are unable to provide their students with the latest educational tools, services, and equipment needed for extracurricular activities because of insufficient funding by the Government. Be it may the uniforms for a sports event, accessories for an arts and crafts fair, storybooks for the Kid Library, or upgrading the science or computer lab, fundraising, in most cases, is done to upgrade the pre-existing facilities provided by the school. All in all, school fundraising is a collaboration between the parents and teachers that will ultimately allow a school to cover those vital expenses that ensure higher quality in terms of the educational environment for the students.
10- Action Plan
A PTA meeting is only as effective as its action plan. Once the parents and teachers figure out all the problems and concerns that require attention in terms of a child’s academic and interpersonal growth, it is important to come up with a collaborative strategy to overcome all those hurdles. Parents and teachers should develop an action plan that revolves around how a child is supposed to be dealt at home as well as in the classroom. What weaknesses of a child require more attention during a lecturer and how can parents help with a subject when the kid is at home.
The need for an action plan is also very important while raising funds for a school-related cause. These action plans require the involvement of the teachers as well as the other parents. PTA meetings can be a great platform to discuss and analyze any problems or concerns and to come up with a viable solution and action plan with a mutual consensus.