school council

It’s amazing how I get myself into things. I think it’s probably due to my incredible need to be accepted and appreciated - I have a hard time saying no when people ask me to help with anything. School council is a prime example. I joined the council last September because I thought it would be a good way for me to get involved in Kenzie’s school and show her that I was interested, and also so that I’d get to know her teachers.

Well in the past 8 months I have:
1. Chaired the Health Safety and Environment Committee
2. Brought Kyle Dine (a musician who does shows for the kids that teach them about anaphylaxis) to the school
3. Started the Healthy School Program at our school and continue to sit on the Committee
4. Been involved in our school yard renaturalization program
- Wrote the funding proposal for the school board
- Wrote an article that will be published by the “Oak Ridges Friends of the environment”
- Responsible for managing finances
5. Managed the Eco-Product fundraiser (made a presentation to the school body at an assembly), took orders, received and distributed orders (raised $1300)
6. Solicited businesses and banks (raised $1000 – with 3 more who have committed funds but I’m still waiting to find out how much)
7. Organized and started the second fundraiser of the Klean Kanteens
8. Chaired the Principal Profile Committee
9. Sat on the Constitution Committee
10. Will be sitting on the Funding Proposal Committee
11. Shadowed the Treasurer so that I can take that over next year
12. Purchased and delivered materials for Environmental Club students to start seedlings
13. Committed to (wo)man table at Oak Ridges Fair in June to sell seedlings to raise money for the school yard renaturalization
14. Attended numerous counting sessions for the hot lunch program and deposited funds at bank.

And to be honest, I’m not the hardest working member of council – far from it. There are parents on the council who probably spend 30+ hours a week – VOLUNTEER! And this is consistent… week after week. Some parents come into the school every morning at 7:00 am to make sure that the kids in the breakfast program get a good meal to start their day. Many parents put in much of their personal time and money. It’s CRAZY! So it’s not like I could reduce my involvement. Some council members go to 2 or 3 meetings a week.

So, I am now on the fence. Do I want to continue this level of involvement next year or do I want to quit now before I get in way too over my head. Here’s the thing…. There are a lot of things that I LIKE:
- I actually really like doing the work.
- I like being involved.
- I like that the teachers and principal and VP know me.
- I like knowing what’s going on in the school and how the school deals with things like bullying, health issues etc.
- I like knowing where the school’s priorities are regarding education.
- I like being involved in deciding where the council money is spent etc.
- I like the friendships I have made with other parents
- I appreciate the insight I have gained from the fellow council members
- I like knowing that Kenzie is proud of me
- I like knowing that I am partially responsible for making good things happen at her school (like the butterfly garden and outdoor classroom)
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These are the things that are hard:
- Politics: what’s more important to a parent than his or her child? Probably nothing. So you can imagine how heated some of the council discussions get. It’s practically impossible not to take things personally, or get emotional sometimes.
- Although many teachers and administration are wonderful and make an effort to work with the school council, there is also a large contingent that seems to resent the council – I’ve heard that some teachers and administrators have said some pretty disparaging remarks about the council members. It is very hard when you put in a ton of time and effort and that not only are your efforts not appreciated, but they are actually resented.
- Although I do a lot of my council work at the office, I spend at least one evening a week at some sort of a council meeting. That means one evening away from my family. I know that Kenzie loves when I am at the school and she sees me there, but I don’t know if that outweighs the time that I leave her in the evening and don’t dome back until she’s in bed.

In September Sebastian will be starting Junior Kindergarten at the school. I would like to make him proud of me too. As the kids get older they will become busier and have more extra curricular activities etc. Will this allow me to be involved in school things in the evening, or will this just make it harder to get away? I don’t know.

For now, I will focus on getting through the next few weeks and completing all my commitments. I have a feeling I’ll be back at the council next September. But I have the summer to think about it.