My kids are in elementary school, and even though my oldest has been there for a while, I only really started getting involved with the PTA at the start of this school year. I’m not sure why I waited for a couple of years, but I think I just wanted to be more helpful in the place where my kids spend so much of their day.
I’ve done the usual volunteering before (class parties and school events) but I wanted to try contributing on a slightly higher level. I started attending more meetings and trying to be more attentive to how things actually run. And now, I have become the point person for a lot of IT-related matters for the PTA.
It’s been a great experience so far. As a software engineer, I’m used to the way big companies work, but a small non-profit is a completely different world with its own set of needs. I’m learning a lot and honestly enjoying it quite a bit. My plan is to share what I’m doing here as I try to improve things for our PTA. Hopefully, someone else finds it useful, and it’ll be a nice record for me to look back on when my kids eventually head to middle school.