Friday, April 22, 2011

I'm Beginning To Think People Don't Know Me Well At All

Last Thursday I did my usual Thursday Folder thing at the school, followed by helping some of Caroline's classmates work through a Thurgood Marshall activity book.  I then purposefully skipped the volunteer luncheon the teachers provide for the parent volunteers each year.  In the three years Caroline has gone to this school (and the three years I've volunteered there) I've never gone to the luncheon; I considered going last Thursday, for like half a second, but I ultimately decided against it because I was feeling particularly anti social that day.  I was in quite a funk and didn't feel like being too smiley. 

What I really wanted was to get a big coffee from Dunkin Donuts and pick up some much needed groceries from the commissary.

And that's what I did.

So when I got home from my grocery shopping excursion, there was a voice mail message from one of the PTA ladies.  She called because I forgot to include Caroline's tshirt size on the entry form for the school's upcoming 5k race.  Oh, and also, she wanted to know if I'd consider running for one of the PTA offices next year.  Because, you know, "you'd be really great at that."

Or whatever.


I've met this woman like twice; once while stuffing Thursday folders last year and another time when she asked me to watch her stuff at a school event while she ran to her car to get something.  You know, good quality time together.  Clearly they're just trying to get anyone to run for PTA treasurer because if she knew me at all, she'd know that I am not the PTA officer type.  Since, you know, I never go to the meetings.

I mean, I pay my $8 each year to join.  I bake for every PTA sponsored bake sale or luncheon at the school.  I go to Basket Bingo; I volunteer to hand out race packets; I even show up to greet veterans near the baked goods table for the school's yearly Veteran's Day celebration.

But like I said, I NEVER go to the monthly meetings.  Not once in three years have I gone to a meeting.

So why on earth would anyone suggest I'd be 'perfect' for the job. 

Clearly, I'm an enigma to many.  And even more clearly, they're lacking for quality volunteers.

So, I did what any weenie would do when they don't want to tell someone "no thanks, I don't want to be PTA secretary," I waited to call her back when I figured she'd be out picking her son up from school.  My plan worked!  I dialed her phone number just as the school bell was ringing (Caroline was at Girls on the Run, so I didn't have to pick her up until an hour later) and her voice mail picked up.  As I was leaving the message, my call waiting beeped...it was the PTA lady.  And again, I did what any weenie would do, and I continued to leave my message and ignored the call waiting.

I gave her the correct tshirt size information and failed to even mention the whole PTA officer thing.

Because I'm a grown up like that!

I actually found this all quite amusing; in an I-must-really-have-them-fooled sort of way.  However, if I see PTA lady's name come up on caller ID again, I'm still not answering.

2 comments:

Hilary said...

This post made me laugh. In the teacher world we LOVE the PTA mom's and it seems like a select few rule the roost and decide who the next candidates should be. It is quiet an honor to be asked down here in the south :) Good luck with trying to turn down her offer. Who knows you might be sucked in to being president by the time Caroline hits middle school. Ha!

Alison said...

Ha! I'm still going to do my best to avoid it. I think they're looking for ANYONE because I'm a definitely a behind the scenes kind of person so I can't imagine any other reason why she would have asked.

She hasn't called back, so I suppose she took the hint....or found some other poor unsuspecting soul to volunteer. :)