The Luxury of Learning

I had the luxury of going to the zoo with my 4 year old's class. I have the luxury of dropping my kids off and picking them up everyday. I have the luxury of a large overdraft too!!!

This was the facebook status that inspired this blog. I was ranting because of a parent who was trying to "sway" the parent council not to make a parent area at the entrance of the school yard.

I love being able to be there for my kids everyday. It is a choice. It is a sacrifice that I don't make alone. Would I swap it for other "luxuries"? Only if they would benefit my kids.

And yes, people tend to like me (even if I rant about politics!) Maybe, just maybe they like me because when I represent the parents, I will speak for them, even if I don't agree with them. That's democratic! When more people vote against what I want, I not only go along with it, I enforce it.

I might get impassioned and get carried away and maybe talk too much / write too much. But I will not attack you personally if you have a different opinion. In fact, I enjoy a different opinion. I enjoy debate. I learn from others when they are open enough to really engage in an exchange.

i was on this parent council for seven years. Many parents approached me with worries and concerns, from their kids getting their feet wet when changing from snow boots to indoor shoes, to parents looking for advocacy because their children were asked to leave the school. I couldn't help everybody. And for what I did, I didn't have much help.

I called superintendents, ran meetings, took on roles by default, fundraised, did accounting, wrote articles and begged people. I begged them to get involved, I begged them to come to events, I begged them to translate a speech for me, I begged them to include me in their groups. I got many rejections and I admit, I shed a few tears. Every February, I got depressed, not because of the lack of sunshine but because of the lack of love from the parents for my cause.

And what is my cause?

At first my cause was material. I wanted to improve the playground. I saw this as a multileveled goal. A better playground would overall cause our children to be happier to come to school. It would reduce bullying and boredom. It would give our children a reason to be proud.

Then I realized that there were bigger problems, a lack of school spirit and also our parents were struggling. Most are new immigrants. So I revised my vision to creating community. I ran coffee mornings alone. I was present at kindergarden orientation. I was there with my coffee and cookies at curriculum night and parent teacher night, mostly alone.

Finally, my dream came true. New parents arrived. Parents willing to give time, energy, money, enthusiasm, skills and expertise. We got things done. We raised money. We had fun events. Teachers, parents, students and community members were coming out of the woodwork. How thrilling after all those years of struggle!

Then the clashes began. Egos bounced off each other, mine included until I could not, would not take anymore. It was sad and ironic.

But I am still here, on the sidelines. My tiny stunt in community politics has helped me to understand a lot about human nature and even more about myself.