ANNOUNCEMENT
AUGUST 1, 2000

Share your successes...  Win free passes to upcoming events!

By Deborah Walsh, CT PTA President

Share. The word is on my top ten list of "Words Too Often Used"—right up there with "paradigm" and "fat-free." Wives ask husbands to "Share your feelings about my mother;" teachers ask students to "share what was so funny with the rest of the class," and Jerry Springer asks guests to "share their most outrageous sexual fantasies" with the studio audience. I think way too many things have been shared with me.

Remember when the word "sharing" didn’t make you grit your teeth? When the word was unselfish and unthreatening? When Mom said, "Share the Halloween candy with your brother who was too sick to go trick-or-treating," she meant give some of what you have to someone else who doesn’t have some, no strings attached. And, be honest now, when you got over the loss of your Peanut Butter Cups and Twizzlers, you felt good knowing you did something nice for someone else, didn’t you?

I am going to give you a chance to feel good and - you guessed - share. Not candy, and certainly not feelings or outrageous sexual experiences. I ask you to share success. Please share your ideas and successful programs with our readers. One big difference between PTAs and PTOs is the sharing of ideas, training, information, programs, and experience - it’s knowing you are not alone but part of a family of people who are working toward the same goals. All of us are working for the children and families in our communities. Why not help someone in your PTA family?

Some of you are doing great things. You encourage families to read together, get parents into classrooms, encourage community conversations about education, entice your board of education to really listen to parents. You uncovered topics and speakers that attract parent audiences, discovered a great cultural arts program, cooperated with another non-profit organization, partnered with a museum or area attraction. I know you do these things. You have told me or another Connecticut PTA board member all about it. Well, just like your mother did a long time ago, I want you to share.

Please, send us your success story. In 300 words or less, tell us what you did, how long it took, how many people you needed to get it done, and a brief synopsis of the event. Think about it and please do not take your success for granted. Just because you thought of it doesn’t mean another PTA did as well. What worked for you? Can it work for someone else? Please share with the rest of us. 

Send your ideas to the CTPTA office, E-mail it to connecticut.pta@snet.net, or use the form below. If your idea is chosen to print in the Bulletin (and showcased on our website), I will share with you two free passes to either Connecticut PTA Day at the Legislature or to the Connecticut PTA Convention. After all, my mother taught me to share.