I PROTEST!!

I need to vent a little before a Friday morning meeting where I could vent but it could get ugly. So, if I vent now maybe it will go better and you, my loyal friends and family, can direct my rant in a more positive, if not constructive, direction.

I received a call from the Head Room Parent about a new part of the Room Mom job. She said each grade would be in charge of hosting a "Hospitality Lunch" for the teachers once during the year. This may not seem like much but here's the crux of it for me ... no one asked me if I want to do this. I am fairly certain I live in a democracy where volunteers cannot be pressed into involuntary service. The room moms at our school are there to facilitate teacher needs and coordinate other parents as needed. A luncheon for 60 people is not a teacher need - maybe a want but definitely not a need.

Here is the Friday morning room parent meeting in my head (dream sequence here).... Welcome, blah, blah. Thank you, blah, blah. Packets with teacher requests, budget, etc. blah, blah. There is a new job we want you to do which is to host a hospitality luncheon for all the teachers one month as a service (my hand flies up here) to your (head room parents eyes light on me and she visibly sags) teacher. Yes, Mrs. Voydat? (I stand looking questioningly at the head room parent.) Me: Excuse my interruption but I don't remember this being on the list of things to do for the teacher's last year or any of the other 8 years I have been a room parent or on the website this year. Can you tell me who made the decision to add to our responisibilities without talking to us first? HRP: The proposal was brought to the administration who decided it was a good idea and then implemented it. Me: Implemented it without asking us if this would overly burden our already busy schedules? Or add it to the duty description so we could weigh whether or not we had time to do this job along with our duty of meeting our teacher's needs, correct? HRP: That's not how we see it. (end dream sequence) There were other more snippy remarks made in my head and other scenarios. But, it goes along this same vein.

I'm not opposed to the hospitality luncheon but I want no part of it. I did it for 6 years and am done. If we don't have enough parents volunteering doesn't that mean that it doesn't mean anything to the parents and maybe we should just do away with it?

I'm here to wave my banner of protest and say, "I will not be made a hostess!!".