Darn it! I asked the support bot for help and this is what they wrote. Not sure if any of these will be helpful, but sending just in case!
1. Ask them to check their spam or junk folder to make sure the emails aren't being filtered there.
2. If they're using Gmail, they should also check the Promotions tab.
3. They can add your publication's email address to their contacts to help ensure future emails arrive in their inbox.
4. If they have the Substack app, they should check their notification settings to make sure they haven't opted to receive push notifications only, which would stop email notifications.
Unrelated but Erin, the new issue of Blackbird Spyplane is so tea leaves-coded that I had to give you a shoutout in the comments haha. Idk if you read them, but! Thought of your work.
Yes!! I have had similar sentiments for a long time and the connection of the illusion of the PTA as being anti feminist (unfeminist?) is spot on. My husband often half jokes/half encourages me to go out for the PTA (and later on, the school board) because of all my passion toward things that need to be corrected. (My oldest doesn’t even start kinder until the fall and already I have opinions — ha!) Looking forward to hearing more about this from you!
Appreciate your commitment Erin, and appreciate the comments here as well. Hearing others' experiences fills me with hope - and reminds me how many people are quietly lifting up their communities against all odds.
Our local public elementary school is also title 1, which it sounds many folks here know involves so much more than just education. I work full time and am the primary childcare provider for my two school aged kids, and like many others was hesitant to take on more. My experience is this: there are so many ways to get involved, beyond leadership and planning roles, and any amount is a net positive. I now spend ~2 hours each week volunteering with the food assistance program, packaging and distributing donations from our food bank to over 100 kids and families. A bit of manual labor and logistics to package and distribute is all that's required. I can't emphasize enough how gratifying it has been, not just doing the work but getting to know the school community better. The kids will shout IT'S THE FOOD BAG LADY when they see me in the halls, and although they really shouldn't be yelling, honestly, it rules. I love it.
Have faith, keep showing up. We're stronger together.
We get to vote for candidates who will not spend our tax money on war, and, indeed, in this instance, to support genocide;
All of our elected officials realize and act as though they serve at the pleasure of ordinary citizens, rather than the multi-millionaires; and
Kindness, curiosity, and caring are normalized in the way cruelty, disinterest, and hatred of those who are 'different' have been normalized as of late.
Until such a day, submitting a blank ballot is one way to hold candidates accountable (and don't think I've forgotten this one's role in giving us Clarence Thomas) -- as is running for office.
I look forward to hearing more about your plans, Erin, and supporting you in any way that I can!
I think you should run for office and start to bring anxiety to those who just sit around and do nothing!! We run for office in our house. Tshirts are great also.
This is such an interesting perspective. I'm our PTA president at my child's Title 1 school and have quite honestly bristled at some anti PTA sentiments you've shared in past comments, links etc. I appreciate this reflection as it helps me understand the root of that sentiment. Everyone on our PTA works full time jobs outside our homes and also does tons of unpaid work that pays for 30K in classroom supplies, provides afterschool tutoring for students who need support, runs language literacy programs for students and families, and tons of fun community building stuff too. We are the only Title 1 school in our district, in a state that doesn't fund education well and bc of our PTA we don't have to ask families for financial contributions for anything - field trips, school supplies, etc. The work we do doesn't really benefit our own kids at all (my kids are super privileged and doesn't need any help. My PTA basically takes me away from them in service of other people's kids. I hope they learn from me like I learned from my mom.)
I am the daughter of a 40 yr career public school teacher (and her teachers union president for many years!) I am also trained and work in public health and so it's always been clear to me that public education is the only safety net this country has, and also that education is the biggest driver of individual health and community well-being and the ONLY path we have towards a more just society. This link is so clear to me (why were enslaved people prevented from learning to read? Why is the right wing movement on a 50 year project to dismantle public education, from segregation into vouchers into charter schools into homeschool? Why was school integration a central tenet of the civil rights movement? Why did Nikole Hannah Jones start out as an education reporter? Why is Moms 4 Liberty running for school board across the country? Why is level of education so closely tied to life expectancy?) I've often wondered why some of my local peer parents spend time on loud online advocacy (facebook fighting basically) against Moms4Liberty across the country instead of helping their school PTA.
I don't have the skills to be a teacher but I can't think of any more valuable way to spend my money and time than supporting my local schools. Good luck with your run! (In my experience you are conscripted into school service rather than running in a competitive campaign where tons of people are interesting in doing unpaid non glamorous work lol.)
Don’t remember ever uttering an anti-PTA sentiment and certainly own my own reluctance to be active as a personal failing, not a PTA one 😅 agree re all the above in terms of the importance of these roles!
I always had some stigma about PTA moms as just, like, people with absolutely nothing else going on except for their kids. Now I am in leadership roles in my kids’ school’s parent-group fundraising committee and volunteer committee. It’s a not-insignificant amount of work and, as someone working a very stressful full-time job, I sometimes resent it all. I resent that we all “have to” do this (ie that our social system relies on our deep love for our children to make the undertaking of all this work the less painful option). But I can say that Zoom, at least, helps a lot. Our committee meetings are all at 8pm now, and require no childcare logistics; and I often take them on my headphones while I fold laundry or tidy up the kitchen. Many of the other parents I see on camera do the same. PTA involvement might be the one thing on earth that actually is made better by Zoom.
Mostly, though, I reached an age where I realized: the problems we’re facing are too big to only be solved by some distant hypothetical “people with nothing else going on.” They need to be solved by “us,” however unfair that may be. And I want my children to see me out there, doing what I can to solve whatever problems there are. For them, for the kids down the street, for everybody.
My grandmother always used to say, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Here’s to getting things done.
I love this comment so much. I find PTA so amazing bc without exception, every person involved has kids and has an excuse of a "busy life" but they are doing it anyway.
you have my (fantasy) pta vote! i also cast a blank presidential ballot (or rather, actively did not cast a federal ballot, only a local one, in our primary, as you can't physically cast a blank ballot in my state.) i worked the polls, too, and so many others chose to vote local only, in protest, and weren't afraid to say so! en avant nous allons!
I too cast a blank ballot and struggled with the misunderstandings of others as to what the impact would be.
I’m delighted and inspired by the fact that you are running. I recently met my local council member, who was delightful and a great listener. I can’t imagine running at the moment, but have committed myself to getting more involved and knowledgeable about local politics. This was partially inspired by a school council decision (in D2, in Manhattan) to ban trans children in NYC public schools to participate in sports. That egregious decision is enough to get me to do more than just rage post online.
Hi Erin,
I had put my subscription on pause, and now that it is not paused I cannot seem to get emails notifying me of new postS?
Appreciate any help thank you!
Darn it! I asked the support bot for help and this is what they wrote. Not sure if any of these will be helpful, but sending just in case!
1. Ask them to check their spam or junk folder to make sure the emails aren't being filtered there.
2. If they're using Gmail, they should also check the Promotions tab.
3. They can add your publication's email address to their contacts to help ensure future emails arrive in their inbox.
4. If they have the Substack app, they should check their notification settings to make sure they haven't opted to receive push notifications only, which would stop email notifications.
Just printed and put this image up in my office (faculty at a community college). <3
yay! we're gonna screen print some for our school!
So cool!!
Unrelated but Erin, the new issue of Blackbird Spyplane is so tea leaves-coded that I had to give you a shoutout in the comments haha. Idk if you read them, but! Thought of your work.
I don't! But now I'm trying to remember who was once talking to me it! Have to look it up!
It's tonally very different, but philosophically feels in line with your writing!
Yes!! I have had similar sentiments for a long time and the connection of the illusion of the PTA as being anti feminist (unfeminist?) is spot on. My husband often half jokes/half encourages me to go out for the PTA (and later on, the school board) because of all my passion toward things that need to be corrected. (My oldest doesn’t even start kinder until the fall and already I have opinions — ha!) Looking forward to hearing more about this from you!
we make up words around here...carry on!
Appreciate your commitment Erin, and appreciate the comments here as well. Hearing others' experiences fills me with hope - and reminds me how many people are quietly lifting up their communities against all odds.
Our local public elementary school is also title 1, which it sounds many folks here know involves so much more than just education. I work full time and am the primary childcare provider for my two school aged kids, and like many others was hesitant to take on more. My experience is this: there are so many ways to get involved, beyond leadership and planning roles, and any amount is a net positive. I now spend ~2 hours each week volunteering with the food assistance program, packaging and distributing donations from our food bank to over 100 kids and families. A bit of manual labor and logistics to package and distribute is all that's required. I can't emphasize enough how gratifying it has been, not just doing the work but getting to know the school community better. The kids will shout IT'S THE FOOD BAG LADY when they see me in the halls, and although they really shouldn't be yelling, honestly, it rules. I love it.
Have faith, keep showing up. We're stronger together.
It will indeed be a great day when:
We get to vote for candidates who will not spend our tax money on war, and, indeed, in this instance, to support genocide;
All of our elected officials realize and act as though they serve at the pleasure of ordinary citizens, rather than the multi-millionaires; and
Kindness, curiosity, and caring are normalized in the way cruelty, disinterest, and hatred of those who are 'different' have been normalized as of late.
Until such a day, submitting a blank ballot is one way to hold candidates accountable (and don't think I've forgotten this one's role in giving us Clarence Thomas) -- as is running for office.
I look forward to hearing more about your plans, Erin, and supporting you in any way that I can!
Appreciate you, Judith!
I think you should run for office and start to bring anxiety to those who just sit around and do nothing!! We run for office in our house. Tshirts are great also.
This is such an interesting perspective. I'm our PTA president at my child's Title 1 school and have quite honestly bristled at some anti PTA sentiments you've shared in past comments, links etc. I appreciate this reflection as it helps me understand the root of that sentiment. Everyone on our PTA works full time jobs outside our homes and also does tons of unpaid work that pays for 30K in classroom supplies, provides afterschool tutoring for students who need support, runs language literacy programs for students and families, and tons of fun community building stuff too. We are the only Title 1 school in our district, in a state that doesn't fund education well and bc of our PTA we don't have to ask families for financial contributions for anything - field trips, school supplies, etc. The work we do doesn't really benefit our own kids at all (my kids are super privileged and doesn't need any help. My PTA basically takes me away from them in service of other people's kids. I hope they learn from me like I learned from my mom.)
I am the daughter of a 40 yr career public school teacher (and her teachers union president for many years!) I am also trained and work in public health and so it's always been clear to me that public education is the only safety net this country has, and also that education is the biggest driver of individual health and community well-being and the ONLY path we have towards a more just society. This link is so clear to me (why were enslaved people prevented from learning to read? Why is the right wing movement on a 50 year project to dismantle public education, from segregation into vouchers into charter schools into homeschool? Why was school integration a central tenet of the civil rights movement? Why did Nikole Hannah Jones start out as an education reporter? Why is Moms 4 Liberty running for school board across the country? Why is level of education so closely tied to life expectancy?) I've often wondered why some of my local peer parents spend time on loud online advocacy (facebook fighting basically) against Moms4Liberty across the country instead of helping their school PTA.
I don't have the skills to be a teacher but I can't think of any more valuable way to spend my money and time than supporting my local schools. Good luck with your run! (In my experience you are conscripted into school service rather than running in a competitive campaign where tons of people are interesting in doing unpaid non glamorous work lol.)
Don’t remember ever uttering an anti-PTA sentiment and certainly own my own reluctance to be active as a personal failing, not a PTA one 😅 agree re all the above in terms of the importance of these roles!
I can't wait to hear what you're cooking up, Erin!
I always had some stigma about PTA moms as just, like, people with absolutely nothing else going on except for their kids. Now I am in leadership roles in my kids’ school’s parent-group fundraising committee and volunteer committee. It’s a not-insignificant amount of work and, as someone working a very stressful full-time job, I sometimes resent it all. I resent that we all “have to” do this (ie that our social system relies on our deep love for our children to make the undertaking of all this work the less painful option). But I can say that Zoom, at least, helps a lot. Our committee meetings are all at 8pm now, and require no childcare logistics; and I often take them on my headphones while I fold laundry or tidy up the kitchen. Many of the other parents I see on camera do the same. PTA involvement might be the one thing on earth that actually is made better by Zoom.
Mostly, though, I reached an age where I realized: the problems we’re facing are too big to only be solved by some distant hypothetical “people with nothing else going on.” They need to be solved by “us,” however unfair that may be. And I want my children to see me out there, doing what I can to solve whatever problems there are. For them, for the kids down the street, for everybody.
My grandmother always used to say, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Here’s to getting things done.
I love this comment so much. I find PTA so amazing bc without exception, every person involved has kids and has an excuse of a "busy life" but they are doing it anyway.
agree agree agree!
you have my (fantasy) pta vote! i also cast a blank presidential ballot (or rather, actively did not cast a federal ballot, only a local one, in our primary, as you can't physically cast a blank ballot in my state.) i worked the polls, too, and so many others chose to vote local only, in protest, and weren't afraid to say so! en avant nous allons!
I too cast a blank ballot and struggled with the misunderstandings of others as to what the impact would be.
I’m delighted and inspired by the fact that you are running. I recently met my local council member, who was delightful and a great listener. I can’t imagine running at the moment, but have committed myself to getting more involved and knowledgeable about local politics. This was partially inspired by a school council decision (in D2, in Manhattan) to ban trans children in NYC public schools to participate in sports. That egregious decision is enough to get me to do more than just rage post online.