As I’ve mentioned before, I’m on a kajillion lists (how else do you think I got so smart?) including ones for schools that my kids no longer attend and ones my kids might attend. So I read with interest the Post’s front page story this morning on the use of listservs by PTAs and the issues, nay controversies, that can arise.
Back in the day, when the listservs were still kind of newfangled, I remember earnest discussions at (face-to-face) Takoma Elementary PTA meetings about access and equity in a culturally and economically diverse school community….the digital divide and all. My impression is that those debates have died down.
Nowadays these listservs function more like bulletin boards, with calls for help at staff appreciation breakfasts and the like. Frankly, I would welcome a little heated exchange, a little substantive discussion on school listservs. Real, honest discussion about what’s actually happening–or not–is rare. And the reason is simply intimidation and fear.
At the magnet-that-shall-remain-unnamed-for-now, there not only was a school PTA list, but a separate magnet list. Looking back through the archives, about once a year some parent would timidly post a question about homework load, or emotional stress, or food fights. And inevitably some other yahoo parent (in the literary sense of the word…not the ISP) would weigh in with how great the program was and that if a kid couldn’t hack it, then they didn’t belong there. That shut everyone up. Which is wrong on a lot of levels, but is particularly damaging in the magnets, where chances are most parents don’t know each other, and these programs roll along for years on their reputations without serious scrutiny.
As it happens this morning’s article prompted me to sign up for another school listserv. A quick glance at the message section on the website showed a range of the the usual bland announcements. Ho hum. A little while later the listserv’s daily digest popped up in my inbox. And wouldn’t you know it but the first message was from the PTA listserv manager announcing that he was shutting down discussion about a recent event at the school, just like in the Post story! The moderator wrote:
“While I think that the airing of these views has been a good thing, I am not sure that further commentary would materially advance the discussion. Consequently, I will not approve further posts on (the evidently controversial topic). [The PTA president] agrees with this decision. Feel free to contact me personally with your views on this listserv policy.”
Wow, talk about timing. Seems like this list might get interesting after all.
Hi,
I am a graduate student at the University of Chicago and I am considering a research project regarding conversation and debate in the context of PTA and similar associations. You appear to be exceptionally knowledgeable on the intersection of education and parenting and I was wondering if you’d be willing to have a brief phone conversation with me.
I’m hesitant to publish my number here but if you might be willing please drop me a line at dhess@uchicago.edu. Don’t worry that you might not know enough or the “right kinds” of things; I’m just interested in your own experience.
If other parents reading this feel that they have interesting experiences or opinions regarding conversations and debate in PTA-type settings, you are also invited to send me a brief email!
Many thanks,
Deirdre Hess