3 great questions for your next PTO or PTA Meeting

If you’ve volunteered (or been “voluntold!”) for your school’s parent group this year, and you’re wondering how to make this year’s meetings productive and fun, you’re not alone. Parent groups are absolutely critical to teacher and school support, and as a group, you have an opportunity to positively impact your teachers’ wellbeing. 

Three of the top drivers of teacher wellbeing are: 

Belonging: Teachers feel a part of a community at their school or district.

Engagement: Teachers have meaningful, authentic ways to connect with that community.

Support: Teachers feel supported and appreciated by the leaders and parents in their community. 

So how can your parent group make a difference in belonging, engagement, and support? Here are three questions to ask the administrators and teachers at your next PTO meeting to find out: 

1. What are the ways your staff would like to connect as a team this year?
   Do your teachers want to get together for happy hour? Have lunch with another teacher? Engage in a contest or challenge together? Connection creates belonging!
   
   
2. What are the ways your team would like to learn or grow this year?
   Do teachers want to learn how to design in Canva or how to do more public speaking? There may be some awesome skill sets in your parent group that could create a new way for PTO to support your teachers. Learning together drives engagement!
   
   
3. What are the ways your staff would love to be celebrated this year?
   You’ll be amazed at what you hear when you ask this one! The most popular things we hear are “catered lunches'' and “handwritten notes”. Find the thing that will resonate with your teachers and give it a try. Celebration creates a sense of supportedness! 

We can’t wait to hear how you’re finding ways to connect, grow, and celebrate with your school’s staff! Drop us a line and tell us all about it!