Personal observations

Personal observation number 1: No matter where you go, no matter how big or small the organization, you are bound to run into extreme personalities, conflicts and politics.

I guess I was kind of naive last year when I took over the job as FAME coordinator for the elementary school. I figured it couldn't be THAT difficult to present a once a month, schoolwide, weekly art and music program. I love to prepare the lessons and backdrops so that I can open up the world of art and music to inquisistive little minds. I love getting in front of a group of kids, all dressed up in a long white dress and a big straw hat to talk about Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt and musical composer Claude Debussy.

How hard could it be I thought, to run the show behind the scenes! Well, little missy! Not such a piece of cake after all. Recruiting volunteers to help run the program was my first big challenge. It seems that people are a just a tad bit leery about getting involved. If I didn't know better, I would think that the entire 5th grade was parentless, as not one parent from the 5th grade has volunteered for anything at the school...ever! But, through a well planned marketing campaign, by which I blanketed the school with witty flyers and veiled threats, I recruited a fine group of moms to help me with the monthly lessons. Many of these moms are professional volunteers, as they spend their entire days at the school helping out in one capacity or another.

Personal observation number 2: There are some women that just don't seem to have the word "no" in their vocabulary.

I was a little naive to think that parent volunteers are welcomed with open arms in the school office and that we are god's gift elementary school staff. Wrong. My next rude awakening came with a run in with the school secretary. Who knew there would be politics over who gets to use the school xerox machine! But, let's face it folks... Miss Dora guards the school xerox machine like a hawk. Apparently there is a whole hierarchy of who gets rights to the copier. A parent volunteer is the low man on the totem and can be treated with great disdain if they get cheeky and ask to use the copying facilities out of turn.

My naivitee extended to believing that there existed a "cum-ba-ya" cooperative spirit between teachers and volunteers when it comes to organizing the FAME schedule. Trying to carve time out of the busy school day for each class to participate in the 40 minute FAME leson takes the patience and the battle stratagem of MacArthur. We recently have acquired a new principal and because of his "newness" we are encountering hiccups in the otherwise flawless FAME machine. The vacating principal, who was known for her micro managing of the FAME schedule, failed to pass the baton on to her successor. As a result, this year there has been a bit of a communication gap between faculty and staff and my little old group of FAME volunteers. Since the schedule had been approved at the end of last school year, I figured it was built into the school calendar. That was my first wrong assumption. That the teachers were all cool with their appointed times, was my second wrong assumption.

So, I am working through a few rough patches, keeping a sense of humor, placating the powers that be, conjoling and flattering those that would take offense at xerox machine infractions. Yes, I would say that I am starting to get the hang of the whole political scene at the elementary school.

Personal observation number 3: If you manage to get on the good side of the school secretary, then life can be very good.