The PTA Mom

So it is official, I am a PTA mom. Today we had our first official PTA meeting for Danny's preschool. There are actually five grade levels here since they actually start kids at 18 months old. (This personally seems a little young for me, but some mothers I have found feel this is the only way their child can socialize with other children their age, as most kids here are in the school--sort of like a vicious cycle). Danny's class is actually the oldest in the preschool with the kids ranging from 4-5 years of age (Danny being one of the youngest as he turns four in a couple of weeks). The meeting was nice and we got a preview of the holiday parties and the field trips the kids will be taking. There are two moms per class and we are in charge of planning out the parties for the children. It was a little funny as one mom asked if we can be involved in helping the class in any other way--i.e. coming in and reading a book to the class, etc. but this was in a very round about way declined. The classes are small here, Danny's only has 12 in his class, with one teacher and a teacher's assistant. So, I understand in part that having parents come in is not really necessary. The nice part of the PTA is the other mom that signed up for Danny's class is my friend Monika from Germany. Her daughter, Jule and Danny are friends. This should make planning the parties fun. The interesting part is that they celebrate most of the US holidays even though most of the people are not from the US. I figured they would do Halloween, but was surprised they have a Thanksgiving party. I am happy though that Danny will get to celebrate these holidays, as he would be able to if he was in the States. It is though one example of how much the US affects or influences things as there are no other holidays celebrated from other countries

Overall, it will be nice to meet the other mothers and connect with them while helping at the school.