Re:Alignment, Tri-Angular Type: PTA in Re-view. Part One (deserving of at least two)

125 Years in the Making; what have we learned? "TYAMBRAH" - Shorthand, which preceded, perhaps a forerunner of texting, this formal "Thank You" to Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, who managed to bring together over 2,000 people in D.C. for a common purpose (imagine that), "to discuss questions most vital to the welfare of children and the manifold interests of the home" An alliance envisioned by these two women, which has persisted, survived two WW's, a Great Depression, Pandemic, and even political divide..."to better the lives of children in education, health, and safety..." Yes, in case you missed it, you can either send a belated "Thank You" to these two, or at least say "Happy Birthday" ("Happy Anniversary" if you prefer), exactly eight months late, as the organization known as PTA turned 125 on 2/17/22. An organization that, growing up, was experienced in our home as "I've got to go to a meeting..." A meeting of the minds which was in part to support the development of ours, but when we first heard that our parents and teachers were coming together after we, on occasion, tried to put them at odds...we can all relate..."We won't be late...the babysitter has an emergency contact just in case...do your homework...get to bed on time...and I don't want to hear of any shenanigans😂😟" Certainly was not our idea, us kids, but once we got the whole idea, experienced the support of both, in alliance...

"What's in a name?" P before T? After a bit of less-than-assiduous research, I was not able to conclusively deduce why, in their collective wisdom, these two women and millions of parents and teachers to follow, placed "P" before "T" in the name. Certainly not a tacit indication of a rank order, of who holds the most importance in a child's/student's life. Perhaps just 'cuz the child in almost every case meets their parent before their teacher(s). Or, perhaps they just resorted to one of the most time-honored conventions at both home and school, (we'll line up in alphabetical order...") Or, finally, it may have been a bit of an early default, as they saw the wisdom of not branding such an organization as TP...A😔😂, in order to build credibility among us kids, the true beneficiaries. On a broader scale, PTA is a national organization, with many local PTO's which may or may not be dues paying. Whatever the actual name, it's always the same, focus: "It's all about the children" (isn't it always, especially around election time?) I end Part One the way I began, with a profound sense of appreciation for these two visionaries, and all those PT's who continue their alliance. You've certainly paid your dues.

Next, Part Two: i before e (?)