D.

Sugar Kopplin Easley

Perspective Writing
Sociology 1 Dr. Price
January 25, 2015

Page 1 of 2
Sociological
Due:

Analysis of each of the paradigms are found below for the example provided.
There are many situation in life I could relate this theory to, but I will take one from my life, in which to
relate all paradigms.
Every Child, One Voice
This is the theme for the California Parent Teacher Association. As President of a local
Parent Teacher Student Association or PTA/PTSA (2007-2009) it is important to understand
exactly what this belief entails if you are to hold this position. Every single child in our educational
system within the State of California has a voice through this organization. Its main purpose is to
connect Families with Schools and Communities by promoting, building and expanding the
relations between them. In order to do so, it requires mass representation from parents who are
dedicated to challenging the educational system and push the boundaries to strive for the
excellence our children deserve and that our tax dollars claim to provide. We are the worker bees,
together, donating time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears for the education of our children
and those who follow, teaching others how to carry the torch of those before them. We do this
without compensation of the usual terms. Our compensation comes by the fruits of our labor.
Here are two examples of the fruits of a well-oiled organization:
Flunk the Budget, Not Our Kids During election times, State and District Presidents working
together to educate parents, teachers and students (voting age) about issues that affect our
families, schools, teachers and communities by providing informative literature and access to
learn more.
The passing of Measure TT by 74.2% Local District Presidents working together to educate
parents about this Measure and the value it brings to our District schools and the value it
represents for each Unit school. This provided hundreds of millions of dollars to our schools ($172
mil to Blair as we were not allocated monies promised out on the Measure Y funding). (My
personal proprietary interest and drive was to see the C Campus funds allocated before my term
ended. This took a village to make this happen and required all paradigms for success but
today I can stand there and see the fruits of our labor, and of my own.)
In this description of the PTA, there are many ways to view this organization. I will go a little bit higher to
include the National Parent Teacher Association so as to view my opinion of the Conflict Perspective..
Conflict Perspective

D. Sugar Kopplin Easley

Perspective Writing
Sociology 1 Dr. Price
January 25, 2015

Page 2 of 2
Sociological
Due:

The PTA/PTSA at the National Level basically controls the funds and resources for each State
and District level. This is also where Policies are discussed, supported and represented. This is
like a Ruling Class of the PTA (State, District & Unit levels are the working class), the haves and
the have nots. They are the overseers on the bigger picture, the check writers for the big buck
The Voice. This is where policies are made and vetoed.

Functionalist Perspective
In my opinion, the CA State PTA functions in this perspective because it treats each district like a
living organism, with each part (each District and Unit level) attempting to work together to
perform a united purpose for a specific society (our children). This organisms purpose is to
uphold the value of the organization, Every Child, One Voice and continue in the tradition of its
predecessors to continue to provide services and fight for our educators and our newbies entering
into society. This is where policies are discussed and voted upon by those who come together
from the Unit level (Interactionist) annually. This is the Hub where the Interactionist Unit pass the
baton. It is important to maintain its structure and stability for the whole of the organization. For
example, the Board of Directors elected to maintain the goals and mission of the parent
organization, the society of the organization as a whole. (This is the next step for a parent who
has played the role of Interactionist and wants to move up towards policy maker.)
Interactionist Perspective
We are the working class of the National PTA at the Unit Level (school or micro level) can be seen
from an Interactionist Perspective because it directly deals with the everyday workings within the
Parent Teacher Student Association unit). It consists of parents who, because of their children,
have the desire to interact and be a liaison between school unit, district unit, state unit and
national unit, volunteering at each level. This is where the actual product occurs, carrying on the
tradition of parents and organizational structure before them. We are the fighters at the lower level
that actually do a great amount of footwork dealing in the communities.
Originally I was going to compare some of the events that surrounded slavery to the Conflict Paradigm
where power, social status, and especially race, among other things, were factors, but decided to save it
for another day. Hope you enjoyed this writing assignment.
Kindest regards,
D. Sugar Kopplin Easley
Dkopplin1@go.pasadena.edu