Most of us are familiar with bring a father to school day. This has been an event across the country for a decade (at least) now. Each child is given a day to have their father appear to explain his chosen profession. Kid’s come home with samples from a lot of these dates and stories of what other children’s fathers do to support their family. The children enjoy this time of hearing other fathers and sharing their own fathers with the class.
Father involvement in school has been shown to lead to children who enjoy school more, achieve higher grades and participate in after school activities more. This applies even if the father is not living with the child. Fathers sharing even one in school activity seem to help the child’s grade average increase. Fathers (both residential and non-residential) seem to help assist in the development of of analytical skills of their children.The father could also serve as a volunteer, attend parent-teacher conferences (many teachers will meet with parents up to 7 or 8 p.m)., attend a general meeting, PTA involvement, participate in a fundraising project or participate in child video projects. If you are unsure of how to be involved – ask. Schools encourage parent involvement in grades k-12 and are more than happy to help. One elementary school art teacher in our school put on a scarecrow building on a Saturday every fall in which the family could participate. The finished projects were put around the school grounds for about 30 days.
For high school age children check with your metals/woods class teachers to see if you could volunteer. These classes have around 30 teenagers at various stations constructing projects. An extra set of eyes or hands could be a blessing. True stories here – A male was using a welding torch and yanked the hose for more room to work on the project with. When he yanked the hose he set his shirt of his freed forearm on fire. He opened the curtain with his fiery arm setting the curtain on fire then proceeded to run, setting a female students hair on fire before the whole incident was under control. Another student tried to contain a small fire using mineral spirits. This same class set up a wind powered generator but forgot to bolt the base to the ground. A strong wind blew the generator over destroying the generator and causing damage to the building. These teachers ARE trained professionals but like the rest of us, can not be everywhere at the same time.
As fathers the best thing you can do is to effectively praise your child. This should not stop with the younger children. Make eye contact with them while praising their behavior, interaction or grade. They NEED to hear this from you.
Assisting a child or teen with home work projects will also benefit the child. The one on one time is irreplaceable and is a silent “I think you are worth it” to the child or teen. You may also have learned something a different way than what is being taught which may help the child or teen to be clearer on and grasp the concept a lot faster. Do you not see how valuable you are to them?
These days most schools put projects, tests and quizzes on the school website. Call and request a password if you are not given one so you can check the child or teen’s agenda and progress. You can see the electives the older child chose and be able to brush up on the topic in advance if needed, in order to assist your teen. Comments and ways to improve study habits, etc., are also listed on these websites.