Casper Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 I read this the other day and it really stuck with me for some reason. I emailed it to myself so I'd read it again. Figured I'd share. It's definitely something to think about. Hopefully when my little guy starts school I'll be able to make the time to volunteer at his school. So after the shooting in Newtown, some of the kids at my kids' school were scared to go to school. A couple of the dads went with their kids and just sat in class with them. After a day or two the dads were reading with little groups, walking them to recess, and the teachers loved it. Shortly after, they had their first 'practice' of a gunman incident at the kids' school. It was just a drill where the teachers turned off the lights, locked the doors, basic stuff. A couple of dads showed up and were at the main entrance, allowed to hang out by the playground. Just to be there.School says all of the kids' anxiety went down and kids said they felt safer with the dads there.Since, more dads have volunteered to come to the school. Help in out in the library, eat lunch with the kids, be playground monitors, door watching to make sure the doors are locked from the outside that should be, stuff like that.We had a meeting at the school last night and apparently there are about 20 other schools nationwide doing essentially the same thing and our school is now implementing it as an official program. Dads can sign up for shifts and positions in the school on their days off and stuff. The school says that since this has started, bullying is non existent, no one's getting hurt on the playground either. At the Jr. High, no one's fighting in the halls, and when they sit with the kids that sit alone at lunch, other kids come and sit and the quiet kids are now participating in class way more.I have offered to research the quantifiable and non-quantifiable benefits this is having and hope they take me up on it. Fathers, involved with their school having a very surprising and measurable effect there. Shocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 This is awesomeI (thankfully) do not have any kids but I'd totally do this for my girlfriends niece and nephew. They are the coolest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomike Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 This could a be a two-fold bonanza. Helping the kids and the schools while the dads might learn something themselves!Seriously it sounds like an outstanding approach at least as a beginning. Glad to hear of it. Being out of work, if it began here locally I would have to strongly consider adding my name to the list of volunteers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingset Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Sounds like a great idea, glad to see it happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidgetTodd Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 What school was this Ben, a local one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTPilot Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Good info, Ben, and this is what we as a nation need more of. Parents getting involved in their kids' schools and participating in their education outside of just helping with homework. Schools are responsible for educating our kids, but we are responsible for raising them. At times, those two areas blend. In those times, parents need to be there. Kudos to those dads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photos by Marty Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 I volunteer when I can. As for the OP, I'd do it in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conn-e-rot Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 With so many schools hurting for money who is paying for the back ground checks on all of these dad's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 ...if it began here locally I would have to strongly consider adding my name to the list of volunteers.maybe you could approach the school about starting something like this...? i sign up for some of the events at Derp Jr.'s school - noisy, semi-chaotic, but fun nonetheless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 So being involved in your child's education and well being is now called 'volunteering'? America is more f'd up than even I thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictly Street Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Wonder how many of the kids don't have a dad of their own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomike Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 lol Tonik. Parents for the most part are struggling, both of them working. Seems the feel its the schools responsibility. Not all parents, but the majority. They buy them everything instead of expecting them to work and earn it themselves. They buy them cellphones, not just any ol cell, but an I Phone, and not an older model, the newest version, then pay for their phone plan.....instead of spending time with them and nurturing them. Yep, its f'd up for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingset Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 So being involved in your child's education and well being is now called 'volunteering'? America is more f'd up than even I thought.That's a cynical way of looking at this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerpaw Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 So being involved in your child's education and well being is now called 'volunteering'? America is more f'd up than even I thought.This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsnake Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 That's a cynical way of looking at this.No...THIS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerpaw Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Are parents "volunteering" when they take their child to the doctor? Go grocery shopping? Bath time?No. They are being parents.Should not be newsworthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 lol Tonik. Parents for the most part are struggling, both of them working.....Then maybe they should stop buying iphones, computers and new tv's all the time. And motorcycles.NOTHING is more important than the children. But it seems we agree on that point, just putting it more bluntly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerpaw Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Then maybe they should stop buying iphones, computers and new tv's all the time. And motorcycles.NOTHING is more important than the children.Agree. Americans are two income households because of greed, not necessity. Edited February 4, 2013 by Tigerpaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Wonder how many of the kids don't have a dad of their own?Nationally......26 percent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomike Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Then maybe they should stop buying iphones, computers and new tv's all the time. And motorcycles.NOTHING is more important than the children. But it seems we agree on that point, just putting it more bluntly.Yes we do agree on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheech Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 lol Tonik. Parents for the most part are struggling, both of them working. Seems the feel its the schools responsibility. Not all parents, but the majority. They buy them everything instead of expecting them to work and earn it themselves. They buy them cellphones, not just any ol cell, but an I Phone, and not an older model, the newest version, then pay for their phone plan.....instead of spending time with them and nurturing them. Yep, its f'd up for sure.So being able to afford nice things for your kids is now frowned upon? Also, since when did giving nice things to your kids and spending time with them become mutually exclusive? If I have a kid and I feel that he/she has earned a iPhone for doing something that went above and beyond, and it's within my budgetary resources to buy said iPhone, then my kid's getting an iPhone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shittygsxr Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 So being able to afford nice things for your kids is now frowned upon? Also, since when did giving nice things to your kids and spending time with them become mutually exclusive? If I have a kid and I feel that he/she has earned a iPhone for doing something that went above and beyond, and it's within my budgetary resources to buy said iPhone, then my kid's getting an iPhone.That wasn't his point but many people choose to work and buy shit they don't "need" rather than spend less time at work and more with their kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue03636 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Are parents "volunteering" when they take their child to the doctor? Go grocery shopping? Bath time?No. They are being parents.Should not be newsworthy.No but they are volunteering by sitting in the classroom as that isn't something you can just do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerpaw Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 No but they are volunteering by sitting in the classroom as that isn't something you can just do.Minus a background check, sure you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 If I have a kid and I feel that he/she has earned a iPhone for doing something that went above and beyond...Give us some examples of what they would do that would earn the IPhone. I am not talking an Xmas present...thats a present. What would they do above and beyond that would earn them an Iphone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.