Fathers flock to Linderman
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POLSON — If the success of WATCH D.O.G.S. is based on participation, the father/father figure involvement program at Linderman Elementary School is incredibly successful.
After the first meeting on Jan. 9, about 62 dads and father figures signed up to spend a day at the school, according to Chris McElwee, Linderman school counselor.
Just four days after the first meeting, the school had its first WATCH D.O.G.S. dad on campus; the day after that, second grader Keyen Nash brought his dad, Wade, to his classroom.
After staying in Keyen’s class for phonics work, Wade checked his page-long schedule and went to Mrs. Delaney’s second grade class and a reading group.
The students and Wade took turns reading pages of a story about a school that planted a garden. In the book, students worked in the garden planting seeds, pulling weeds and growing vegetables and fruit trees. After reading the story, the kids discussed the book and gardens, even offering opinions on fresh food as opposed to sloppy joes.
After story time, Wade motivated the students into action.
“This is called delegation,” Wade explained to one of the kids as he asked one child to pick up the books, another to staple the worksheets, a girl to hand out the papers, a boy to hand out pencils.
WATCH D.O.G.S. dad Josh Thomas, who has two kids attending Linderman, was working with students in Mrs. Gunderson’s second grade class on Feb. 5. The children were learning about money, using plastic coins and paper bills to solve math problems. Thomas settled himself near Amelia Burland’s desk, and the students came to him.
Amelia said it’s really fun to have dads at school.
“My dad is coming next Tuesday,” she said proudly.
Thomas said, “It’s fun just being here and being able to interact with the kids.”
He also said it’s a way to watch his own children relate to their classmates.
After his day at school, Wade said, “It’s eye-opening how important our teachers are and to see what a challenging job it is for teachers.”
When a WATCH D.O.G.S. dad is set to visit, McElwee posts each dad’s picture with his child or children on the bulletin board and tells students and staff during the morning announcements that a WATCH D.O.G.S. dad is at school. Dads also wear WATCH D.O.G.S. shirts while they’re on school grounds.
“I loved it,” Wade said. “I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from all the dads who have participated.”
Most days at Linderman there’s a WATCH D.O.G.S. dad visiting classes, eating lunch, and playing hopscotch and football or just hanging out on the playground.
WATCH D.O.G.S. ® (Dads Of Great Students) is an innovative father involvement, educational initiative of the National Center For Fathering. It began in Arkansas in 1998 and has since grown into a nationally recognized program that has brought hundreds of thousands of fathers and father figures into the nation’s classrooms and hallways, according to the National Center for Fathering website, www.fathers.com
