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Class Act Dad
Getting Involved with Your Child's School
By Teri Brown
(Abbeville Press, 2003), believes that while father volunteers are becoming more common, it is still more difficult for fathers to become involved in their children's schools and education than it is for mothers. "Although it's getting a little more acceptable, it's still very hard for men to take off from work in the middle of the day to participate in a school event," he says. "And there's still a sense at many schools that there's something wrong with a father who's at his child's school during the day, or that he's unemployed." Brott says that dads have traditionally been more involved in the academic side of education – helping children with their homework, tutoring, test prep, exploring high school and college options, helping with applications and, of course, paying tuition.
Maureen O'Brian, developmental psychologist and author of the book Watch Me Grow: I'm One, Two, Three (Harper/Quill, 2002), believes that while the demographics show that 70 percent of mothers are now in the work force, there are still far more room mothers than room fathers. The new reality for families is that both parents work during school and after school hours. "The good news here is that there is more acceptance, even expectation, that both parents can and should play a role in their child's school life," she says.
Because it is a part of our job as parents to stay connected to the other influences in our children's lives, we should know who their peers are and what other adults are helping to shape their character. Many of those influences are in school.
