Sue Scheff: Million Hours of Power - Dad's Can Change The Lives of Children

The National PTA launched their Million Hours of Power to encourage fathers, uncles, grandfathers and all men to get involved in their community through their local PTA.  In Florida, Parent Teachers Association (PTA) recently was honored with National Advocacy Award.

With Father's Day next week, it is a perfect time to think about how you or someone you know can get involved in helping children in your community.

Bryon Garrett, CEO of the National PTA and Mom Congress Advisor, believes that a male mentor can make measurable positive impact on kids social, physical and educational well-being.
Parenting.com interviewed Bryon Garrett and he offered a few tips to get fathers engaged in volunteering:
  • Just ask! Don't make the assumption that dads are not interested in being involved. "The number one reason they're not involved is that they're not asked."
  • Create a schedule with your educator "so you have shared ownership in the process."
  • Identify time they can spend on campus, whether it's in the classroom or at lunch and recess. Not only will they get to observe what their kids are doing, but Byron says, "you also get to see who they're interacting with."
You can read more about Million Hours of Power here.
"Give a little, change a lot" will be the rallying call to action for the Million Hours of Power grassroots campaign. Research proves that parent involvement leads to student success in school and life. Children perform better in school when both the mother and the father or a male role model are both involved in the education of their children.  Read more.

Bryon Garrett pictured above with representative from DadLab.

Popular posts from this blog

Teens Starting College: Transition Blues

Image
Mental illness continues to mystify the mainstream, and students already stressed and anxious about classes, relationships, jobs and activities end up suffering from the stigmas just as much as the conditions themselves. But they don’t have to nurture their pain in quiet. More and more individuals (students or not), their loved ones and organizations are speaking up in favor of psychological help in all its forms. The following list represents some of the most common conditions occurring on campuses globally, though by no means should it be considered a comprehensive glimpse at an issue far more broad and complex. Clinical Depression : At least 44% of college students have reported suffering from some degree of clinical depression — and the number only escalates from there as years tick past. Thanks to prevailing social stigmas regarding psychiatric help, only 23% of victims reported that they’d be comfortable discussing their treatment. Considering the amount of s
Read more

Teenage Mental Health Options

Image
Teenage mental health is a growing concern, since 2020 studies have revealed that adolescent depression and anxiety has doubled. This is also causing the rise of suicide ideation and   self-harm   as well as youth self-medicating.  Since 2001 we have helped  educate  parents regarding  mental health options   for troubled teens in addition to  therapeutic boarding schools . This is not a decision that is made lightly. Has your teenager’s behavior been  escalating  for  more than a year ? Are they becoming more withdrawn? Depressed or isolated? More common is the following: -Defiance (ADHD, ODD) -Anger, rage -Cell-phone addiction (self-destructs when the phone is removed) -School refusal (skipping classes) -Lacks motivation -Changing peer groups -Substance use (self-medicating) -Self-harm (relieves anxiety) -Change in eating habits -Poor hygiene   Your teenager may be suffering with mental health issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. In many cases it could be  typical te
Read more

Sue Scheff: Should teachers befriend students on social networking sites?

Image
As today's generation is definitely the surf the waves of cyberspace, where do we draw the line? Should teachers befriend their students? Should student befriend their teachers? With the growth of Facebook while MySpace is still alive more and more people are signing up for social networking. Whether you Twitter or Facebook, chances are you will run into your kids and your kids may run into their teachers - virtually speaking. As parents should be the monitor for their child's online safety; Should the teacher be part of their off-line - off-campus life? Although there may be some teachers that are comfortable with befriending their students, many would prefer to keep their private lives just that - private. Teachers, as well as many others that either own a business or are employed, like to keep their business lives separate. However there are many that prefer the mix. Depending on your personal comfort level, you will know where you fit in. Learning to respect each
Read more