A 33-year-old dad has shared what he learnt after volunteering at his child’s school for a day – and says it has changed his outlook on the teaching career entirely
Every parent knows the pain of asking their child about their day at school – only to hear, ‘it was alright,’ in response. So to help dads better understand what their children get up to at school, and as part of a bonding exercise, one nursery created a scheme to give them a better insight into their child’s experience.
As part of this, the school invites dads to volunteer for a day in their child’s classroom and encourages them to later discuss the day with their child. Speaking about the scheme, an anonymous dad said on Reddit: “My daughter’s school participates in a program called WATCH D.O.G.S, which encourages dads to volunteer one day a year in their kid’s school. Part of it is to bond with your kid and see what their day is like, the other part is to be a positive male role model for other students who don’t have a lot of that in their lives, especially in elementary schools where 99 per cent of the staff are typically female.”
He went onto share his key “thoughts and observations” from the day he volunteered.
Lockdown drills
Firstly, he shared his surprise about the children starting their morning off with a fire drill.
The American dad added: “The day started with a fire drill. Followed by a ‘lockdown drill,’ which we didn’t have when I was in school.
“All four classes piled into a single classroom and had to be absolutely quiet and still while the lights were off and the doors were locked. Scary to think about, but necessary in today’s world.”
Technology has taken over
Following this, he says the ‘star of the week’ child presented a ‘show and tell’ to the entire class, showing off a LeapFrog device.
He added: “Kids started peppering him with questions, ‘Can you play Angry Birds or Crossy Road?’ ‘No.’ ‘Can you FaceTime?’ ‘No.’
“I felt bad for him. He was excited to show off his favourite toy and immediately got railroaded by the iPad posse.”
Raising girls rather than boys
After complaining about an early lunch at 10.45am, he made some observations about how the different genders behave during class.
He said: “I’m so glad I have girls. Boys would randomly do karate chops, push each other and try to stir up trouble.
“About half of them were wearing Star Wars shirts. I asked a couple what their favourite Star Wars movie is and they all answered that they’re ‘not allowed to see the movies but watch the cartoons.’ Interesting.”
Not only this but he says the girls worked better as a team while the boys spent most of their time arguing with each other rather than working on their tasks.
He added: “It was fascinating to see the gender differences in action. The teacher divided them up to turn geometric shapes into animals.
“The girls worked together, sharing ideas and encouragement. The boys turned into cavemen, arguing and fighting, grunting and growling.”
Playtime is dangerous
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He stopped to appreciate the teachers who have to give up their quiet time to watch over the children at playtime, saying it is eye-opening.
He said: “One of the boys ripped my sunglasses off and refused to give them back. 33-years-old and I’m still getting bullied.
“I was going to tell him the truth about Santa, Tooth Fairy and Darth Vader if he didn’t give them back.
“Post-recess, an urgent meeting was called for the entire grade. Apparently several of our ‘kindergarten friends’ were picking up trash on the playground and putting it in their mouths.
“This was a deadly serious meeting, in which I had to bite my lip. Leave it to a teacher to turn a negative into a positive – she’s bringing work gloves and trash bags. ‘If you want to pick up trash, you can help clean up your playground instead of making your mouth dirty.’
“Hide and seek and tag have been banned until further notice because ‘several of our friends have been pushed and gotten hurt’.”
Active and energetic dads
Speaking about parents rather than children, he was surprised to hear how he out-performed other dads who have taken part in the scheme with his PE skills.
He said: “I participated in most of PE. Jumping jacks, squats, etc. Gym teacher said I was one of the few dads who has been able to touch their toes.
“I did, however, have to sit out yoga. Hard to do downward dog and candle pose in jeans.”
Teachers are good actors
Again sharing his appreciation for teachers, he praised their acting skills, saying: “They run their classrooms like drill sergeants.”
He added: “I don’t want to say mean, but definitely very strict and they have to be to keep control.
“But then they would turn to me to chat and would be super sweet. It was a switch they could flip on and off.
“Never crossed my mind that teachers are playing characters. After spending a day in their shoes, I have the utmost respect for who anyone who dedicates their lives to moulding young minds, especially kindergarteners!”