We’ve neared the end of the month of August, which means youngsters are heading back to school! Are your kids (or grandkids) excited? Nervous? Sad that summer is coming to an end? However you and the school-aged loved ones are feeling, Prime dads have a special opportunity to show support this school year.
Dads play an important role in their child’s education. Staying up-to-date with school happenings, helping with homework and communicating with your child’s teacher are just some of the ways over-the-road dads can help achieve school success for their children.
This week on the Prime Good Dads blog, we’re exploring ways over-the-road dads can help their children as they navigate the new school year. Don’t miss advice from the truck driver’s daughter!
Helping with homework
“Homework” is a groan-inducing word for a lot of students. Whether it’s additional practice on lessons learned or make-up work that wasn’t completed during the day, many kids would rather forget about school as soon as they get home.
Even though a Prime father might be hundreds of miles away from home at any given time, that doesn’t mean they still can’t help with homework! Prime mom Heidi Eck says that her husband, Anthony, helps their son with homework over-the-road through phone and video calls.
In a previous blog post, Heidi discussed the importance of communication with your home base.
“If you can’t physically be there, at least communicate,” she said.
Through regular check-ins, Heidi and Anthony are able to communicate with their children in different ways. Ask open-ended questions about your child’s day, and utilize resources, such as video calls, to help with homework.
Utilize school resources to effectively communicate
Good Dads’ Jim Millsap recently wrote a Good Dads blog on utilizing resources to better prepare your child for school, communicate with teachers/school staff and stay informed.
Even if you can’t be physically present for school supply shopping trips or Open House/Meet the Teacher nights, it still pays to ask questions and stay updated with your child. Here are some suggested questions/topics over-the-road dads can ask as their students as they start school.
- What’s your teacher’s name? What is he/she like?
- How do you feel about going back to school?
- What’s your favorite memory from this summer?
- Ask about their school supplies. Do they have a cool new backpack or set of special pens to show you?
- Ask about extracurricular activities (sports, dance, etc.). Gauge your child’s interest!
Over-the-road dads can also stay connected in their child’s education through their school’s designated learning portals. In a previous blog post, Prime dad Jimmy Jackson used Powerschool for checking grades and assignments and communicating with his child’s teacher.
“Be proactive with your children,” Jimmy said. “Take the time and sit and listen to their interests. If they aren’t understanding, help them understand. Just as they are our support system and appreciate us for providing for them, we are their support system for them in other ways too.”
Use your child’s interests as a learning opportunity
Getting good grades is important, but they don’t define who your child is. As children grow and change, their interests will evolve as well. Schoolteacher Derek McCarty and Prime driver James Burrow discussed this in another back-to-school Prime blog.
Derek said some of his students are eager to share their interests and abilities with him, such as drawing or history knowledge. He says having someone like Dad to discuss and display those interests is important.
Not every kiddo (or dad) is interested in reading, but Derek said it’s one of the best ways to prepare your child for the upcoming school year. A great jumping off point for reading is to start with a subject your child enjoys and pick a book (fiction or nonfiction) on the topic.
“People underestimate how actively reading in general will actually help boost their abilities,” he said. “(Children) are exposed to different vocabularies, especially with nonfiction books.”
Over-the-road dads can use video calls to read to their child, or be read to. All kinds of books and audiobooks can count for this! Whether it’s a picture book before bed, a chapter book about a student athlete or a graphic novel about a historical figure, dads can help themselves and their children to become lifelong readers, and maybe even learn a new thing or two in the process!
Final Words
The back-to-school season serves as a new chapter for many. It’s an indication that your kids and grandkids are growing, sometimes faster than you’d like them to. Some will love having the chance to go to school, while others are already counting the days for winter break.
Over-the-road dads can still play a role in their child’s education. You might not make it to every choir concert or parent teacher conference, but your frequent check-ins and assistance, even while far away, make the world of difference to your kiddos.
Through communication, planning and teamwork, you can ensure your family has the best school year yet!
