Thursday, March 28, 2024

Peshastin Dryden Elementary is now a home for Watch D.O.G.S

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On a recent Friday Jose Ortiz, father of a kindergartener and a second grader, spent most of the day at Peshastin Dryden Elementary as part of the pilot program of Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students), a nationwide initiative to increase father involvement at schools. The goals of Watch D.O.G.S., as stated on the website, are “1. To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important, and 2. To provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.”

Ortiz started the day in the kindergarten class of teacher, Caitlin Knox. Knox said, “Almost every teacher has had a Watch D.O.G. in their classroom. We just plug them into activities.”

During the math lesson, Knox had her students hunting for shapes and fishing for numbers that added up to 10. “Mr. Jose really got into the hunt for shapes,” she said.

As a fluent Spanish speaker, Ortiz next participated in a Spanish reading period for kindergarteners with bilingual teacher Bonnie Phipps. He sat in a tiny chair at a table with a few students, including his daughter, Vanessa. The class repeated the Spanish words for the seasons and their associated activities and animals.

Then, they went over the Spanish alphabet, making motions to go with each letter and example word. While the students called out the sounds and animal names with enthusiasm, their eyes were riveted to Ortiz, as he also snapped his hands like the claws of a cangrejo (crab) and fluttered his arms like a mariposa (butterfly).

When the thrill of having a dad in the classroom got the kids so excited they were forgetting to sit down, he quietly reminded those nearby to stay in their seats and pay attention to Mrs. Phipps.

 “The Watch D.O.G.S.s go in multiple areas throughout the school,” explained P.D.’s principal, Emily Ross. “We always give them time in their own child’s class, but we also incorporate hallway patrols, lunchroom time, recess activities, and time to be in other teachers’ classes.”

Fathers seem to be on board with this new initiative. There was a huge turnout for the pizza kickoff party in early March. So far there have been 12 dads volunteering as Watch D.O.G.S. in March, and 11 are scheduled for April. About half of the dads are Spanish speakers. Prior to Watch D.O.G.S., only about 10 percent of the parent volunteers at P.D. were male, but now that percentage is on the rise.

Another dad that visited recently was Rusty Gibbs, father of 1st grader. He recalled his day, “I spent time is four different classrooms, mingled with kids at lunch and ran around with them at recess. At recess I saw a boy sitting alone on a bench, and I sat and talked with him. I could tell it made him feel special.”

“The dads are always smiling,” said Helen Hoper, the librarian who is often on recess duty. “I’ll ask a dad, ‘Are you tired?’ and he’ll say, ‘Oh, no!’ And the kids are so proud when their parents are here.”

Principal Ross agreed. “Watch D.O.G.S feel like rock stars, because so many students want to be by them and hang out with them.” 

Ortiz was the center of a flock of second graders as he walked around the playground during their recess. He played games and chatted with them. No one seemed to notice the rain. Feeding off his attention, the children scampered and skipped around with huge grins on their faces.

“The Watch D.O.G.S. program has had a bigger impact than anyone expected,” Brooke MacPhee, a kindergarten teacher assessed.

But is it sustainable if it requires dads to take half or a full day off work? As Gibbs explained, “Looking back on it I would say it was one of the most meaningful days of my year. It’s also rewarding to hear my son tell others that it was his best day of school ever. I’ll definitely be doing it again.”

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