Involved Fathers – The Key To Better School Grades (And More)

If you are a father, you are probably aware that this role has changed significantly over the past couple of decades or so. Your parent function is no longer limited to being the breadwinner and primary disciplinarian. Today, the focus is on increasing parent involvement, and the father parent must take a hands-on approach to parenting. This, of course, includes the child’s education. Fathers who genuinely involve themselves in their children’s schooling whether it's homework help or involvement with school sports make a huge difference. However, their influence in this aspect of their child’s life does not begin with direct involvement in school-related issues. Fathers have a different parenting approach from that of mothers. That is as it should be – research has proved that the male influence plays a vital role in a child’s life, bringing with it a separate and important set of values. When it comes to the child’s schooling, the impact that the father parent has begins from the nature of his basic relationship with his child. It has been found that involved dads directly contribute to the child’s success at school, and it is not just about helping with homework or being present for the local PTA meeting or parent teacher interviews.It is fathers who spend quality time with their children at home who make the biggest contribution to their child’s education. This is because such fathers give their kids focus, a sense of security and a desire to achieve. While these are obviously not attributes imparted solely by the male figure in a child’s life, the fact remains that parents bring very different and complimentary components of them to the parenting table.The direct and indirect benefits of healthy father-child relationship dynamics on the child’s school life are tremendous. Children of involved fathers show much higher academic scores, have superior verbal skills and cognitive competence, participate in more extracurricular activities and generally enjoy school more. Additionally, the parent-teacher interaction (for both parents) is positive because both parents are aware of their child's school progress.That said, increasing the father’s positive impact on the child’s school life must be the result of a collective decision by both parents. This decision must be enforced whenever necessary. Most elementary school and high school teachers still display a tendency to contact the child’s mother when something needs looking into.Once it has been agreed that the father should play a more active role in the child’s education, the mother must ensure that such calls are taken by the father at least some of the time. Attendance of local PTA meetings and other school events as well as helping out with homework should also be more or less equally divided among both parents. Such and similar measures ensure that both the school authorities and the child understand that the father is an active, involved and decision-making entity in the child’s education.