Dads Of Great Students

Please join us as we talk about the latest news in father involvement in education. This week, we will discuss the Watch D.O.G.S. program where the dads have become proactive and taken the initiative to become a better resource to their schools and community by learning CPR through the Watch D.O.G.S. program. More training opportunities and great stories about involved fathers. Please join us and call in with your stories and questions.

This episode of Watch D.O.G.S. Radio will originate from an actual radio studio. The staff of WTUZ Radio in New Philadelphia,Ohio will be supporting this week's episode. We will be talking about a very important subject that does not involve education. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We will talk about why it is so important to be aware of this "silent killer". We will also have an update on the latest developments in the Watch D.O.G.S. world. We will be rescheduling the interview with Karen Baunteveris at a later date. Please join us for this important information.

This week, Keith and Chris discuss the new shipping option for ordering Watch D.O.G.S. materials through the DOGStore. Our special guest is Cory Witmer. Cory and his co-host Andy Lehman host the Being a Better Dad Podcast. Cory discusses how the BDP got started and how to take part in their program. We also get some text updates from Watch D.O.G.S. National Director Eric Snow as he is in Washington, D.C. participating in the National PTA Board of Director's meeting. Please join us and give us a call at any time at 888-540-DOGS (3647).

Join your host, Keith Schumacher  as we broadcast live from the National Youth at Risk Conference in Savannah, GA. Our co-host Chris Danenhauer also joins us from Springdale. Our Special Guests in this episode is: LaMarr Darnell Shields Co-Founder/Senior Director of Education and Innovation The Cambio Group www.lamarrdarnellshields.com   Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and educational discussion.

Please join our host Keith Schumacher at the 2013 National Youth at Risk Conference in Savannah, Georgia. Our special guest is Dr. Eric Landers, Graduate Coordinator - Special Education, Georgia Southern University. Dr. Landers is the Co-Chairman of the National Youth at Risk Conference and the father of two girls. Dr. Landers tells us about Youth at Risk in America today. We discuss the history of the NYAR Conference and what the future holds for NYAR, including the development of the National Youth at Risk Center at Georgia Southern University. Please join us.

Now that we have discussed the 7 Steps to Success, it's time to talk about how to tie them all together by "Looping the 7". Join our host, Keith Schumacher and Watch D.O.G.S. Executive Director, Eric Snow as we review the 7 Steps and talk about how to make the program successful at your school. Please remember, even if you have listened to all eight of these broadcasts, you would still need to participate in the official training conference call or a live training workshop to be able to qualify to implement a Watch D.O.G.S. program in your school. In this episode, we also discuss the recent PTA / Watch D.O.G.S. National Male Engagement Conference and the NBC TODAY Show segment that featured the Watch D.O.G.S. program. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 888-540-DOGS (3647).

Step #7 is the Committment of the Fathers. Join us as we discuss how to get the fathers of your school committed to the Watch D.O.G.S. Program and in-turn committed to the students and the school.

What an amazing week in Watch D.O.G.S. history! We will talk about the 2013 Natioanl Male Engagement Conference in Kansas City, The tremendous story by Matt Lauer and the NBC TODAY Show and of course our continuing review of the 7 Steps to Success. This week we will re-visit the Watch D.O.G.S. Launch Events.  

Tying It All Together Please join us LIVE for the closing general session of the National PTA / Watch D.O.G.S. National Male Engagement Conference. This will be a panel discussion of the events of the conference and what we all will bring home from the event. Speakers will include: Presenters: Al Tamagni, Jr., National PTA Male Engagement Committee Chair Otha Thornton, National PTA President-Elect; Laura Bay, National PTA Treasurer Panelists: Eric Hargis, National PTA Executive Director; Eric Snow, Executive Director, WATCH D.O.G.S.;  Brian Deming, Director of School Programs, Family First; J. Michael Hall, President, Strong Fathers-Strong Families  

The Watch D.O.G.S. uniform is a critical element of a Watch D.O.G.S. program in a school for several reasons. It gives the school the confidence that the WatchDOGS volunteer will show up dressed appropriately. It gives the WatchDOGS Volunteer that he will be dressed appropriately when he arrives at the school. It erases what he does on the other 364 days of the year. Regardless of what the volunteer does for a career, all WatchDOGS are on a level playing field - a father or father-figure who cares. The small sacrifice of buying the shirt gives the dad the feeling of membership. (This is a very powerful statement) Increases visibility of the WatchDOGS program. It may generate interest of other potential volunteers and potential PTA members. It increases the accountability of the volunteer. It connects that dad to another 225,000 dads that are stepping up for our kids and schools across the nation. Men will wear the shirts to other school events to show their pride in the success of your program and to

What is the difference between a mom volunteering in a school and a dad volunteering in a school? Our culture and tradition have been that mothers are accepted and expected to be active in children's lives and their education. The fact is that without moms, many school programs would not be possible. Educators are comfortable with moms coming and going at the school without many questions being asked. Unfortunately, many schools have accepted the thought that they only see dads when there is a problem.  At Watch D.O.G.S., we are working very hard to change the perception that dads only show up when there is a problem. We know that dads are not only wanted in schools, but they are very much needed in schools. We know this: Fathers want to be involved. They just have to be given the opportunity. We have to target men specifically. We have to make it a cool thing to do. Men are mission driven and task oriented. They are not going to come into the school and look for things that need "tidied up". Step #

OK, Top Dogs - Here is your opportunity to brag about your Watch D.O.G.S. program. We want to hear from you! Step #3 of the Watch D.O.G.S. 7 Steps to Success is to have a strong Top Dog Team. This team will consist of the school administration, Top Dog Coordinator, Watch D.O.G.S. School Representative, PTA representative and any other WatchDOGS or PTA volunteers. Members of this team should have completed the 7 Steps to Success training, either through the conference call, or in a live training workshop. We will discuss what will be asked of the members of the Top Dog Team and what amount of time that they will be asked to commit. Our Special Guests will be Dave Flatt and John "Kirt" Kirtley of the Nevada PTA who will tell us about how Nevada PTA expanded their membership and male participation by instituting Watch D.O.G.S. and other MORE Alliance partners. Nevada PTA is the 2012 winner of the National PTA MP3 Male Participation Award. Please give us a call and tell us about your Top Dog Team and how yo

Join us as we discuss the second step of the Watch D.O.G.S. program. The teachers! It is essential that the teachers are willing to bring Watch D.O.G.S. volunteers into their classroom and give them real, engaging and important roles. A Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer will not stay with his child or in one classroom all day. These volunteers should get a chance to see many classrooms and many areas of the school. More often than not: dads gain a true appreciation for the job that the teachers do. Support at home increases. Students get the message that their education is important when their dad takes a day off from his career to be at the school. Our special guest will be Lisabeth Belzel, a Kindergarten teacher at Reagan Elementary School in Cedar Park, TX as we talk about engageing male role models in the classroom. Please feel free to call in and join the conversation.  

In this episode of Watch D.O.G.S. Radio, will begin a series which will examine each of the Watch D.O.G.S. 7 Steps to Success. The first step of a successful Watch D.O.G.S. program is to gain the belief and support of the administrator. It is the principal that runs the school and Watch D.O.G.S. is a tool for the administrator to use in gaining community support and positive family engagement. We will hear from principals who have brought the Watch D.O.G.S. program into their schools and made a tremendous impact on their school community. They have seen volunteer hours increase dramatically, and incidents of bullying decrease after the implementation of the Watch D.O.G.S. program. Our special guests will be Mr. Steve Crawford, Principal of Reagan Elementary School in Cedar Park, TX and Ms. Shelia Chesser, recently retired principal of Pickett's Mill Elementary in Acworth, Georgia. Both of these principals have launched very successful Watch D.O.G.S. programs. Please join us and give us a call. We would l

Let's discuss innovative ways to get positive male role models into your school. One of the most important elements of your Watch D.O.G.S. program is your launch events. A mid-year launch event such as Donuts With Dad will re-energizes your program for the second half of the school year. It also gives those guys that didn't sign up at your Pizza Night a chance of redemption. It's also a good chance to get those mid-year PTA memberships. Now is the time to be planning your DWD event. It is very simple and your Implementation Guide gives you step-by-step instructions. Fathers and Father Figures are there for your school. You just have to know how to make them feel welcome and excited about being there. All you have to ask is for one day a year. Over 200,000 fathers nation wide have participated in the Watch D.O.G.S. program in 2400 schools in 42 states and D.C. We have also recently launced a Watch D.O.G.S. program in Mexico and soon in Puerto Rico.  The National PTA and 11 State PTAs ha

Let's discuss innovative ways to get positive male role models into your school. Fathers and Father Figures are there for your school. You just have to know how to make them feel welcome and excited about being there. All you have to ask is for one day a year. In this episode, we hear from Leotis McCormick, a tribal police officer with the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai, Idaho. Leotis is the Top Dog Coordinator for Lapwai Elementary School. We also hear from Monica Fine and Chad Marsh of Cleveland PreK-8 School in Dayton, Ohio. Monica talks about taking the "spark" of the idea of father involvement and Chad talks about going from "I'm nobody special" to becoming a "Hero of the Hallways". Chris Danenhauer of the Watch D.O.G.S. National Office explains the process of the transition of a Watch D.O.G.S. school from the "Pre-Launch" phase to the "Active" phase. Over 200,000 fathers nation wide have participated in the Watch D.O.G.S. program in 2400 schools in 42 states and D.C. The National PTA an

Let's discuss innovative ways to get positive male role models into your school. Our special guest will be Mr. Chris Danenhauer, Senior Program Developer with the Watch D.O.G.S. National Office in Springdale, Arkansas. Chris has been insturmental in launching hundreds of Watch D.O.G.S. programs in schools nationwide. We will discuss how simple it is to implement a Watch D.O.G.S. program in your school, regardless of what your circumstances are. Fathers and Father Figures are there for your school. You just have to know how to make them feel welcome and excited about being there. All you have to ask is for one day a year. Over 200,000 fathers nation wide have participated in the Watch D.O.G.S. program in 2400 schools in 42 states and D.C. We have also recently launced a Watch D.O.G.S. program in Mexico and soon in Puerto Rico.  The National PTA and 11 State PTAs have seen Watch D.O.G.S. as an avenue to increase male participation and membership at the local school level. Schools find that t

Let's discuss innovative ways to get positive male role models into your school. Our Special Guest will be Eric Snow, National Director of Watch D.O.G.S. and a member of the National PTA Board of Directors. Fathers and Father Figures are there for your school. You just have to know how to make them feel welcome and excited about being there. All you have to ask is for one day a year. Over 200,000 fathers nation wide have participated in the Watch D.O.G.S. program in 2400 schools in 42 states and D.C. We have also recently launced a Watch D.O.G.S. program in Mexico and soon in Puerto Rico.  The National PTA and 11 State PTAs have seen Watch D.O.G.S. as an avenue to increase male participation and membership at the local school level. Schools find that this inexpensive and simple program is a great way to increase community networking and bring additional resources to the school. It also brings new and excited members to your PTA and other school activities. Join us and please feel free to call in. If you

The key to getting fathers engaged in your school is to let them know that they are not going to have to sit through "meetings" or be a member of a "committee". These are huge turn-offs for guys who are just trying to make a living and keep their family fed. All it takes is for a few committed individuals to spend a few hours organizing a Watch D.O.G.S. Launch Event. By following the simple guidelines in the Watch D.O.G.S. Implementation Guide, guys can walk into the event and realize that being there for their kid's school is not going to cost them a huge amount of their life. It will make a huge impact in their family and for their school. Tune in! Let's talk about it. I welcome your questions and success stories.

Does your school provide an environment where fathers and father-figures feel welcome? In today's educational system, it is often assumed that men are not interested in supporting our schools. Studies show that when fathers are engaged in their children's education, grades are higher, behavior improves, bullying is reduced, and the school benefits from greater community support. We will talk about an easy and inexpensive way to bring an average of 85 positive male role models into your school increase your in-school volunteer hours tremendously. Tune-in! We are going to have some fun.