After a violent week of fighting in school that saw 23 students arrested in three days, you read that right. The students got more than suspended or expelled. They actually got arrested by the police.
Southwood High School parents knew that something had to change, and it was needed fast.
Some dads decided to take matters into their own hands. They formed Dads on Duty – a group of about 40 dads who take shifts spending time at the school in Shreveport, Louisiana, greeting students in the morning and helping maintain a positive environment for learning, rather than fighting.
Instead of fights, there is laughter and joking. Instead of hate, everyone seems to be getting along.
Dads on Duty make coming to school enjoyable. They make school a place to learn instead of fear.
They actually show up and are present in the lives of the students — they are the father figure that so many of these kids are lacking.
Now, there is nothing special about these dads. They don’t hold college degrees in school counseling. They haven’t been trained in hand-to-hand combat. Heck, they aren’t even getting paid!
But, they know that they need to step up and be the parents these kids need. Just being a strong presence in an otherwise chaotic environment goes a long way.
These dads are there with “The Look” — you know that look that only a dad can give — and a quick “Dad Joke” or two, and the kids are LOVING IT!!
These dads have decided to keep going to school — to keep showing up — for the foreseeable future.
Hey, maybe this will be the start of a grass-roots movement to get parents involved in all schools. This just may be the start of turning the schools in this nation around for the positive, and I’m totally here for it!
Watch the amazing Dads in action below: