Watch D.O.G.S.

Today I served as a Watch D.O.G. at my daughter's elementary school. The Watch D.O.G.S. program is outlined here and the D.O.G.S. stands for Dads Of Great Students. There's also a nice article and video here at ABC News.

I had a great time and it was nice to serve in that capacity. I was surprised to see such a detailed agenda as I was booked down to the minute with probably 20 or so activities throughout the day. I got to assist with reading fluency, mathematics, observe during recess, patrol and monitor the buildings and property, and spend time with my daughter during lunch.

Some observations I took away...

• Teachers deserve more respect. Especially teachers who can keep their sanity while working with the very young. There's no doubt I would be exhausted doing that every day. I was there for 8 hours and probably spent 4 hours in classrooms and that was enough for me to see that it takes a special person.
  

• There are very few men in that elementary school (in fact, there are none employed there) and the kids seemed to like having a Watch D.O.G. hanging out. I was asked lots of questions throughout the day. Best question: "Is your name really Mr. Freeze?" followed by "Do you know Batman?"
  

• School food has improved since I was in elementary school. Today was cheese pizza, small salad (heavy on the cucumbers), red grapes (yum), and a marshmallow crisp washed down with some milk. Not bad for $2.50. And the lunch ladies aren't nearly as scary as I remember....