Strong Fathers, Strong Families Workshop
By: Priscilla Luong
Updated: June 22, 2010
JJ Clawson is a father of four.
"It's one of the joys of my life for sure," he said.
He took some time off work to spend quality time with his two youngest daughters.
"I think it's very important to be involved in my kids' lives," said Clawson.
"I think that it's really, really nice of my dad to leave work just to spend time with us," said Jessica Clawson, a sixth grader.
The Clawsons are just one of several families who participated in the "Strong Fathers, Strong Families" math workshop at Hamlin Elementary.
"The number one predictor of student achievement is father support," said Michael Hall, Founder and President of the organization.
The families in today's workshop are all using the dominoes in an arithmetic lesson. It turns a worksheet of math problems into a game.
"I didn't know you could do math with dominoes!" Jessica exclaimed.
"It kind of has a play factor," said Hall, "but it's very serious about giving kids some really strong basic skills in math."
Getting through math homework can be difficult for students and parents alike, but it's much easier when families, like the Clawsons, can do it together.
