Since the early days of Dads for Life, fathers have been getting more active not only in their children’s lives at home, but also where the children spend many hours of their days – at school. We talk to two dads who have played an outsized role as dad volunteers in their children’s schools, Edwin Goh at St Hilda’s Primary, and Dennis Tan at Chong Fu.
Edwin Goh
St Hilda’s Primary has had a Dads for Life father group active in the school since 2010 (a year after Dads for Life was founded). Two years ago, Edwin Goh joined the group. He has one son, age 10, and had actively been serving in grassroots as Chairman in Tampines Central.
“My son was in Primary 2 at the time, and I went to St Hilda’s to get involved in planning a zoo camp. It was there that I got excited about meeting the challenges that came with planning events such as these, catering to father-child pairs. Personally, it was a lot of fun preparing for it as well, discussing with my boy what to expect and buying necessities for the camp, such as lightweight mattresses.
We asked him about what made him join the father’s group at St Hilda’s, and Edwin says, “When my son went into primary school, the Centre for Fathering’s iCan workshop was the first programme I joined. The thing about iCan is its emphasis on relationship! This increased my awareness about how significant my impact on my son was, and after that I stepped forward to join the DFL father group.”
What he looks forward to are the upcoming STUDY programme and PLAY programme. The study programme, which is still in the early stages of getting participants, will focus on Parenting for Teens (run by the Centre for Fathering). As for the PLAY programme, the father’s group has organised Laser Tag games, involving Father and Son teams. “This programme has already been oversubscribed, so we are going to have a great time!” Edwin reveals.
On a more personal note, Edwin says, “Being a volunteer, especially taking part in the activities, and participating in the fun things together with my son, allows me to build a better relationship with him. At times, we tend to be worried and concerned over the education part of life, these activities reminds us to take a step back and also push for some activities that do not involve academics.”
Dennis Tan
Dennis Tan is a full time dad, and is involved in the car sales industry on a part-time basis. He also has one son, now 11. He has been a full time dad since his son’s birth, and only went back to part time work three years ago when his son turned 8. He volunteers with the father’s group, Dads@ChongFu.
Some time in 2018, the principal noticed that there were a bunch of daddies who were volunteers in Chong Fu’s Parent Support Group. Buoyed by the strong daddy participation, and strong commitment from the dads, Dads@Chongfu was formed. Dennis Tan was there for many of the activities that were open to volunteers.
To get the fathers started on their best foot, a dad from St Hilda’s CFF volunteer group – Chong Heng, came to talk to Dads@Chongfu to show them the ropes.
For their maiden activity, a major challenge was thrown to them – organizing a school camp as new volunteers. It was a Pre-primary One Orientation Camp (Sleepover@Chong Fu school, 2D 1N camp). The event was catered specifically for father-child pairs only. With hard work and good cooperation, the first-time volunteers turned the event into a success, and it has been a regular fixture on the volunteers’ calendar.
For Dennis, his personal journey into active fatherhood began early, “When my wife was pregnant into her 2nd trimester, I started to read up about what to expect as a new dad, in the BabyCenter App. This is how I started to think and learn to be a good husband and father. From there, I kept on doing my research and eventually got to know about Dads for Life.”
Dennis says, “I was a bully in school when I was very young, so I was afraid that this would come out on my son. Volunteering with Dads@Chongfu is something that for my son, he feels proud that he’s always seeing me in school.”
Besides volunteering for events that he can participate with his son, Dennis also helps with school Learning Journeys, and other activities which need volunteers, and where his own son is not involved.
Sharing a past highlight, Dennis says, “In the past year, we did School Family Sports Day that was open to all generations. Grandparents and parents got to play table tennis, badminton, basketball, with their grandchildren and children at this event. It was a very well-received occasion that allowed so many families to enjoy sports with the kids in the school.
This coming year, we encourage all dads to take part in at least one volunteer opportunity in your child’s school. Let us know your experience, and most importantly, ask your child how they felt seeing you in school!