Scots College to Host U.S. Father-Son Relationship Expert

News Release: Tuesday 2 August, 2011

Scots College to Host U.S. Father-Son Relationship Expert During National Tour

On Friday 19 August, John Badalament, author of Modern Dad’s Dilemma: How To Stay Connected with Your Kids in a Rapidly Changing World (2010) will run workshops with students, parents and staff at Scots College in Wellington, as part of a national tour of leading boys schools in New Zealand.

The Harvard-trained educator has over twenty years experience as a teacher, dean of students, and counsellor in school & clinical settings for children, teens, and adults in the U.S. His book and workshops offer a hands-on approach to meeting the everyday challenges of modern fatherhood, including road-tested activities, and key skills Dads can put to use right away. He says one of the most important things Dads can do to improve their relationship with their sons, is to take the time to really “know and be known by your son.”

“It sounds simple, but Dads today should strive to be experts about their kids - everything from their daily schedule, to the best way to get them to sleep, to what trends are popular with their age group,” Badalament says. “This sends kids a clear message that they are important, and in the process deepens your bond. Beyond focus and attention, ‘knowing’ requires being a skilled listener and resisting the urge to fix, lecture, or give unsolicited advice – often a challenge even for the most skilled parent.”

During his visit to Scots College, Badalament will run a Father & Son workshop, a Mothers-only session focusing on changes in modern dads’ lives and how this impacts on family life, followed by a session specifically for teachers that identifies the ways in which boys are impacted by their fathers, and how this then affects the way they learn.

Christian Zachariassen, Director of Pastoral Care at Scots College says of Badalament’s visit, “Supporting our parents is an important part of our approach to education at Scots, so understandably, we jumped at this opportunity to have John come and speak to our school.”

“We know that when a father or father figure is actively involved in his son’s school community – beyond just showing up for sporting events, the occasional parent-teacher meeting or when there’s a problem – he can positively impact his son’s academic achievement, strengthen home-school ties, and gain a better understanding of how to support his son’s development,” reflected Zachariassen.

“I am sure these workshops will have a very positive impact on our families, students and staff,” commented Graeme Yule, Headmaster of Scots College. “One of our core values at Scots is the idea of ‘Learning. For Life’, which involves not only instilling a love of learning in our students, but also providing opportunities for our wider school community to continue learning too,” he said.

John Badalament is visiting Scots College as part of an international tour to members of the International Boys' Schools Coalition, an organization committed to best practices for teaching boys around the world.

ENDS

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