I often remark when I’m speaking to a group of young fathers, that during my tenure as a 2nd grade teacher in Atlanta Public Schools I only met a couple of fathers the entire time. During a formative stage of a child’s schooling, most of my students didn’t have an involved dad around to help…
Author: Samuel Wakefield
Conflicting Paths Forward in Education: Increasing Parent Engagement vs. Integrating Schools
Yesterday my wife and I attended an open house for our neighborhood elementary school, where potentially my oldest daughter may attend pre-k this fall. I say potentially because we have yet to make the decision to enroll her. Actually, she’s still currently enrolled at a pretty good private school less than 5 miles from our…
Family Reunion Chronicles July 2014
Yesterday we drove from Atlanta to Panama City Beach for our Wakefield family reunion, and thus far it’s been really nice. There’s something about traveling on the open road long distances that just relaxes me and reminds me of my childhood. I mentioned to my cousin’s wife, that she’ll have to get used to road…
Intentional Parenting, leveraging teachable moments
Author Wayne Muller wrote, “I’m so busy.” We say this to one another with no small degree of pride, as if our exhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stress a mark of real character. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves, and we imagine to others. To be unavailable…
Re-Imagining Education…#becauseamerica
Sometimes I wonder about the type of education my kids one day will receive as they matriculate into “formal” schooling over the next few years. I found myself doing so again this lazy, post July 4th as I sat out on my back patio watching my daughters create their own game in the yard, with…
Breathing Room
Years ago, one of my favorite pastors preached a series on creating breathing room in our lives. That message has stuck with me, and recently struck a chord as I found myself unraveling in small ways, definitely in need of a break. I remember reflecting about a week ago, how I just needed a little breathing room…
Fathers Making Good on their Promise
I just left the graduation ceremony for this year’s group of Teen Dads, and it was inspiring. This is a group of dads who many people in society might write off, who are dedicated, committed, and taking the steps necessary to become the fathers for their children that many of them never had. My family…
What fatherhood means to me
My primary responsibility as a father is to plant and nurture seeds. When I look at my own children, this is what I aspire to do everyday. Before we were married, my wife and I talked about the kind of family we wanted to raise, how we would nurture our children, the futures we saw…
Creating memories will cost you, but it’s worth it
This was definitely a whirlwind of a weekend. We seemed to do everything under the sun…and made some terrific memories in the process. First, my youngest sister got married. It still sounds new to me, even to write it. But, it happened and I’m happy for her. She seems happy, and Brett, my new brother-in…
My baby girl turns two
Olivia Grace Wakefield… I remember when we chose your full name. We wanted it to mean something to us, and certainly when we hear the words Olivia Grace it evokes an emotion. You are and always have been a gift of grace to this family. I remember bringing you home. You gave your mom…
everyday fatherhood 