Grand Pappy Initiative

Kids pay attention when they know they’re going to have to teach Grand Pappy.

Or Grand Mammy.

Once a week, a child teaches a grandparent something they learned in school, and the grandparent records the moment in a simple online form called the Grand Pappy Form.

• Once a week there’s a visit or a video call.

• The kid has one job: teach Grand Pappy or Grand Mammy something they learned at school that week.

• The grandparent has one job: ask two questions and put the answers into the Grand Pappy Form.

That’s it. That’s the whole program.

Teach-Back as Enrichment

Teach-back is one of the simplest forms of enrichment:

• The child has to pick one idea from the week.

• They have to decide how to explain it.

• They have to imagine what Grand Pappy might not already know.

So yeah, this is about enriching the kid's education even though purportedly it's about teaching something to the grandparent.

The kid is in on it. The kid understands this is about getting smarter.

The Game: Find Something Grand Pappy Doesn’t Know

The most important part is the game itself:

Each week, the kid is on the lookout for something taught in school that Grand Pappy or Grand Mammy might not know.

That matters for two big reasons:

1. It gamifies the interview. “Can I find something Grand Pappy doesn’t know?” turns normal lessons into a scavenger hunt. When it feels like a game, the odds go way up that the kid will stick with it.

2. It boosts engagement in school. When kids are actively scanning for “the thing I’ll bring to Grand Pappy,” they pay more attention. That extra engagement in school might, in small ways, change the trajectory of their life.

Same curriculum. Same school day. Different level of attention.

The Grand Pappy Interview

The grandparent also does a tiny, semi-structured interview every week.

They ask the kid two questions:

• One question that’s different every week.

• One question that is always the same:

“What is something funny or interesting you remember a teacher saying this week?”

Grand Pappy or Grand Mammy just types (or speaks) the answers into the Grand Pappy Form.

No technical skills required. If they can handle a basic online form, they’re good.

Why That Teacher Question Matters

That repeating question unlocks something special.

By collecting funny and interesting teacher moments over the whole year, the Incremental Change Project can build a gift for teachers called an Impact Portfolio.

At the end of the school year, the people organizing the Grand Pappy Initiative take all the responses and assemble them into an Impact Portfolio you can give to the teachers.

It’s packed with:

• Things kids remembered teachers saying

• Snippets of how kids explained what they learned

• Little signs of impact that usually vanish into the air

Sending a teacher an Impact Portfolio is a very, very, very, very thoughtful thing to do.

Teachers spend their days pouring energy into your kids, trying to keep them regulated, engaged, and on track. It’s nice to send some appreciation back their way, backed by real stories and real moments.

What Grand Pappy Has To Do

Grand Pappy or Grand Mammy:

• Shows up for a short weekly visit or video call

• Listens to the kid’s explanation

• Asks the two questions

• Types or speaks the answers into the Grand Pappy Form

Do the interview every week. If you miss a week, that is completely okay. Just start again.

The rule is: Try not to miss any weeks. But if you do, it’s okay.

Why This Matters Beyond One Family

When you join the Grand Pappy Initiative, you’re doing a few things at once:

• Helping a kid pay closer attention in school

• Giving a grandparent a small but meaningful weekly role

• Sending teachers a more thoughtful form of appreciation

• Contributing to educational research.

That last part is serious and also a little bit of a running joke:

How can we reach these kids? How?

The Grand Pappy Initiative is one attempt at an answer: by turning “Explain this to Grand Pappy” into a weekly habit.

How to Get Involved

Text “Grand Pappy” to 413-749-BOSS. Or use the contact form.

You’ll get information on:

• How to set up the weekly calls

• How to use the Grand Pappy Form

• How the Impact Portfolio works at the end of the year

A little more love for grandparents. A little more appreciation for teachers.