Coronas Happy Randhawa and Yusheng Chen of Chino Hills have at least two things in common.

Theyre devoted to their kids education. And, boy, can their kids spell.

Their commitment has helped their children excel in school and taken the dads on trips sometimes more than once to the nations capitol as their kids battle it out against the countrys top spellers.

But its the time spent with their kids not chasing the spelling bee crown thats most valuable to these fathers.

This is absolutely the most important job I can have, Randhawa, 43, said of being a father.

Both helped and supported their children as they moved through competitions to reach this years Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May.

Daniel Chen, 14, finished 23rd. Aisha Randhawa, 11, came in 35th at the event held outside Washington D.C.

Happy Randhawa encourages other dads to invest in their kids learning. He points out that studies show that having both parents involved leads to less poverty, higher levels of education and other positive outcomes.

The leader of a group that promotes involved fathers agrees.

When men engage themselves in their kids education, whether its at home coaching them academically on a spelling bee or something like that, it serves to further reinforce the work that teachers are doing, said Eric Snow, president and co-founder ofWatch D.O.G.S., whichstands for Dads of Great Students.

The nonprofit founded in 1998 in Arkansas aims to get fathers to volunteer on school campuses. It has programs in more than 300 schools in California, including at least 100 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Children spend more time working on a math or spelling problem if their father is doing it with them, he said.

The kids are wanting that attention and wanting that connection, Snow said. Its important for the guys to make time to do that.

Happy Randhawa has high expectations for his four kids. But he also knows when to let them have fun.

Aisha unwinds from her homework and daily spelling bee preparation by playing basketball and golf with her dad.

I feel like he puts in so much effort to help me, Aisha said. Im so grateful for all the time he puts in every evening. He makes sure Im doing OK and if I ever need anything. I love him so much.

Happy tells a story about his late father.

Ajit came to the United States from India in 1969 and worked as a microbiology researcher at Loma Linda University. He later opened veterinary clinics in Beaumont and Hemet.

Ajit liked to garden in his spare time and asked his kids to help. When his soncomplained about tilling the soil, Ajit would give him a choice.

He would say, Is it easier to study or is it easier to dig this dirt up?'Happy recalls his dad telling him. When I said, its easier to study, he said, Good. Then go do that.

Many years later, Happy is passing on the same lessons to his daughters Aisha and Lara, 8, and his 6-year-old twin boys, Avi and Arav.

After becoming a doctor, Happy furthered his studies and wanted to become a researcher specializing in diabetes and growth-related disorders in children.

But he abandoned that dream and decided to work in pediatric practice so he could spend time raising Aisha with his wife, Sundeep, who is also a doctor.

When you get home from work, your job is not over, he said. You have a second job. And that is to sit down with your children and see what theyre doing with their schooling.

Chen, 50, a part-time Christian minister who is studying theology, said he tries to set the example for his two sons.

He regularly checks out library books and videos to learn new skills such as plumbing and drywall installation.

The most important thing will be to glorify God, said Chen, who was born in Taiwan and came to the United States in 1991 to pursue a doctorate in molecular medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.

After graduating, he got a faculty position at the University of Chicago doing research and teaching statistical genetics and advanced molecular neuroscience.

He gave up that career when God called him to become a pastor.

Theone thing I want to teach my kids is its never too late or youre never too old to learn, said Chen, whose other son, Samuel, is 12.

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These spelling bee fathers love being DADS - Press-Enterprise