Letters

Men in Education Research Project

DERRICK Z. JACKSON'S column on male teachers casts a light on the frequently overlooked issue of gender inequity among those who teach young children ("The value of the male schoolteacher," Op-ed, April 22). This imbalance is even more glaring in the early care and education field, with women constituting 97 percent of teachers of children under 5.

I'm on the MenTeach listserve and thought I would share a recent publication of mine that may be of interest to you and your colleagues. I cited your 2002 book in my own work. As the description indicates at the link below, I interviewed and observed men in a wide range of youth work settings, including elementary, middle, and high school teachers. I also have a separate section on men and schools in the book.

I'm a 34 year old male who has always wanted to teach, but has always been discouraged from doing so by all the important people in my life, especially women. My mother has a Master's Degree in Education and has been teaching since I was born in 1973. The funny thing is, she has been the biggest opponent to me becoming a teacher.

We just had one of our School-Age girls move on from our program after being with us for quite a number of years. She lives with her grandparents and they wrote a very heart-warming letter to us. One portion of the letter really spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you:

I am very happy to share my experiences having male teachers teaching at my centre.

2009 is a special year whereby two male teachers are actively involved at the centre. They are well received by the children until female staff felt a little bit uncomfortable.

Our young children as early as two years old will shout and automatically stop doing any activity when this male teacher arrives. Overwhelmed with their voices they will go to shake hands and big hugs are usually seen.

Septima Clark Public Charter School, the first public charter school for boys in Washington, DC, has launched its 2008-09 teacher recruitment search.

We need your help!

I was reading some of the blogged reaction to the program the other night and was surprised to see the overwhelming audience criticism of the female presenters.

[MenTeach was interviewed for a Newsweek article this fall and there has continued to be comments. Read one below.]

This is a prime example of the gender bias found in education today. There is no shortage in male candidate, yet there is a shortage in male teachers.

I was a candidate once but despite all my efforts, I never found a permanent position. This was not for lack of trying.

[Paul Proett has taught a university course for over ten years.]

We are in are 10th year of doing the 1 unit, Community College ECE class. Now are expanding to two colleges.

We continue to "morph" the class. Many of the issues to the "newer" generation entering the field are different, but the reality of few men teaching remains.

How did you begin teaching?

[MenTeach: The opinions expressed in postings on the site do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MenTeach.]

There's no doubt that more male teachers are needed in the United States, and your web site does an excellent job of pointing out many reasons for this. However, as a former teacher (and a male), I would like to shed some light

The article in Newsweek was great. I have e-mailed you before with some research I have done as a student from Dominican University here in San Rafael, CA. My spring research was formatted as a newletter called the Dominican Habit and talked about teaching professionals and students. I am a returning adult student studying to get a B.A. and then a teaching credential.

I am the fourth grade teacher here in Bassett. I also Head Coach Football and Assist in Basketball.
 
I got into teaching because my younger brother who is 12 years younger than me, taught me how to love and deal with children. From the first time that I interacted with a group of students at my local preschool I was hooked. Full of wonder and excitement, children make each day new and exciting.

I had a REALLY interesting conversation with both a female and a male ECE student yesterday.

The gist of it was the male - who had spent the day in our child development lab - commented that one of the little boys seemed to bond with him immediately.

I asked him why he thought that may have happened.

He said, 'He's never seen one of us in his room!"

The female student then said, "My boss won't hire men. She has a policy against it."

I have a male student in a curriculum development class. One of the class assignments was to evaluate a child's portfolio. The child was identified as "Chase" but no teacher name or identity was given.

I was just reading this male's student's evaluation, and throughout his narrative, he referred to the teacher as "he." I've never had this happen! Female students always refer to the teacher as "she" and every male student I've ever had has referred to the teacher as "she." This is a break-through!