MenTeach E-News
April 2016
1) Wanted: Male ECE teachers in New Zealand
2) Men in Minority: Teaching Academy in China Struggles to Recruit Male Students
3) United Kingdom National Men in Early Years conference
4) Northern California Men in Child Care Conference
5) Record number of men sign up for childcare courses in Australia
6) Community College Receives $285,000 to Research Recruitment of Male Educators in Pre-K Classrooms
7) Male early childhood educators
8) Call Me MISTER to participate in U.S. Department of Education summit on teacher diversity
9) Editorial: No Boyz Allowed
10) A Letter To My Most Influential Teacher
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1) Wanted: Male ECE teachers in New Zealand
Working as an early childhood teacher is not only a satisfying job but an important one too, says Phillip Ozzane.
The teacher educator who specialises in early childhood education worked for 10 years in ECE down in Wellington before shifting to Tauranga to take up his role at the Bethlehem Teaching Institute.
“I loved working with the children on areas they were passionate about, like if they were building things in the sandpit you’d talk about the science and the mathematics behind it,” he recalls.
“As an ECE teacher you’re in a privileged position to be there at the start of their learning journey. “Now I get to teach the ECE teachers and it’s fantastic.”
Phillip is the lead organiser for the 10th annual EC-MENz summit, which takes place at BTI from this afternoon until Sunday. Read the article: /node/2864
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2) Men in Minority: Teaching Academy in China Struggles to Recruit Male Students
A teacher training college in the city of Bozhou, east China’s Anhui Province, recently released a report which shows that almost 90 percent of its students are female, suggesting that few men are choosing to enter the profession nowadays.
There is a blackboard in front of the main building where students, or anyone who wants to, can write and leave a comment.
One student said that she has not talked to a boy for such a long time so that she decided to call her dad, as he was the only male she can talk to. Another female wrote that she found herself living in a “kingdom full of girls”.
Later, a young male student from the university remarked it was a privilege for him to attract attention from teachers and members of the opposite sex as he is one of a few males in the class. But, he added, he needs to attend the class on time, since teachers quickly notice his lateness or absence.
The wide gender gap is not the only concern, however. The availability of toilets on campus is considered a problem for some. Due to the large amount of female students, several men’s restrooms had to be converted into women’s.
The report shows that only one male was enrolled in the college to teach preschool education in 2014. Read the article: /node/2865
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3) United Kingdom National Men in Early Years conference
Following a United Kingdom National Men in Early Years conference held in Southampton, England in March this year, when over 120 Early Years professionals gathered for an inspirational day of seminars, exhibition, presentations and networking, a set of proposals have been forwarded to the British government calling for support and positive action to increase the proportion of men in the Early Years workforce. A UK national charter has been produced and is now being actively promoted to all early years settings in the country with an invitation for them to print a copy, sign up to the commitments and display it. Read the letter: /node/2866
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4) Northern California Men in Child Care Conference
Northern California Men in Child Care Conference
October 22, 2016
8AM – 4:30PM
American River College
Sacramento, CA
See the conference: /node/2868
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5) Record number of men sign up for childcare courses in Australia
Times are definitely changing with a record number of men studying childcare at TAFE SWSi in Campbelltown this year.
A total of 18 men are studying early childhood courses with the aim of securing a position in what is traditionally a female-dominated industry.
The number makes up a whopping 80 per cent increase in male students from last year to this year at the Campbelltown TAFE.
Relieving Children’s Education and Care head teacher Erin Williams said it was normally the case that very few men would be studying in the three courses on offer — Certificate 3 Early Childhood Education and Care, Diploma Early Childhood Education and Care and Certificate 3 Education Support.
“This is by far the largest group of male students that I have seen since teaching at TAFE SWSi in my 10 years,” she said. Read the article: /node/2873
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6) Community College Receives $285,000 to Research Recruitment of Male Educators in Pre-K Classrooms
Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) has received a $285,000 award from the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) to examine the recruitment, retention, professional development and mentoring of male educators in the New York City Universal Pre-Kindergarten system.
The project began in April 2016 and will extend through July 2018. “Our first phase will be to identify 20 to 25 male early childhood education teachers at sites throughout New York City,” says Jean-Yves Plaisir, Professor of Early Childhood Education and the project’s Principle Investigator. “We will locate participants using a database provided by the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, and look at their motivation for joining the early childhood education workforce; intrinsic, or personal factors, as well as extrinsic, or external factors, such as income or salary.” Read the article: /node/2875
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7) Male early childhood educators
When people think about preschool or elementary teachers, usually women come to mind. Characters such as Ms. Honey from “Matilda” or Ms. Crabtree from “Little Rascals” are the widely accepted norm regarding childhood educators.
Having that preconception isn’t wrong, according to a recent Georgetown University study. An overwhelming 97 percent of the early childhood education field was found to be women, with only three percent male.
Zack Beavers, a junior early childhood education major, explains that he is usually in classes where women represent he majoriy.
“I’m kind of used to it now, but at first I was hesitant to really talk to anybody,” Beavers said. “I try to be conscious of the things I say.” Read the article: /node/2877
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8) Call Me MISTER to participate in U.S. Department of Education summit on teacher diversity
The United States Department of Education has invited representatives of Call Me MISTER to attend the National Summit on Teacher Diversity on May 6 in Washington, D.C. The summit invites participants from programs across the nation to expand and deepen the understanding of the issue of diversity in the teaching profession.
Roy Jones, executive director of Call Me MISTER at Clemson University, will attend the summit along with five participants in the program from three of the program’s participating colleges. Jones said he and the other MISTERs are honored to play a central role in the summit.
“The Department of Education has recognized the value of our work by including the demonstrated success of the Call Me MISTER model,” Jones said. “Our program has sought to address the central goal of the summit in South Carolina and beyond for the past 16 years.” Read the press release: /node/2879
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9) Editorial: No Boyz Allowed
In my family, I have five sisters and two brothers. Growing up, there were many times that we would exclude our brothers from our play and enjoyed making signs which read, ‘no boyz allowed’. That same mantra followed throughout my elementary years at a Catholic school and continued when I enrolled in a convent for my high school years. How ironic that today, so many years later, I find myself the advisor of the Early Childhood Education Men’s Organization. Certainly, I have dispelled my ‘no boyz allowed’ chant as I find myself advocating and supporting ALL BOYS ALLOWED, especially in Early Childhood Education.
Those of us, who are agents of change, recognize the important role men play in the lives of young children, as we are acutely aware of the 2014 statistics that only 2.8% of males teach at the preschool and kindergarten levels. We also embrace the fact that change will occur when critical mass is built to support this important change. Critical mass is defined as the minimum size or amount of something required when starting or maintaining a venture. Read Dr. Jill’s editorial: /node/2880
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10) A Letter To My Most Influential Teacher
Graduation season is underway across the United States. Tears are shed, tassels are switched, and caps are thrown. Having graduated college myself a few days ago, I was prompted to reflect upon some of the most important people in my life – teachers. In particular, I chose to write a letter to one Mr. Cedric Magee, my sixth grade teacher, friend and role model.
Dear Mr. Magee,
I wanted to send you a personalized graduation invitation just to let you know how much you have meant to me over the years. I’ll try to do so without taking up too much of your time. Read the editorial: /node/2882
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