Articles
Schools Seek a Few Good Men – Districts Try to Increase the Number of Male Elementary School Teachers
In a cheerful, colorfully decorated classroom at Alexander Elementary School in a poor, gloomy neighborhood of Greenville, S.C., Damon Qualls is surrounded by eager fifth graders. As he reads from a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, the 15 fifth graders give him their complete attention, a measure of respect for Qualls in only his third year […]
Read MoreGoodbye, Mr. Chips: Male teachers scarce
One group puts the percentage of male teachers in the U.S. at a 40-year low, with Oregon doing better than most states. Some say the disparity hurts students BEAVERTON — No matter how unruly a class gets, when P.J. Hanson walks into the room all the kids sit up straight. “It’s so weird,” the second-grade […]
Read MoreThis teacher is no ordinary Joe
Rafe Esquith’s classroom is dingy and cluttered, but it hardly matters. Within seconds inside it, it becomes clear why Esquith has been anointed as one of those magical teachers who propels his poor, immigrant students to impossible heights. In less than an hour on a recent Tuesday, his fifth-graders, many of whom speak with traces […]
Read MoreWhere’s the man?
For Jayson Curtis, family is the reason to teach. “I’ve had jobs in the past where I’ve worked 12-hour days,” says the elementary education major at Utah State University. “I just missed so many birthday parties and things. … I wanted to watch my daughter grow up.” But family – combined with a handful of […]
Read MoreDoes the teacher’s gender affect students’ grades?
Would your son do better in school with a male teacher? What about your daughter with a female teacher? A new study suggests that gender may be the key to ensuring your child’s success in school, which in turn may be the answer to the academic troubles that many boys have. “Overall, two-thirds of the […]
Read MoreA shortage of male teachers takes its toll
The National Education Association found that the number of male public school teachers is at a 40-year low. Lenny Connors shakes his rear in time to music in front of 20 second-graders as a boombox screams the Macarena. The 21-year educator tries to teach the rhythmically challenged students the moves of a song only heard […]
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