Articles
Lack of minority teachers troubling
As the new principal at Jackson Arts and Technology Academy this school year, Septembra Williams sees the imbalance of minority teachers to minority students at her school. At the charter school of about 140 students, 64 percent of the student body — 90 students — are of color, according to the Michigan Department of Education’s […]
Read MoreMale Teacher
Remember your first male teacher? Peter Chan does. More so, he remembers the lack of one during his own grade-school years in the 1980s. “I think I would have related better,” said Chan, 32, who teaches fifth grade at Vancouver’s Harney Elementary School. For instance, he just “wasn’t into” his sixth-grade teacher, who tried to […]
Read MoreFirst time in history: A dad leads PTA
In 2009, for the first time in U.S. history, the parent in charge of the Parent Teacher Association will be a dad. Charles J. Saylors will take office as president of the 5.5 million member organization in June, putting a further dent in the stereotype that has taken hold in recent years of moms who […]
Read MoreAbout men in child care by Mr. Rogers
Most readers will not recognize the name Fred Rogers. Mention “Mister Rogers,” however, and most will immediately recognize a personality who has probably influenced more lives than have several presidents combined. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was the longest-running children’s program on public television, Rogers spoke at the Yale University Child Development Center, New Haven, Connecticut, in […]
Read MoreFew teachers are black men & a program to change it
Lenny Macklin made it to 10th grade before having a teacher who looked like him — an African-American male. Gregory Georges graduated from high school without ever being taught by a black man. Only about 2% of teachers nationwide are African-American men. But experts say that needs to change if educators expect to reduce minority […]
Read MoreGetting Guys Hooked on Teaching Young Children
This commentary addresses the following questions: Why do so few men teach in the earlier grades? What can be done to entice men to teach younger students? Why we should we bother? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2008, males represent only 2.4 and 18.8 percent of teachers in preschool/kindergarten and elementary/middle school, […]
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