Editorials
Opinion: What do early child care workers need? Better pay, more respect and a few good men
In an ideal world, early childhood education advocates wouldn’t need strategies for building respect for the profession. We wouldn’t need to develop arguments for why pre-K educators deserve better pay and working conditions — the country would just accept this as fact and make it happen. Yet, the reality is we must redouble our efforts […]
Read MoreEditorial: We Need More Male Teachers, and Boston College Can Help
As a young child, I couldn’t fathom the idea of men being teachers. As humans, we always look up to our elders as role models. And, other than our parents, which adults do kids spend the most time with? Teachers. But, boys don’t see nearly enough male teachers. Female teachers outnumber male teachers three to […]
Read MoreEditorial: Children need to see more male teachers in primary school
Ireland has one of the highest percentages of female primary teachers in the EU, at 85.8%. This skewed statistic highlights the cultural values that deter males from applying for a career teaching young children. I have first-hand experience working in a female-dominated profession as I trained as a nurse when I left school. Soon after […]
Read MorePodcast: Boys see the job “as a female profession”
That’s according to teacher and columnist Jennifer Horgan who feels the roots of the problem begin very early on. “About 80% [of primary school teachers are] women, I think, and if there is a man in the building, he tends to be the principal,” she told Newstalk Breakfast. “Secondary is a little bit better, I […]
Read MoreOpinion: Recruit men to help ease teacher shortage in Connecticut
As the school year ends, Connecticut faces a worsening teacher shortage, with nearly 3,000 reported vacancies. State officials announced in May a $3 million initiative to address the problem with hiring and training programs, including a new Registered Apprenticeship Program. I commend the good efforts being made by government officials, as well as school district […]
Read MoreManning up for men: Recruitment and retention in the early childhood field
The early childhood care and education field tends to be no man’s land. Nationwide, a meager 3.2 percent of ECE and kindergarten teachers are men, and 44 percent of them leave the field within five years.1 Roadblocks to men teaching young children include rigid ideas about gender roles, perceptions of ECE as a low-prestige job, […]
Read More