MenTeach E-News
May 2012
1) In a class of their own: Australian primary defies trend of declining male teacher numbers
2) Free tuition and board to black men to teach in New Orleans
3) Male teacher showing students how to become positive role models
4) A Career in Education in Arizona
5) The latest data about the percentage of male teachers in the United States
6) African-American Males in K-12 Teaching
7) Male Teacher led mentoring program for boys honored
8) Male Call: Schools Looking for a Few Good Men
9) International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care” in Germany
10) Marty Lerman – Man that loved teaching young children
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1) In a class of their own: Australian primary defies trend of declining male teacher numbers
Numbers of male teachers at Sunraysia’s primary schools appear to be on the decline, but Red Cliffs Primary School is defying that trend. Many primary schools in Sunraysia had on average two to three male teachers, while some schools are completely staffed by women. But at Red Cliffs Primary School senior staff feel positive about their male-to-female teacher ratio. Principal Rod Beer said that of the seven classes run by the school, two of the teachers were male.
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2) Free tuition and board to black men to teach in New Orleans
Michael Booker, principal at Lake Area High College Prep in New Orleans, is a rare breed. According to the Department of Education, African-American male teachers and administrators are becoming extinct. Only 2 percent of the nation’s 4.8 million teachers are black men. Bearing that in mind, Booker says he and other African-American male educators have a responsibility to set a positive tone. “I’m not negating any ethnicity. I just think that we are a disproportionately low number, and African-American males in particular need to go into this profession and think of it as one where they can make a difference in the lives of all children,” he said. Black male teachers, according to a study by Colorado State University in 2006, not only tend to be firm disciplinarians but also appear to enhance test scores among African-American students, particularly boys.
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3) Male teacher showing students how to become positive role models
He claims there are days he doesn’t feel like working, but when Eric Gomez steps in front of students in a classroom, he lights up. Gomez is focused on helping male students beat the odds of dropping out or joining gangs in the inner city area where Henry Ford Academy is located. To do this he organized a group called Infinity. The 26-year-old teacher said the fraternity or brotherhood is definitely needed to help teenage males try to avoid pitfalls. “Drugs, alcohol — some of my students don’t live in the best neighborhoods,” he said.
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4) A Career in Education in Arizona
I have worked in education full time now for 33 years. Prior to that while training to be an archaeologist, I often helped out in my wife’s preschool. Also during down times in the field I would go back to work with the little ones. I enjoyed it; they enjoyed it; it was the proverbial “win-win”. They only thing that bothered me was that preschool didn’t pay much – minimum wage was common, no matter what your educational background. Of course at that time in the 70s archaeology didn’t pay that well either so I wasn’t losing much.
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5) The latest data about the percentage of male teachers in the United States
You can see the 2011 United States Bureau of Labor Statistics data about numbers and percentages of teachers. If you compare the 2011 data with 2010 there are some changes. For example, the percentage of men teaching child care went up from 5.3% to 5.5% despite the overall numbers of child care workers decreasing. Check out the data and then go look at the previous year.
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6) African-American Males in K-12 Teaching
Pay a visit to almost any elementary school, junior high or high school in the United States today and chances are the last thing you’ll see is an African-American male teacher walking the halls. This isn’t necessarily the result of any inherent form of racism, but rather it is at least partially the result of a lack of African-American males coming through the higher education pipeline, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Those that do go on to earn a bachelor’s degree and subsequently a masters degree tend to gravitate toward careers that are a little more financially rewarding. It can be difficult for a young person to emerge from their postsecondary education with upwards of $100,000 in debt and be satisfied with making $42,000 a year, which is the average salary of a K-12 teacher in the U.S. today.
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7) Male Teacher led mentoring program for boys honored
A new mentoring program at T.S. Morris Elementary School for its male students, aimed at giving children role models and teaching etiquette, has earned the Montgomery school a national honor. Morris was among 242 schools recently dubbed by the Character Education Partnership as 2012 Promising Practice Award winners. Morris is the only Alabama school to earn the distinction. The Character Education Partnership, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, “supports the social, emotional and ethical development of students” by giving schools the know how to teach character education.
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8) Male Call: Schools Looking for a Few Good Men
Despite the bleak job picture, elementary and middle schools are still looking for a few good men and, in fact, they are getting harder to find. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 Current Population Survey reported that men make up only 18.3 percent of elementary and middle school teachers and 2.3 percent of preschool and kindergarten instructors. That’s a drop from the 2007 prerecession figures of 19.1 percent in grades 1-8 and 2.7 in preschool and kindergarten.
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9) International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care” in Germany
The International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care” on the 27th and 28th of September 2012 in Berlin, Germany.
The Coordination Centre “Men in early childhood education” and the Faculty of Primary Education of the Humboldt University Berlin invites you to attend the international conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care: Strategies, experiences and perspectives”. The conference will be held on September 27/28th 2012 in Berlin and will be supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
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10) Marty Lerman – Man that loved teaching young children
He was a peace activist, avid recycler, hiker, proud grandfather, deli food loved, founder of a shelter for homeless, war tax resister, Jewish Unitarian, and an early educator. Like so many men who teach young children, he had many interests but as a former co-teacher of his said, “His real love was for the children he worked with.” Marty Lerman died in early May at 78 years – Father of four and lots of grand children. He was a pioneer of men in early education in New England.
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