MenTeach E-News
April 2012
1) Policies needed to employ men in ECE
2) Research project: Black male elementary school teachers
3) Black male teachers in the United States
4) Male teachers in Australia
5) Teacher Perceptions of Gender-Based Differences among Elementary School Teachers
6) Parents say, ‘I want Mr. Wells because I want a man.’
7) False abuse accusations against teachers
8) Are you an alien? Experiences of a male Primary School teacher
9) International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care” in Germany
10) The Innovators – Men in Child Care Conference in Scotland
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1) Policies needed to employ men in ECE
Employers and a lack of policy are to blame for the shortage of male teachers in early childhood education, says a leading ECE expert. Dr. Sarah Farquhar, the national coordinator of ChildForum, has spent many years researching the role of men in ECE. She says there are plenty of men wanting to work in early childhood education, but the main barrier for them is to get a position in a centre. “There’s a lack of direction for employers on the fact that they have the power to change the sector.” This starts with advertising a position, Dr Farquhar says. Read the article: /node/1891
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2) Research project: Black male elementary school teachers
Black male elementary school teachers are wanted to take part in a qualitative study about the reasons Black men from the Hip-Hop generation (born 1965-1984) become elementary school teachers. For contact information, go to: /node/1896
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3) Black male teachers in the United States
Take a moment and think of all the teachers you had between pre-K and twelfth grade. Now, how many of them were black men? For most people, this question won’t take too long to answer. That’s because less than two percent of America’s teachers are black men, according to the Department of Education. That is less than 1 in 50 teachers. Terris King, 25, a kindergarten teacher at the Bishop John T. Walker School in Washington D.C., believes that for African-American children, having a strong role model in front of them can make a huge difference. Read the entire article: /node/1898
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4) Male teachers in Australia
The number of male teachers has grown 25 per cent since 2001. At the same time, the number of male teachers has dropped 2 per cent at the nation’s public schools, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal. Schools have struggled to attract male teachers to the female-dominated profession. Teachers can earn more money in the non-government sector but there can also be more demands outside school hours, such as Saturday sport. The NSW Department of Education and Communities said the national trend was reflected at the state’s schools but they also had a very low resignation rate. Read the story: /node/1901
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5) Teacher Perceptions of Gender-Based Differences among Elementary School Teachers
The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of gender-based differences among elementary school teachers. In this mixed-methods study, the researcher utilized an online survey to collect data. Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant differences; however, qualitative analysis showed that there were more negative responses to survey statements pertaining to males. More than half of the participants perceived differences between female and male elementary teachers, including beliefs that female teachers are more nurturing, that male teachers are more laid back, and that male teachers are more dominant and commanding with students. Download the complete research study: /node/1903
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6) Parents say, ‘I want Mr. Wells because I want a man.’
Most elementary schools in Clark and Champaign counties have only a handful of male teachers on staff, but men can be valuable in the classroom as role models for children, according to experts. About 8 percent of elementary school teachers in the area are male, according to a Springfield News-Sun analysis of Ohio Department of Education data. Twenty-five percent of teaching staff across all grades are male. “It’s just historically been that way,” said Sally Brannan, chair of the education department at Wittenberg University. “It’s our cultural view in the United States. “When they are in there, they’re such an asset in the classroom because they provide such good role models for the kids and they provide a different perspective in the classroom.” Read the report: /node/1905
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7) False abuse accusations against teachers
Teachers across Canada are having their reputations ruined as increasing numbers get falsely accused of abusing their students, or acting inappropriately with them, experts say. “We are getting more and more ‘teacher-talk’ evidence and teacher narratives that clearly indicate that false accusations are on the rise,” Jon Bradley, associate professor of education at McGill University, told CBCNews via email. “Active parents are making things, in some cases, very difficult,” he said. University of Ottawa faculty of education professor Joel Westheimer told CBC’s Ottawa Morning that incidents of false allegations used to be fairly rare in both Canada and the United States. Read the story and comments: /node/1908
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8) Are you an alien? Experiences of a male Primary School teacher
[MenTeach: We search out male teachers blog posts and like to give MenTeach readers an opportunity to read them.]
Like an offer for the Greek Gods, one child brought me a dead bird in the playground. It was at the very least in keeping with the theme of ‘Olympic day’ and I adopted a discus stance as I threw it in a bush (the bird, not the child). The coach trip to the Olympic centre involved endless renditions of ‘I’m a real spring chicken’ and one case of vomiting. When we arrived at the centre we were greeted by Athenia, Apollo and Hermes or when they forgot and broke out of character, Sheila, Malcolm and Dave. Hermes, or Herpes as one child kept calling him, was our guide. Go to website: /node/1910
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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. To read the entire invitation: /node/1849
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10) The Innovators – Men in Child Care Conference in Scotland
A groundbreaking International Conference hosted by two of the World’s most innovative projects. If we can create confidence in a child at an early age, if we can make childcare more adventurous, outgoing and jointly enjoyable, if we can provide a positive male role model, will this help in creating a more positive teenager/adult with an outlook far healthier than the one they have at present? Go to website to register: /node/1912
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