MenTeach E-News
April 2019
1) Only two percent of teachers are black men, yet research confirms they matter
2) The U.S. Teaching Population Is Getting Bigger, and More Female
3) Superintendent William Hite: Philly schools need diverse curriculum and diverse teachers
4) A Winner’s Story: Leader of Men and Children Award by Dylan Lubs
5) Scholarships for Minority Males in California
6) Scotland: Course launched in Moray to encourage men to consider career in childcare
7) Letter: A Mom needs some advice about her son
8) Stuart Cleinman: An icon in Early Childhood Education
9) CSUN Joins UC Berkeley and the Compton Unified School District to Improve Retention Rates of Male Teachers of Color
10) Editorial: Underrepresented Males in Early Childhood Education
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1) Only two percent of teachers are black men, yet research confirms they matter
Cedric Jackson knows firsthand the impact that regular exposure to a positive black man can have on impressionable students — especially young black boys.
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, he was one of them, yearning to connect with male role models. After the death of Jackson’s mother when he was 8, his father sent him to live permanently with his aunt in a tough Huntsville, Alabama, neighborhood. Jackson said that while he was growing up, it was his black coaches and teachers, especially those at Lee High School, who took an interest in him, pushing the budding football star on and off the field.
“I had a tough life; I would go to school just to eat,” Jackson, now 40, recalled of his childhood. “Coming up, it meant the world to me knowing that I had these teachers and coaches in my corner. They had the biggest influence on me; they made me feel like I was somebody.”
He said that although he was not the most committed student academically, their investment paid off. With their encouragement, compassionate guidance and thought-provoking teaching, Jackson snagged the coveted quarterback spot on the Lee High Generals team. Just before graduation, the scholarship offers poured in.
Jackson ended up playing quarterback as a true freshman for historically black Alabama A&M University before transferring to and graduating from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Read the article: /node/3444
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2) The U.S. Teaching Population Is Getting Bigger, and More Female
Teaching in the United States was once considered a career for men. Then the profession’s gender composition shifted dramatically around the mid-19th century, when the country’s public-school system was born. As schoolhouse doors opened to children of all social classes and genders, so too did the education profession. By the late 1880s, women made up a majority—63 percent—of all the country’s teachers (though men continued to make up most of the high-school teaching force until the late 1970s). Within a few decades, the choice to teach young children was solidified as an inherently “feminine” pursuit; in fact, girls who couldn’t or didn’t want to be homemakers had few other job options.
In the mid-20th century, however, cultural and political shifts prompted a surge in the number of women seeking employment in traditionally “masculine” sectors. These changes also prompted the reverse—albeit to a lesser extent: The number of men seeking classroom careers rose and has grown by 31 percent since the early 1980s. Read the article: /node/3445
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3) Superintendent William Hite: Philly schools need diverse curriculum and diverse teachers
Earlier this month, in these pages, Philadelphia writer Ernest Owens argued that we should cancel Black History Month and instead “recognize black history – and its people – all year round.” I take Mr. Owens’ point, and while I don’t believe that we should cease to embrace February as a month dedicated to honoring and celebrating the many accomplishments of African Americans, I do agree that “schools must diversify their curriculums to acknowledge the existence of black people routinely,” not merely during one month of the year.
As superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, I am proud to say that we are doing just that. We’re working to ensure that our students are exposed to rich, challenging instruction that honors their diverse backgrounds and experiences. Read his editorial: /node/3447
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4) A Winner’s Story: Leader of Men and Children Award
During the past fall, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the NAEYC (National Association for Education of Young Children) annual conference in Washington D.C. Reflecting on this, I learned a lot about myself. I was reassured that my unique personality and view from a male perspective is welcomed in the field.
On the night of November 15th, I received the Leader of Men and Children Award from the NAEYC Men in Education Network Interest Forum. I did not know I would be receiving the award until arriving at the ceremony. Although it came as an initial shock to me, I felt honored and now describe it as a humbling experience. Having been the president of the Men in Education organization at UW-Stout the past few years, I have taken part in coordinating and leading monthly meetings and actively advocating other men to consider early childhood opportunities. Ultimately, this award acknowledges my passion toward the field of education and specifically men in early childhood. Read the article: /node/3448
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5) Scholarships for Minority Males in California – Future Minority Male Teachers of California
What is F2MTC?
The goal of the F2MTC project is to improve the pipeline for male teachers of color throughout the California State University system so that elementary age students of color will have increased numbers of males of color serving as teachers, mentors and role models, thereby helping to close the persistent achievement gap between white students and students of color. Read the article to find out about scholarships: /node/3288
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6) Scotland: Course launched in Moray to encourage men to consider career in childcare
A course is being launched in the north of Scotland specifically aimed at encouraging men to consider a career in childcare.
Now Moray College UHI in Elgin has teamed up with the council to provide a course to meet the surge in demand.
It is hoped that the initiative will tap into people considering a change in career and parents who want to return to work.
Sonya Warren, chairwoman of Moray Council’s children and young people’s committee, is eager to see barriers broken down to encourage men to think about working in the sector.
She said: “It’s really important that children have strong male role models when they are growing up.
“There’s a lot of work being done to open up the minds of young women to different careers, it’s important that we do the same for young men too.
“More early learning is a real focus of the Scottish Government to deliver the best for our young people – it’s fantastic to see it creating job opportunities too.” Read the article: /node/3437
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7) Letter: A Mom needs some advice about her son
[MenTeach: We received this request from a mom. What advice would you give to her?]
Hello, I am a owner of three childcare centers in [City] Michigan and have a son 28 years old that grew up in the childcare setting since he was born. He presently works in my home center and the parents and children love him. The problem is, he dose not see himself as a professional…Read the all her letter: /node/3451
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8) Stuart Cleinman: An icon in Early Childhood Education
Stuart Phillip Cleinman of Arlington, died on Thursday, February 7, 2019, at age 66. A lifelong Massachusetts resident – born April 7, 1952 in Fall River – he was elated to see the curse broken by the 2004 World Series, the first of four Red Sox titles he ultimately celebrated. He is survived by countless people who will miss his gregarious nature (in addition to his baked goods), including his wife of thirty-seven years Susan Janowitz, his children Matthew and Rebecca, his brother and sister-in-law Elliott and Maryellen, and so many more relatives and friends. Stu dedicated his career to early childhood education as a teacher, an administrator, a national Head Start consultant, and more. Read his obituary: /node/3452
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9) CSUN Joins UC Berkeley and the Compton Unified School District to Improve Retention Rates of Male Teachers of Color
California State University, Northridge has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley and the Compton Unified School District (CUSD) to launch a three-year pilot program to improve the retention rates of male teachers of color.
If successful, the program’s organizers hope that it will provide a national model for increasing the retention rates of African-American, Latino and Asian men who choose careers as teachers.
“We are very lucky to be working with such a forward-thinking school district like the Compton Unified School District, which recognized that we, as a society, have a problem recruiting and then retaining male teachers of color,” said CSUN elementary education professor John Reveles, who received a $250,000 three-year grant from the FEDCO Charitable Foundation for the “Mentoring Male Teachers of Color and Their Administrators: Compton Male Teachers of Color Network (CMTCN).” Read about the program: /node/3455
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10) Editorial: Underrepresented Males in Early Childhood Education
My name is Andrew Gilles and I am majoring in Early Childhood Education. In November of 2018, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend and present at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference in Washington D.C. It was an honor to be selected for this opportunity because of my participation and involvement in the university’s organization; UW-Stout Men in Education. I am currently the Co-President and am responsible for the service-learning project, Thursday’s Table. UW-Stout’s Men in Education is an organization that serves as a support group for men choosing to go into education. We recognize that early childhood male teachers are typically the minority and we attempt to celebrate the different experiences men bring to the classroom. Read the editorial: /node/3453
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