MenTeach E-News
February 2018
1) What it’s like to be one of the few black teachers in Wales
2) Australian childcare worker changing attitudes about male educators
3) University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff aids teacher recruitment
4) Men Can Make Great Elementary School Teachers Too
5) “Knights of the Kids’ Table” Men in Early Childhood Education conference in Winnipeg, Canada
6) F2MTC Project – A community within a community
7) Why African-American Male Teachers Are So Important to the Promise of Educational Opportunity for All
8) Rugby player and engineer changes perception of men in childcare
9) Editorial – One Woman in a Sea of Men
10) Editorial – Thursday’s Table: A Heartfelt Opportunity
ABOUT MenTeach
JOIN or DONATE to MenTeach
VOLUNTEER for MenTeach
Forward Our Message
To be Removed From the List
—————
1) What it’s like to be one of the few black teachers in Wales
Four decades after getting its first black head teacher Wales is now thought to have none.
And across the country just 59 of our 36,182 teachers are black.
Figures from the Education Workforce Council show none of Wales’ 1,458 head teachers identify as black and just five are Asian, British Asian, or mixed race.
A further 26 did not want their ethnicity recorded and 299 are listed as “unknown” but the EWC, unions, and school leader organisations said they were unaware of any black head teachers in Wales.
High school physics teacher Daniel Wilson believes he is the only black teacher in Blaenau Gwent .
“For most of the kids in the valley the first black person they come across is me,” he said. Read the article: /node/3272
—————
2) Australian childcare worker changing attitudes about male educators
Blake Stewart is slowly starting to shift perceptions about men working in childcare.
In the process the 24-year-old has become a positive role model for many children from St Luke’s Preschool in Dapto.
But it hasn’t been easy for Mr Stewart, who received a bit of backlash from parents and other workers at the start of his career.
Only about five per cent of early childhood educators are male and Mr Stewart could sense some initial trepidation from parents during his first work placement.
Read the article: /node/3274
—————
3) University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff aids teacher recruitment
Eight high school students — all male — will start taking teacher-preparation courses at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff this month in an effort to raise the racial and ethnic diversity of teachers nationwide.
The teens are a part of Project Pipeline Repair, a three-year initiative funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and administered by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
The project will help a maximum of 60 boys through four historically black colleges and universities — including UAPB — prepare to enroll in educator-preparation programs at higher education institutions and then work as teachers in underserved elementary schools, slowly reducing educator shortages, according to the project’s design template.
“Not only do we have a statewide shortage of qualified educators in Arkansas, but we have a significant shortage of African-American and Latino male teachers,” said Maria Markham, the director of Arkansas’ Department of Higher Education. “The goal of Repairing the Pipeline is for our K-12 students to have access to quality male role models in the classroom. The unique aspect of this program is that when students involved succeed, our younger students have a better chance of success, and the impact is much more broad.”
The program comes as the nation is facing a teacher shortage regardless of gender, race and ethnicity. Arkansas had seen a steady decline in the number of students enrolling in educator preparation programs, but enrollment in those programs increased for the first time in several years in 2016-17, the Arkansas Department of Education said. Read the story: /node/3275
—————
4) Men Can Make Great Elementary School Teachers Too
Most of us would agree that our elementary school years were led and taught by an almost exclusively female faculty. Although there is nothing wrong with an all-woman teaching staff, it does beg the question—where are the male elementary school teachers? Due to social stigmas, generations of being taught solely by women at younger ages, and underwhelming income, the presence of men in grade school is unsurprisingly absent.
The lack of male teachers in elementary school hasn’t led to dire consequences, but it has had an affect on our growth and perception. We live in a world that is challenging gender roles, and challenging gender roles doesn’t stop with more women in C-level positions. It includes more men in traditionally female-exclusive positions such as nurses, assistants, and grade school teachers. If more male teachers teach Kindergarten through 5th grade, then the boys might be inspired to become teachers as well. We are aware of traditional gender role dangers, but it takes change at an elementary level to see a real difference. Read the article: /node/3279
—————
5) “KNIGHTS OF THE KIDS’ TABLE” Men in Early Childhood Education conference in Winnipeg, Canada
Announcing the “KNIGHTS OF THE KIDS’ TABLE” Men in Early Childhood Education conference in Winnipeg, Canada.
It is with great excitement we are announcing what we believe to be the 1st Can Am (Canadian/American) conference on Men in Early Childhood Education (MECE). On May 24, 2018 we will be gathering ECE’s of both genders to discuss the current state of our workforce, hearing from international experts on initiatives in other countries and strategizing on what we can do to realize a more gender balance ECE workforce in our countries. Come hear Frances Carlson (Author and friend of the MECE movement), Bryan Nelson (founder of www.MenTeach.org) and Jerry Parr from the USA along with Russell Ballantyne from New Zealand (president of www.ecmenz.org).
Read more about the conference: /node/3256
—————
6) F2MTC Project – A community within a community
Through the many hats I wear for the department, I have been getting pretty well connected with the men in our program and they have been reaching out to me on a variety of issues. The F2MTC project has certainly raised my awareness of supporting the men in our program and I do not know if it is through deliberate efforts to support them (I know that is the case for a few who have confided in me around terrible stuff that is going on in their lives) or just being a guy and just being there. Men seeking men in a field of women. These connections to our men has a different feel to it, the makings of a community within a community. I like it. Read the letter: /node/3280
—————
7) Why African-American Male Teachers Are So Important to the Promise of Educational Opportunity for All
This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most turbulent and transformative years in American history. While 2018 may seem chaotic, those old enough to remember know that 1968 found us a nation divided on many fronts. As the war in Vietnam raged on, protests at home reached a fever pitch, and the powder keg of America’s urban centers — long ignored or forgotten — ignited following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Then, as the weary nation reeled from that tragedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, brother of the president who had been assassinated only five years earlier, was slain in Los Angeles.
Change emerged from this turmoil with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, including what became known as the Fair Housing Act — of particular importance to education advocates because we are keenly aware of just how profoundly ZIP code affects a student’s access to a quality education. For my parents, born and raised in the segregated South, these changes came too late to provide them with the opportunities that many take for granted today. But for them and so many others, the Civil Rights Act and various laws that followed brought the promise of better things to come. Read the article: /node/3282
—————
8) Rugby player and engineer changes perception of men in childcare
Hailed as a ‘true inspiration’, he can often be found dressing up in the role play area at West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester), much to the children’s delight.
“No two days are the same and that’s the way I like it,” he said. “The more I worked in nurseries when I was younger the more I enjoyed it.”
With a passion for go karting, which took him country wide for competitions, Mr Meekings gained a degree in Motorsport Engineering and even had experience with the McLaren Formula 1 team before deciding on a career in childcare and education.
Mr Meekings is one of two men working at Winchester setting and is referred to as ‘something of a rarity’. Despite recruitment drives, just two per cent of nursery teachers are men, a figure that has remained the same for the past decade. Read his story: /node/3284
—————
9) Editorial – One Woman in a Sea of Men
Twenty-five years ago, while attending the National Association of Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference for the first time, I became interested in the male perspective of teaching young children. It was during this conference that I found myself drawn to presentation topics given by men in early childhood education. While the issues presented about young children were parallel to those that women presented, there was something unique about the demonstration style and the message carried by the male speakers. Even more significant, my thinking was altered as I looked around and realized that I was a minority among this sea of men! How grateful I am for having experienced this moment for it has become monumental in my work with male students who choose early childhood education as a profession. Read her story: /node/3285
—————
10) Editorial – Thursday’s Table: A Heartfelt Opportunity
My name is Caleb Schulz and I am currently an Early Childhood Education Major at UW-Stout. I chose this major to potentially make a difference in young lives and inspire future generations. I have been involved in the Men in Education group since my freshman year and have grown closer to my classmates doing so. Everything we do as an organization we do together, that is what makes the group of guys so special. This year I have taken charge of organizing men in the group to help with the volunteer opportunity known as Thursday’s Table. Read the editorial: /node/3278
—————
ABOUT MenTEACH: This email Newsletter has been distributed by MenTeach – a clearinghouse with a mission to increase the percentage of men teaching.
Forward Our Message – be sure to forward this message to anyone you think might be interested in teaching children.
JOIN or DONATE to MenTeach today – support our mission to increase the number of men teachers. https://www.menteach.org/join_or_donate
VOLUNTEER for MenTeach – help make a difference by volunteering with MenTeach. We could use help moderating forums, posting articles that you find, updating the bibliography, hosting a group in your region, do some research about the percentages in your state, get involved and make some new friends. Drop us a line to let us know what you’d like to do.
E-LETTER POLICY FOR INCLUSION: MenTeach’s monthly e-letter includes news/resources/events that are relevant to those interested and supporting the education, support and care of children and families and who want qualified men teaching children.
To be Removed From the List
Go to this link and manage your account:
https://www.menteach.org/e-news/