MenTeach E-News
October 2012
1) Fathers who teach – Study Opportunity
2) A Report: International Conference about men in early education in Berlin, Germany
3) Does Gender Make a Difference? First results from the German ‘tandem study’ of female and male ECE workers
4) Kitas Tour of Hamburg Germany
5) Denmark: Training and education of men at a social policy level
6) MenTeach gathering in New England a Success!
7) Germany – The male kindergarten teacher
8) Military retiree wants to teach
9) Germany is spending loads of money to recruit male child care workers
10) Lake City man lives dream of being teacher
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1) Fathers who teach – Study Opportunity
Study Opportunity: Justin Hendricks, a graduate student at the University of Florida, is looking to recruit fathers who teach in order to understand how men’s teaching experience benefits their children. Participation involves a 2 hour video or voice call and participants will receive $25 for their participation. To find out how to sign up: /node/2016
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2) A Report: International Conference about men in early education in Berlin, Germany
The International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care” on the 27th and 28th of September 2012 in Berlin, Germany was quite an exciting event. There were people brought in from all over the world to talk about men teaching. I arrived early to the conference and was able to tour around Berlin. This is such a historic city and I was able to go on a walking tour.
The walking tour gave me a great beginning in thinking about the conference and how it has come to pass that Germany has put over 15 million Euros to recruit more male teachers (more about that later). Some of the facinating history is the Berlin Wall between East and West Germany. If you have been to Berlin or know your history, it’s more of a Berlin “fence” because it surrounded a section of the city.
The next day, I and several other world “experts” in this men in early education were invited to tour the early education programs or Kitas in Hamburg, Germany. I reported about that trip in another post.
The presentations were really interesting – and the staff organizing the conference – the Koordinationasstelle – Manner in Kitas – worked hard to make the event unique, interesting and interactive as much as possible. Jens Krabel, Dr. Tim Rohrmann, Dana Unkart and other staff really made a difference setting up the event. Read the entire story and see photos: /node/2048
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3) Does Gender Make a Difference? First results from the German ‘tandem study’ of female and male ECE workers
[MenTeach: At the international conference Men in early childhood education and care” in Berlin 2012 I had the opportunity to talk with both Dr. Holger Brandes and Markus Andrae about their research. Dr. Brandes presentation (in German with English interpreters) was both interesting and engaging. You’ll want to download the entire paper and watch for future results.]
In light of the theoretical concept of ‘doing gender’ (West & Zimmermann 1987), and research in developmental psychology, the tandem study pursues the objective of investigating and comparing the behaviour of male and female ECE workers in kindergartens (children between three and six years of age).
Read the entire report: /node/2017
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4) Kitas Tour of Hamburg Germany
I’m here in Berlin, Germany attending the The International Conference “Men in Early Childhood Education and Care,” where a couple hundred attendees from all over the world have gathered. About 15 of us were invited to come early to tour one of the more successful pilot programs to recruit more men in Hamburg (a large northern city in Germany).
Men and women from Turkey, Norway, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and me from the United States. I know several of the people having worked with them or met them before.
For example, Dr. Sarah Farquhar who organized men in New Zealand and has researched about men in child care toured as did Kenny Spence. Read the story and see the photos: /node/2024
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5) Denmark: Training and education of men at a social policy level
[MenTeach: One of the presentations at the Berlin Conference was by Dr. Ulla Gerner Wohlgemuth who teaches at University College South Denmark.]
The dissertation deals with men’s choice of traiing and education within care work. Specifically, the dissertation deals with training and education as educationist and as social and healthcare assistant such as, at an overall social policy level, this choice has been identified as an unusual choice for men. The identification of usual and unusual choices of training and education is based on research and studies of young people’s traditional choices, and the results of this research has defined the basis of a number of specific parameters for a traditional choice of training and education. Read her dissertation summary: /node/2026
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6) MenTeach gathering in New England a Success!
On the first Saturday in October MenTeach-New England held its Fall meeting in the Boston inner city Neighborhood of Mattapan, MA. Clarence Little provided was host as director of the Grove Hall Child Development Center and almost 20 people attended.
People came from as far away as Springfield and Northampton, MA and from Hanover and Londonerry, New Hampshire. We had two elder (at least older then me) early childhood people: Walter Little (father of Clarence) a community activist and founder of Grove Hall CD and Ed Klugman – Professor Emeritus at Wheelock College and well know expert on play in early childhood. Both provided depth and experience to our discussion. Read the report: /node/2028
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7) Germany – The male kindergarten teacher
As Germany expands daycare provision for the nation’s children, one thing that is missing from the picture, all too often, are male teachers. Kate Hairsine tracked down some of the country’s rare male child care professionals.
On a small piece of woodland next to the Technido daycare centre in Karlsruhe, a group of boys noisily build a bush camp out of logs. Amid whoops of glee, they start running around, wildly shooting at each other with sticks.
“Karl, Lennie, the rules are keep the sticks down at belly height,” says teacher Todd Phillips calmly as he walks up to the boys. “No sticks near anyone’s eyes.” Read the entire story: /node/2030
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8) Military retiree wants to teach
I am a military retiree and corporate training professional for 12 years. My major was workforce education and development but I am about 12 credits short of my degree.
As an African American male I have volunteered to go into the schools and be a role model but I have an interest in possibly doing it full time. Are there any programs to assist me in transitioning into this very important role. Find out MenTeach’s reply to this letter: /node/2049
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9) Germany is spending loads of money to recruit male child care workers
Germany is spending loads of money to recruit male child care workers, launching expensive employment campaigns to attract more men into the profession. Many parents want their children to be educated by both men and women, but low wages mean efforts have met with little success so far.
Guido Hoeper hasn’t finished his vocational training yet, but the 24-year-old has already been inundated with job offers.
Hoeper likes to teach children how to “beatbox,” or pretend to be human drum machines using their hands and mouths like hip-hop artists. The assistant social education worker takes his workshop from one children’s day care center to the next in the German port city of Hamburg. But his skills don’t just delight the children. The heads of these day care centers would also love to hire him, and not just for the unusual sounds he can produce. Read the story: /node/2051
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10) Lake City man lives dream of being teacher
Rashad Myers said he discovered as a senior at Lake City High School that he wanted to become a teacher. He said his Chemistry II teacher was a role model to him and that he liked the idea of having a black male teacher. “Education is important and the key to success, no matter what field you pursue,” Myers said. Myers, a Lake City native, is beginning his first year as a fourth- and fifth-grade English/language arts and social studies teacher at Lake City College Preparatory Academy Inc.
Good teachers have to be knowledgeable about their subject areas, be patient and understand that all children learn differently, Myers said. He also said good teachers must have a desire to see all students in their classroom achieve. Today, he said, a strong need exists for black male teachers. “Children need to see someone they can relate to,” Myers said. He said having black male teachers lets children know that men care about their success and well-being. Read the article: /node/2053
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