Are men more turned-off by dictatorial school & school district management then are women?

I saw the NBC Nightly News report on the declining number of men teachers. I was a volunteer at at my neighborhood elementary school for six years — one year exceeding a thousand hours of volunteer time. My emphasis was helping with computers and technology. I worked with all of the teachers and staff, and all of the children. It provided an enlightening perspective. My understanding of the profession, and respect for teachers, grew immensely over that time. When I started volunteering, I think there were four men teachers — about 20% of the total. When I quit, there were none.

There have been no men teachers at the school for the few years since I left. I believe the male teachers were driven out of the school by nearly fascist, highly dictatorial school management policies and practices. The management style was being guided and driven by the top school district management, and possibly by state educational leaders. Most all of the teachers were intensely frustrated and upset with what was going on. Many confided their feelings and vented to me. The women, though, seemed more flexible and tolerant, better able to cope with the teaching methods, materials, and schedules being forced upon them, than did the men.

Teachers want to be, and need to be, captains of their own ship — their classroom. The men fought against the new methods, and tolerated them for awhile, but eventually broke. They either quit being a teacher altogether, or moved to a different district, or tried a different school. One walked into the office in the middle of the school year, and said “I’m leaving, and I’m not coming back.” He was one of their best and most experienced teachers. Not long after that, I left, too. I couldn’t stand it. Working at the school had been enjoyable. I originally felt pleasure and happiness to volunteer to help the kids and the teachers, and often received their appreciation. At the end, after a few years of trying to adapt and influence things for the better, the joy turned to feelings of anxiety and anger when I would head to school. It was no longer worth doing. It was bad for my health.

Is arbitrary school management that fails to involve their staff in key decisions, and micro-manages classroom activity and resources, a source of significant discontent for men teachers, more than women, and a turn-off to potential men teachers? Is this management style an increasing problem in general, or in some locations?

Conditions may have improved somewhat in recent years, but I know I would never become a teacher under the conditions that I saw and experienced at my neighborhood school. School management, school districts, state and federal educational programs, should all SERVE teachers — provide resources (including suggested but not required curriculum materials), provide training and guidance to help achieve expectations, provide networking with excellent educators and patterns of success, provide assistance as requested, and provide performance evaluations, feedback, and suggestions. Each teacher can utilize their own unique talents and skills, and can adapt to the needs of their students — but only if the school management allows the flexibility for teachers to be the captain of their own ship.

What’s your experience and opinion?