Where are all the men ?

Next year, I will be the only male teacher at Pioneer Peak Elementary School. When I first started teaching in the early ‘70s, the majority of male teachers were in the high schools, as they still are, then junior high, next, the intermediate grades, (4, 5 & 6 ) and finally the primary grades. Then, with the advent of middle school, (6, 7, & 8) many of those intermediate males headed that way. There were a few that stuck around, teaching fourth or fifth grade, or as a librarian, which was an even greater anomaly. Yet, even fewer were in primary, and once in a great while, a male kindergarten teacher. I taught kindergarten with it’s conception in the early ‘80s in the Mat-Su Valley. I do remember one other brave soul who took on that challenge. And now, with the few exceptions, you are hard-pressed to find even any males in the primary grades. So, what is that all about?

First, a Harris Interactive survey revealed that parents only encourage their boys to consider teaching as a career 11 percent of the time when talking about career planning. That is last after engineering, medicine, business and law. That is in comparison to girls being talked to about teaching 31 percent of the time, followed first, by medicine 33 percent. That is one of the many reasons that there are only 25 percent of male teachers in education and that percent drops drastically in primary to 3 percent. There is a major social stigma for the primary male teacher than any other grade level. The fear of some how a male in primary grades is a possible child abuser is the leading reason for absent male primary teachers. Yet, we perceive loving fathers as nurturing and caring for their own children. Male primary teachers become suspect and the public sees them quite differently than those loving fathers.

Along those same lines, teaching is seen as a ‘mothering’ occupation. That some how students (male students?) need to be ‘domesticated.’ Could it be that male students are more humiliated when being disciplined by a female teacher than a male teacher and become easier to teach? Another reason behind the primary grades being a ‘woman’s’ job, is those grades are more about the (whole) child, than the subject matter.

Next, there is the social issue of prestige, or more specifically, lack of prestige. I have actually had other males in different professions ask me, “When are you going to get a ‘real’ job?” If I would have said that it was only temporary until I made the jump to administration, I would now be seen in a different light, a real man with a real job. When I was teaching at the college level in education I was given a pass as a more prestigious position. Administration is a very logical direction for males in education as teaching doesn’t pay the bills. I have a male colleague who said his father was a teacher, while growing up. But, they always saved a bus driver position for him every year for the extra money. He didn’t last in the classroom with four boys of his own. So, soon he was a principal, and then later a personnel director. Not being able to pay the bills is a real problem in attracting and retaining male teachers.

I am not in any way discounting female teachers. That is not my intent. In fact, I have taught and I am currently teaching with two fabulous female teachers. We work well together, sharing ideas, materials and our achievements and challenges. My wife was an incredible special education preschool teacher, and my daughter is an outstanding K-12 special education teacher. This is not about female teachers. This is about the need for a balance of role models, different views and perspectives of both male and female teachers in schools for our children.

I can not say enough about children, especially boys, observing male teachers showing respect for their female colleagues. I believe it is imperative for boys to become respectful for all women in their lives. It is just as important for girls to see female teachers in roles of leadership, providing collaboration and team building with their male counterparts. I believe it would only create positive and healthy environments for children of both genders to see respect, problem-solving and cooperation between their male and female teachers. Unfortunately, when there are a few male teachers in a school, they are considered the ‘disciplinarians’ and often get the ‘hard’ to handle students, or provide the ‘missing father’ role. That is not fair to the teacher, the students or even the school because it reinforces stereotypes.

Finally, the Valley is very fortunate to have a K-2 school that has an almost 50-50 balance of male and female teachers. What a unique opportunity for those students to experience. However, I imagine those children do not even realize their situation. They go on with learning, achieving and growing up like it should be.

It is with adult males and females guiding those young people to become fully aware of their own potentials, with stereotypes being dispelled, and children know they can do and be anything. Why? They see it in action. Real men and women are teaching, and teaching together.

Michael Carson is a veteran educator in the Mat-Su Borough School District.