News

Free tuition and board to black men to teach in New Orleans

Bryan G Nelson — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

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WSDU Television

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Michael Booker, principal at Lake Area High College Prep in New Orleans, is a rare breed.

According to the Department of Education, African-American male teachers and administrators are becoming extinct. Only 2 percent of the nation’s 4.8 million teachers are black men.

Bearing that in mind, Booker says he and other African-American male educators have a responsibility to set a positive tone.

“I'm not negating any ethnicity. I just think that we are a disproportionately low number, and African-American males in particular need to go into this profession and think of it as one where they can make a difference in the lives of all children,” he said.

Black male teachers, according to a study by Colorado State University in 2006, not only tend to be firm disciplinarians but also appear to enhance test scores among African-American students, particularly boys.

“When they see us in positions of authority in education, it can motivate them to be better men, be better fathers and do something that is going to take us out of that realm that says, ‘All African-American males are incarcerated, we have children out of wedlock and we don't take care of business.’ And things of that nature,” Booker said.

Vera Triplett, CEO of the Capital One New Beginnings Charter Schools Network, says the black male educator also has a positive influence on African-American female students.

“I think for the females, the interaction between them and the African-American male being very positive, very professional, very respectful. Sort of seeing that and understanding that this is what you should expect from any sort of relationship that you have with an African-American male,” she said.

Triplett supervises Lake Area High College Prep and three other K-8 schools in New Orleans.

She says finding and recruiting African-American male educators like Booker is extremely difficult nationwide because of low pay, the notion that teaching is a feminine profession, and since fewer black male students are pursuing education degrees.There's also the political disincentive.

“Your abilities, your prowess as a teacher -- judged based on one test given on one day. So, there is a huge disincentive for a population of people who are already feel like they're under attack, under scrutiny,” Booker said. “So why would I want to put myself under further scrutiny as an African-American male?”

As an incentive, Triplett says education administrators are considering offering special salary packages, especially to those who teach core subjects like science and math.

More importantly, she says, the African-American community must see this as a cause.

“This is a movement. This is not a job. This is not about a pay check. At the end of the day, we will live and die by whether we educate our children,” she said.

Some institutions of higher learning have established programs to attract more black male teachers.

Southern University president Ron Mason has created the Honore' Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement. The program named for now-retired Army Gen. Russel Honore' who restored order to the city after Hurricane Katrina, offers free tuition and board to black men graduating from high school who commit to a minimum of two years of teaching in New Orleans public schools.

For more information call 504-286-5107.

April 27, 2012

Go to website.

In a class of their own: Australian primary defies trend of declining male teacher numbers

Bryan G Nelson — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Author:

by Gabrielle McLeod - Sunraysia Daily - Australia

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Numbers of male teachers at Sunraysia's primary schools appear to be on the decline, but Red Cliffs Primary School is defying that trend.

Many primary schools in Sunraysia had on average two to three male teachers, while some schools are completely staffed by women.

But at Red Cliffs Primary School senior staff feel positive about their male-to-female teacher ratio.

Principal Rod Beer said that of the seven classes run by the school, two of the teachers were male.

"Teachers were traditionally a job women were attracted to but there has been male teachers in schools for many decades," Mr Beer said.

"Recently, over the last few years we have seen this number decline.

"We are pretty lucky here to have a good balance of male and female teachers with seven classes two of those teachers are males - and plus myself.

"We hire teachers not based on their gender but how good they are - if we get a balance in genders well that is a bonus."

As well as Mr Beer, the two other male teachers are Steven Laird and John Warburton.

Both Mr Laird and Mr Warburton agreed that Sunraysia needed more male teachers, especially in primary schools.

Mr Laird is new to the profession, having only been teaching for three weeks, but he already loves the life of a teacher.

"I think male teachers can bring something new to the table and provide that balance of genders within the school," Mr Laird said.

"Male teachers are also a big role model in many children's lives, many who don't have a male role model at home.

The role of a teacher seemed a perfect fit for Mr Laird.

"I've always wanted to be a teacher, I love kids and watching them learn and grow,'' he said.

"This is my first job out of university and it has been great.

"Sunraysia really needs more male teachers - it is a benefit to schools and students to have more of them.''

Mr Warburton has been teaching for about 20 years and says teachers played an important role in children's lives.

"It evens up the role models in a child's life," he said.

"It also draws out more skills and aspects of education from a male point of view.

"There has always been a need for male teachers, females have always had a far higher ratio when it comes to teachers but the number of males has been continuing to drop.

"It was just a natural choice to become a teacher, it was always something I was interested in from high school and I really enjoy it," he said.

May 9, 2012

Go to website.

MenTeach E-News - April 2012

Bryan G Nelson — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:42:11 -0500

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MenTeach E-News
April 2012

1) Policies needed to employ men in ECE
2) Research project: Black male elementary school teachers
3) Black male teachers in the United States
4) Male teachers in Australia
5) Teacher Perceptions of Gender-Based Differences among Elementary School Teachers
6) Parents say, ‘I want Mr. Wells because I want a man.’
7) False abuse accusations against teachers
8) Are you an alien? Experiences of a male Primary School teacher
9) International Conference "Men in Early Childhood Education and Care" in Germany
10) The Innovators - Men in Child Care Conference in Scotland

ABOUT MenTeach
JOIN or DONATE to MenTeach
VOLUNTEER for MenTeach
Forward Our Message
To be Removed From the List

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1) Policies needed to employ men in ECE
Employers and a lack of policy are to blame for the shortage of male teachers in early childhood education, says a leading ECE expert. Dr. Sarah Farquhar, the national coordinator of ChildForum, has spent many years researching the role of men in ECE. She says there are plenty of men wanting to work in early childhood education, but the main barrier for them is to get a position in a centre. "There's a lack of direction for employers on the fact that they have the power to change the sector." This starts with advertising a position, Dr Farquhar says. Read the article: http://www.menteach.org/node/1891

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2) Research project: Black male elementary school teachers
Black male elementary school teachers are wanted to take part in a qualitative study about the reasons Black men from the Hip-Hop generation (born 1965-1984) become elementary school teachers. For contact information, go to: http://www.menteach.org/node/1896

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3) Black male teachers in the United States
Take a moment and think of all the teachers you had between pre-K and twelfth grade. Now, how many of them were black men? For most people, this question won't take too long to answer. That's because less than two percent of America's teachers are black men, according to the Department of Education. That is less than 1 in 50 teachers. Terris King, 25, a kindergarten teacher at the Bishop John T. Walker School in Washington D.C., believes that for African-American children, having a strong role model in front of them can make a huge difference. Read the entire article: http://www.menteach.org/node/1898

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4) Male teachers in Australia
The number of male teachers has grown 25 per cent since 2001. At the same time, the number of male teachers has dropped 2 per cent at the nation's public schools, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal. Schools have struggled to attract male teachers to the female-dominated profession. Teachers can earn more money in the non-government sector but there can also be more demands outside school hours, such as Saturday sport. The NSW Department of Education and Communities said the national trend was reflected at the state's schools but they also had a very low resignation rate. Read the story: http://www.menteach.org/node/1901

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5) Teacher Perceptions of Gender-Based Differences among Elementary School Teachers
The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of gender-based differences among elementary school teachers. In this mixed-methods study, the researcher utilized an online survey to collect data. Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant differences; however, qualitative analysis showed that there were more negative responses to survey statements pertaining to males. More than half of the participants perceived differences between female and male elementary teachers, including beliefs that female teachers are more nurturing, that male teachers are more laid back, and that male teachers are more dominant and commanding with students. Download the complete research study: http://www.menteach.org/node/1903

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6) Parents say, ‘I want Mr. Wells because I want a man.’
Most elementary schools in Clark and Champaign counties have only a handful of male teachers on staff, but men can be valuable in the classroom as role models for children, according to experts. About 8 percent of elementary school teachers in the area are male, according to a Springfield News-Sun analysis of Ohio Department of Education data. Twenty-five percent of teaching staff across all grades are male. “It’s just historically been that way,” said Sally Brannan, chair of the education department at Wittenberg University. “It’s our cultural view in the United States. “When they are in there, they’re such an asset in the classroom because they provide such good role models for the kids and they provide a different perspective in the classroom.” Read the report: http://www.menteach.org/node/1905

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7) False abuse accusations against teachers
Teachers across Canada are having their reputations ruined as increasing numbers get falsely accused of abusing their students, or acting inappropriately with them, experts say. "We are getting more and more 'teacher-talk' evidence and teacher narratives that clearly indicate that false accusations are on the rise," Jon Bradley, associate professor of education at McGill University, told CBCNews via email. "Active parents are making things, in some cases, very difficult," he said. University of Ottawa faculty of education professor Joel Westheimer told CBC's Ottawa Morning that incidents of false allegations used to be fairly rare in both Canada and the United States. Read the story and comments: http://www.menteach.org/node/1908

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8) Are you an alien? Experiences of a male Primary School teacher
[MenTeach: We search out male teachers blog posts and like to give MenTeach readers an opportunity to read them.]

Like an offer for the Greek Gods, one child brought me a dead bird in the playground. It was at the very least in keeping with the theme of ‘Olympic day’ and I adopted a discus stance as I threw it in a bush (the bird, not the child). The coach trip to the Olympic centre involved endless renditions of ‘I’m a real spring chicken’ and one case of vomiting. When we arrived at the centre we were greeted by Athenia, Apollo and Hermes or when they forgot and broke out of character, Sheila, Malcolm and Dave. Hermes, or Herpes as one child kept calling him, was our guide. Go to website: http://www.menteach.org/node/1910

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9) International Conference "Men in Early Childhood Education and Care" in Germany
The International Conference "Men in Early Childhood Education and Care" on the 27th and 28th of September 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

The Coordination Centre "Men in early childhood education" and the Faculty of Primary Education of the Humboldt University Berlin invites you to attend the international conference "Men in Early Childhood Education and Care: Strategies, experiences and perspectives”. The conference will be held on September 27/28th 2012 in Berlin and will be supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. To read the entire invitation: http://www.menteach.org/node/1849

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10) The Innovators - Men in Child Care Conference in Scotland
A groundbreaking International Conference hosted by two of the World's most innovative projects. If we can create confidence in a child at an early age, if we can make childcare more adventurous, outgoing and jointly enjoyable, if we can provide a positive male role model, will this help in creating a more positive teenager/adult with an outlook far healthier than the one they have at present? Go to website to register: http://www.menteach.org/node/1912

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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. http://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.

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The Innovators - Men in Child Care Conference in Scotland

Bryan G Nelson — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:34:26 -0500

Body:

A groundbreaking International Conference hosted by two of the World's most innovative projects. If we can create confidence in a child at an early age, if we can make childcare more adventurous, outgoing and jointly enjoyable, if we can provide a positive male role model, will this help in creating a more positive teenager/adult with an outlook far healthier than the one they have at present?

Edinburgh City Chambers
8 June 2012
9.30am-3.30pm

Go to website to register.

Are you an alien? Experiences of a male Primary School teacher

Bryan G Nelson — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:26:03 -0500

Body:

[MenTeach: We search out male teachers blog posts and like to give MenTeach readers an opportunity to read them.]

May 4, 2012

Go to website to read his blog posts