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One early childhood educator said he wanted to be a male role model for children. Others were drawn to teaching after becoming fathers. Several said they like teaching young children because it allows them to make a difference in their communities.

My first day in the classroom is one I’ll never forget. I was given a room of curious sophomore students — 43 of them.

I could feel the lump in my throat and every drop of sweat on my body. I was used to public speaking, and I felt good about what I would be teaching. But in that moment before the first bell rang, I actually thought about walking out.

Young people are often asked what they want to be when they grow up. While the answers range, the fact remains that its difficult for young people to envision themselves in a career or professional field when they don’t someone who looks like them already in that position.

For example, young girls may respond that they want to be a teacher because a majority of their teachers are female. But young boys, especially black boys, may struggle to see themselves as a teacher. And there’s a reason for that.

Stephen McKinney comes from a long line of educators and advocates in North Carolina. His mother and grandmother were elementary and middle school teachers, and his sister began her first year in the classroom last fall. His father was a prominent figure in the fight for LGBTQ equality in the state and still advocates for underrepresented communities today.

Children may have a hard time finding a male role model to look up to in the classroom.

Statistics show women greatly outnumber men as educators, a trend that is seen in classrooms across Greater Victoria.

Dave Eberwein, superintendent of the Saanich School District, recognises that students need to be able to relate to their teachers but does not think biological sex is much of a factor. “The most important thing is having at least one adult a child can relate to, that they trust and that believes in them.”

Being a male primary teacher can sometimes be lonely. Around one in 10 primary teachers are male and at times you can find yourself as the only man in the staff room, perhaps even the first male teacher in that school, ever. That being the case, I’m pleased to say that most of the time gender is not ultimately a factor and you don't think about it – you just crack on, doing your job the best you can.

Stuart Phillip Cleinman of Arlington, died on Thursday, February 7, 2019, at age 66. A lifelong Massachusetts resident - born April 7, 1952 in Fall River - he was elated to see the curse broken by the 2004 World Series, the first of four Red Sox titles he ultimately celebrated. He is survived by countless people who will miss his gregarious nature (in addition to his baked goods), including his wife of thirty-seven years Susan Janowitz, his children Matthew and Rebecca, his brother and sister-in-law Elliott and Maryellen, and so many more relatives and friends.

Race matters in the classroom, with black students who are exposed to a black teacher doing better in school, a new research report says.

Bemidji Area Schools leaders are considering ways to help existing staff become classroom teachers.

Is it important for a male student to be taught by a male teacher? Or a Chinese student to have a Chinese teacher? How about a Christian student being taught only in a convent?   

Researchers argue that your teacher’s gender, race and identity can affect your learning significantly.

That is, the more your teacher is like you, the more successfully you will learn in school.

Here are two reasons why.

Impactful Role-Modelling

You young men out there … so you want to do something really tough and brave, something to change the world, something adventurous, something really different?

Well, you could join the Marines, and you’d definitely do all of the above.

But you could also do “all of the above” by becoming an elementary school teacher.

I can personally vouch for the undeniable truth that all-of-the-above criteria are met in my job on a daily basis.

I am a diversity progressive who generally thinks that men have too much power. Because that is my worldview and because I am human, I am given to confirmation bias. In other words, I will look for cases that confirm my worldview – stories of men with too much power. But confirming your worldview is the opposite of what intellectuals ought to be doing.

I recently attended a babysitter training class. The day-long course, offered by the American Red Cross – on a Saturday – met in an unassuming building located in an industrial park. Truthfully, my daughter Zoe, soon to be 12, attended the class. I sat in the lobby, at the unoccupied reception desk, working on my laptop to finish a couple of pressing work projects.

It's National Teacher Appreciation Week, and many people are honoring those educators who have made a positive, significant, impact in their lives.

Students and staff at Clara Oliver Elementary School in Dallas are giving a special salute to math teacher Joseph Francis.

“He’s so intelligent,” said fourth grader Shanterria Woods.

Mr. Francis has become very popular with his students. They call Francis a man with a knack for making math fun.

"He explains things to me how I understand them,” said fourth-grader Tory Robertson.

Three out of four teachers in the San Antonio area are women, and just four percent are black, according to state data.

My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio is accepting applications through Aug. 7, with the aim of placing 30 men in internships at area schools this school year while they obtain alternative teacher certification through Education Service Center Region 20. They need to have their bachelor’s degree to qualify.