Editorials

Bringing up the paedophile hysteria of the past is not going to help raise the number of men working in early childhood education, a leading ECE expert says.

[MenTeach: Here's the interview of Peter Reynolds]

Ask someone about Title IX and he or she is likely to tell you that it has to do with girls and sports. Ask many educators this question, and you are likely to receive a similar (but far windier) answer.

Title IX was legislation passed in 1972 that reads: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal assistance."

Perhaps those who are surprised think it strange for a man to be going into teaching young children. That is valid, as there are not many male teachers. But the idea that men are not as suited for teaching as women is a cop-out.

I find this notion similar to the expectation that female doctors are somehow inferior, despite going through all the same training that their male counterparts have seen. Even though both viewpoints are remarkably narrow-minded, they are shared, whether consciously or subconsciously, by many.

The recent statistics released by the General Teaching Council for England on the number of male teachers in schools, particularly primary schools, are concerning. While there has been a small (0.6%) increase in the number of primary schools that have at least one male teacher, over a quarter (27.2%) still do not. Overall, only 12% of primary school teachers are male.

MenTeach.org: Our work has exploded because of the internet. More and more men can reach out and hear from other men. In particular you can see other men and women videotaping and then posting interviews of men teaching. It's hopeful and inspiring - it helps to mitigate one of the biggest obstacles for men entering and staying in the profession - isolation.

We're attending the 2011 World Forum Conference in Hawai'i where there is a large network of men and women that want more men to teach. It's been an interesting gathering. I've realized that we have really moved a long way from when I first began working on this efforts.

Washington Post education blogger Valerie Strauss featured my article, "We Need More Men Teaching our Kids,"  on her daily blog, The Answer Sheet. This is way cool!

In a piece called "Do We Need More Male Teachers?"  she wrote, "If you believe, as I do, that teaching (and teaching well) is as important a job as any, then it is equally important that young people see both men and women actively involved."

Sitting at a table hanging out with some guys that is sponsored by the Men in Education Network (M.E.N.) Interest Forum at the National Association for the Education of Young Children conference and National Black Child Development Institute. We've been looking at the conference program and we're noticing more and more events about men, boys and fathers.

[MenTeach: We thought this was an interesting perspective about dealing with the global economic crisis. Perhaps using the current situation as an opportunity would be an effective strategy for recruiting unemployed men to consider teaching.]

The State Budget Crisis is having a huge impact on programs. Many of you have probably already heard of State Preschools turning in their contracts and closing centers. Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies have reduced services and cancelled trainings.

MenTeach: Every year there is a National Poetry Slam in the United States. It is where individuals and teams compete performing their poems. It's not the poetry of your childhood. It's live, active and quite exciting to see.

Be warned that the content may have objectionable words and gestures:

I posted an ad on Craigslist this week and found myself in the new economy.

With my older son leaving for college soon, I need to hire afternoon help, someone to drive my younger son from school and to activities, and to do cleaning and shopping and errands to round out the job. It has been more than a year since I last looked to hire for a position like this, and I expected many of the changes out there -- more people answering the ad, willing to work for less money, bringing experience that far exceeds the job requirements.

I do not have solid proof, but I believe that the public school experience of my generation of black males in Jim Crow's South was far superior to that of most young African-American males in today's public schools anywhere in the nation.

Washington Post "On Parenting" contributor Brian Reid let loose a little parenting secret: He would never hire a male tutor for his elementary-aged daughter. In "Little Girls, College Guys--and Nervous Parents," Reid writes:

My friend recently came to visit and lend a hand with the birth of our new son. As we sat in the midst of diapers, toys and dirty clothes, we said our good-byes as my husband and daughter headed toward the door to go to preschool. My husband, with a guitar on his back, adjusted our four-year-old daughter's piggy-tail one last time and bent down to fix her shoe.

More than a quarter of England's primary schools do not have a male teacher. This is the conclusion of a - for once - interesting and worthwhile Government survey.

Our son, who started school last September, is the only boy in his year. Most of the time he's happy enough but, every so often, declares himself "fed up of girls".