Why do some educators believe we need more men in early childhood classrooms?

YOUR TURNYOUR TURN

• Do youDo you believe that we need believe that we need more men more men inin early childhood early childhood classrooms?classrooms? Y/N Y/N

My First impression/thoughts

My first reaction to my own question was yes we need more males because children need someone at school who can be (in some senses) a father figure.

A father figure to me means a sensitive man who

helps, guides, directs and disciplines in love.

The Research

I asked 4 questions to 20 people either over facebook or email.2) Do you think we need more male teachers in early

childhood classrooms?3) Why/ Why not?4) Do you think males that teach in early childhood classrooms

need certain types of attributes?5) If so, what kind of attributes?Out of 20 people I got 12 who replied. That’s about 60%.

Do all educators believe we need more male teachers? …No

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Yes No, Other

The answers

1) Do we need more male ECE educators?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Yes No/Other

Women

Men

Do we need more male ECE educators?

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

5

Yes No/Other

Profs

Field

Pre Service

Do we need more male ECE educators?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Yes No/Other

20-30 yrs

30-40 yrs

40-50+ yrs

2) Why/Why Not?

* This was mentioned in other’s comments on the “Yes” side as well.

4) There is not a binary yes/no answer. It depends on the context and what the needs of the community are.

4) Males have a certain authority over their class.

3) The best person for the job should get the job, regardless of gender*.

3) Children from single parent families especially need male teachers.

2) We need as many enthusiastic educators as possible in ECE, regardless of gender.

2) So the “scales” are rebalanced and there is equity and proportional representation of males and females.

1) The sexes do not need to be represented equally.

1) Children, especially boys, need a positive male role model.

NO’S/OTHER THEMESYES THEMES

Why/Why Not?

* This was mentioned in other’s comments on the “Yes” side as well.

“one of the reasons that ECE works so well is that it is very “motherly” (for lack of a better word) in its nature and implementation and is balanced out by a stable male role model.” –male pre-service teacher

4) There is no yes/no answer. It depends on the context and what the needs of the community are.

4) Males have a certain authority over their class.

Assumption: Males have more control and authority over their classrooms then females.

3) The best person for the job should get the job, regardless of gender*.

3) Children from single parent families especially need male teachers.

Assumption: Male ECE teachers will automatically fall into a father figure role for a child.

Assumption 2: Can you think of another one?

2) We need as many enthusiastic educators as possible in ECE, regardless of gender.

2) So the “scales” are rebalanced and there is equity and proportional representation of males and females.

Assumption: It is better for children to learn from male and female teachers over just females.

1) The sexes do not and should not need to be represented equally.

1) Children, especially boys, need a positive male role model.

Assumption: All male ECE teachers will be “good” role models.

NO’S/OTHERYES assumptions

You Tube video

Paving the Way for Men1.40-2.40Does anyone agree or disagree with what

he says?

3) Do you think males that teach in early childhood classrooms need to have

certain types of attributes?

• 10 out of 12 people mentioned that the attributes are not gender specific but teacher specific. Do you agree or disagree?

4) Attributes

Relates well to peopleCelebrates others

Values learningNon aggressive mannerisms

InitiativeUnderstanding

Honour the diversity of children

Good listener

Mindfulness

Imagination

Passionate about culturePresent in the moment

MoralCompassion

Responsible to authoritySensitive

Considerate of ConsequencesKind

Creative-2Empathy

Love for teaching-2Gentle

Fun-2Patience-3

Driven-2Care/ing-2

Some quotes from those surveyed“I think education is always improving regardless of whether it is a male or female

educator. When it comes down to the basics I think the better “man” should get the job.” –female pre service teacher.

“I do think that we need more male teachers in the classroom, [but] I do not think it should outnumber the female teacher population because females do tend to have a natural nurturing attribute. Females tend to be more comfortable and sympathetic towards students and children.” – male pre service teacher.

“In a workforce dominated by women, and a deep decline in youth discipline, I believe we need men to step up, and begin to step up early.” –male teacher in the field.

“I also think that identity is threaded by multiple strands, gender being one strand and that who the ‘person’ is, what her or his attributes, capacity and so on are, matter greatly.” –female professor in the ECE program.

Discussion

A Quote from S. Smedley

“Although teaching young children is described as a feminized occupation, there exists a masculine, managerialist culture, which constitutes men as natural, dynamic and effective teachers. These discourses, which have histories, protect hierarchies, sustain inequalities and routinely produce difference. The classroom operates as a site for the production of heterosexual masculinity. Men teachers’ performances, accentuated by a context often thought of as feminized, can also work to transform that context.”

-From pg. 380 of S. Smedley’s Learning to be a primary school teacher

Interpretation of Data

I think that everyone’s opinions and ideas about this topic are connected to their own pedagogy, beliefs and life experiences, and no one’s answer is right or wrong.

I see that out of the research I have done, the majority of people I asked believe that there needs to be more males in early childhood education.

Do you think this research is accurate? Or do you think the results could somehow be flawed.

Even though we are discussing an area where males are the minority, I would argue that some of the ideas that were brought out through this presentation are rooted in hegemonic masculinity. Anyone agree or disagree? Examples?

Any comments on the data? From what you have seen or read, how would you interpret this?

Re-visiting my first response/ What I have learned

The initial question was: Why do some educators believe we need more men in early childhood classrooms?

I see that my own initial response had gender assumptions attached to it.

• I assumed all men who went into the ECE program would be the “loving, caring, and compassionate” type.

• Therefore I assumed they would make good role models.

• I assumed that children have a better learning experience when they are taught by both males and females.

• I assumed that there was something a male could give that a women could not.

Re-count

• Now that we have analysed this concept in greater detail, does your answer change?