To get weary of the stance re male teachers

[GetSomeCatsOut]

AIBU to get a little fed up with the attitude expressed by some that a teacher is superior in the classroom (particularly but not always) the primary classroom?

I have actually had people say to my face 'that class needs a MAN!' or in the case of male candidates for interview 'oh fantastic; that's just what we need!'

It seems acceptable to be casually sexist in a way that the equivalent prejudice in say racism wouldn't be expressed.

Have others experienced this?

[WorraLiberty]

I think ideally the teachers should represent the demographic they teach

I would agree that in some schools, that would certainly be beneficial.

For example, my friend works in a school with quite a growing number of families from one particular culture, where girls are very much expected to marry, have children and to not work outside of the home. It's quite common for most (if not all) the women in their families to have never had careers.

So when they see female teachers of the same culture, who have teaching careers within their school, that at least opens their minds to other possibilities outside of their 'family norm'.

In the same way that many children in this borough have experienced a high number of feckless/absent/never employed males dipping in and out of their lives.

So when they see positive, hard working men in their school as well as women, that will at least (hopefully) open their minds to other possibilities outside of their family norm.

I can only see it as a good thing and one that there certainly has been suggestions for (from women) in this borough.

[WorraLiberty]

Male teachers are overwhelmingly given KS2 - usually year 5 or 6.

I wonder why that is.

I expect one reason is the 'paedophile around every corner' hysteria.

I don't think I've ever heard of a woman being asked why she wants to work with small children, yet I most definitely have heard the same thing being asked of men.

I've read many times on MN, mothers saying they're not totally comfortable with male nursery nurses/child minders etc.

So perhaps those men have been well and truly given that 'message' by society.

[GetSomeCatsOut]

And when that does happen, it's pointed out thag to discriminate against somebody because of their sex is illegal.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

Teaching is a public sector job.
There is no excuse for the public sector to not reflect the make up of our society.
Therefore more male teachers = good thing, and more female professors = good thing, and more female HTs = good thing.

But I dong think anyone is disagreeing that discrimination (assuming a man has 'the edge') is a good thing.

[Mehitabel6]

I think it is such a shame that men are thought to be suspect if they want to teach in the early years. There have been several threads on MN where mothers have not wanted the man to do the whole job- apparently they are not to be trusted to take a child to the toilet! You will never get the much needed balance with that attitude and the children miss out.

[ApocalypseThen]

Well, I'd like to know how those who want more male teachers plan to get young men into the profession. They don't want to do it - it's a low status, low paid job and men with the level of qualification needed to teach will achieve more in other industries and they know it.

Teaching has gone from largely male to largely female and in the process has lost prestige and rank as a profession as all professions which are largely staffed by women do.

Further, it seems you can't keep male teachers in the classroom once they qualify. They climb the ladder to management very rapidly leaving class teaching as soon as possible. How are you going to force them to not apply for promotion and force those promoting them to not see their brilliant penises as management material?

Until you can make teaching an attractive, high status and well paid job again, you're just going to have to put up with women teachers, rubbish and all as they are.

It's also not like engineering or other male dominated industries. That comparison is quite invalid because men have fled teaching. Women were never equally represented in engineering.

[ApocalypseThen]

There have been several threads on MN where mothers have not wanted the man to do the whole job- apparently they are not to be trusted to take a child to the toilet!

Hmmm. That may be connected to the amount of sexual and physical abuse of children that did happen when men were the majority of teachers. We could pretend that it wasn't the case that every school had at least one notorious toucher, but that would be a lie.

[littlejohnnydory]

I love the fact that there are two male teachers in dd's school. I love the fact that my dd as well as my ds see a physically large man who plays rugby being kind and caring to small children. I love the fact that they both have strong male and female role models. I am pleased that they trust both male and female caregivers to help them when they need it. I'd be pleased if they had positive role models from other nationalities too.

[echt]

That may be connected to the amount of sexual and physical abuse of children that did happen when men were the majority of teachers.

When were men the majority of teachers?

We could pretend that it wasn't the case that every school had at least one notorious toucher, but that would be a lie.

Frankly bizarre assertion. Any evidence for this at all?

[PurpleDaisies]

That may be connected to the amount of sexual and physical abuse of children that did happen when men were the majority of teachers. We could pretend that it wasn't the case that every school had at least one notorious toucher, but that would be a lie.

What a ridiculous statement.

[WorraLiberty]

Men have never been the majority of teachers in Primary schools in my lifetime and I'm 46 years old.

I attended Primary school during the 70s and the staff was entirely female until I started year 5, and there was one male teacher.

The only males we ever saw were those visiting the school to deliver music lessons or occasionally drama.

[TTWK]

That may be connected to the amount of sexual and physical abuse of children that did happen when men were the majority of teachers. We could pretend that it wasn't the case that every school had at least one notorious toucher, but that would be a lie.

And this folks, is one of the main reasons there a so few male primary teachers. It's not because it's low status, badly paid or "women's work", it's because of paedophobic nonsense like the above and the suspicion that there's something a bit deviant about a man wanting to work with young kids.

And, for the record, men have never been the majority of primary teachers, and as for "every school had at least one notorious toucher", what a load of paedohysterical claptrap.

[Mrsfrumble]

My son will have a male teacher for his pre-k year (equivalent to Reception), starting next month. I admit I was quite pleased because I know it's unusual for men to teach early years, and I thought it might help prevent against DS absorbing the stereotype that looking after small children is just a woman's job. I'm currently a SAHM and DH works long hours, so we're not exactly doing a great job ourselves!

Of course I'll change my mind if he turns out to be a crap teacher.

[lostoldlogin]

My son's father is completely absent. I was delighted when he had a male key worker at nursery and I would be delighted if he gets a male teacher at primary school.

Boys need male role models and lots of them do not have them.

[MidniteScribbler]

When I first graduated, I applied for a teaching position. I was actually told that I made the final two, but they gave it to the other candidate because they 'wanted another male teacher on staff'. I was pretty furious. I ended up being hired by them for another teaching position that came up later. I found out that he had only received passes in all of his degree, I had high distinctions and an honours degree (and was already working on my masters). There is no way I should have been passed over for him, it should be about the best candidate, regardless of race or what is between their legs. BTW, he lasted less than a year as a teacher, he's now working as a personal trainer at my gym.

[Mehitabel6]

I went to primary school in 50s and it was the same then - mainly women. My best teacher was a man and it is frankly ridiculous to say that every school had a notorious teacher- that is why we don't get more men where we really need them.

[HamishBamish]

I think it's good to have male teachers in primary schools, from a balance perspective. It was one of the reasons we chose the school we did. DS2 had a male teacher last year and he was brilliant. He ways in an early years class and there were no issues with the parents.

[OneInEight]

It's not that they are "male" but that they can bring a different perspective to the classroom because they often have a different set of interests such as History, Science or Sport. Not saying that some female teachers aren't interested in these things but in our experience it has been the male teachers who have been able to really engage my ds's in learning. Even at primary there is an enormous difference to being taught by someone who has a strong interest in a topic to someone who has learnt just enough to cover the prepared lesson. For the same reason I quite like it when they alternate between a younger and an older teacher because each brings something different to the classroom.

[Nectarines]

I think there's a lot of presumption with male primary teachers. I've experienced it a lot. They are, in my experience, not judges as stringently at interview. Male and female candidates teach equal standard lesson but male has advantage because he is male.

Also, who's to say male teachers always provide good reason role models? I've worked with some who have terrible attitudes, treat the classroom contemptuously, as a stepping stone to management roles and still parents love 'having a male teacher'.

Of course there are females who behave the same way too, but it's fair to say that you get good and bad male and female teachers though the parents and governors seem to have a skewed opinion.

[Nectarines]

Oh the typos! Sorry!

[Golfhotelromeofoxtrot]

^^ yy to all of nectarian's post

[woolymum]

we are lucky in that my dc will be taught by several male teachers while at primary.
why lucky? because i like the diversity and one of them i very well known for being an excellent teacher and is loved by the kids. we have also had some fantastic female teachers who i really hope i see again in the dc's classrooms.
in terms of teachers that i hope we will never see again, well that list is also evenly split to one male, one female.
i think it is appalling when anyone is hired (or not hired) based on the contents of their pants, but to say that male teachers are always hired purely because they are male rather does them a diservice.
And i also think that it is good to have kids taught by a range of genders. yes, some boys may work harder to impress young female teachers, but surely some kids will also work harder to impress their male teachers too? when you hear of bad behaviour at school it is always the same names time and time again, so i don't see any harm in kids having a range of teachers to break this bad behaviour cycle.

[derxa]

I like having men in the staffroom to talk about things like the Champion's League and sport generally. They lighten the mood.

[GetSomeCatsOut]

And this is where sexism and gender inequality live.

[siblingrevelryagain]

I'm glad my boys have male teachers, purely because it shows explicitly that being a teacher isn't a 'women's job', which is what has been said previously by the alpha male kid in my eldest's class (he can only have got this from his alpha-Dad!). It's obvious nonsense to us as adults, but to an 8 year old who's desperately conscious of what is 'for girls' and what is 'for boys', it can be these comments that stick.

Since the arrival of two hip young male teachers it has served to make the profession cool and aspirational again.

I realise that it should've been all along, but however we get there surely it's a good thing if the next generation of men are encouraged to aspire to a career in teaching?

Aside from this, there are no discernible differences in the experience of my kids being taught by women or men. It depends on the quality of teaching, nurturing and sense of fun, not sex.