Men in teaching

[LegallyBlue]

My husband used to be a recording studio engineer but decided to become a teacher when we had children because the hours were much more family friendly. He trained as a secondary school Physics teacher but he's just about to start a new role as a primary school science teacher in a private primary school. It made more sense for us because it means a huge fee reduction for our own children and he's also getting some senior leadership responsibilities so it pays well.
Since telling people he's going to be teaching in a primary school, I've had a few comments from people. Comments like "don't you think it's weird he wants to spend all day around children?" and "I wouldn't trust him alone with the kids so much now you know what he's really like". Basically implying my husband is a paedophile.
It literally never even crossed my mind and I'm really shocked. I might expect this attitude from some old fashioned elderly people but some of these people are young and liberal friends of ours. Am I missing something here?

[FromMarch2020]

Wow how weird of the people that say that. Those comments say a lot about them - don't they trust themselves/partners etc around children!

Primary schools need more male teachers.

I hope he loves his new role. Distance yourself from people like that or put them right!

[BarefootHippieChick]

Quite frankly, in my kids primary, the year 5 and 6 male teachers were the best of the lot.

[Justaboy]

I wonder that they think of Male nurses with children!!???

[ErickBroch]

I agree it's absurd but years ago on the bus I heard some older women saying the same things! I thought it was mad.

[DdraigGoch]

I prefer them to have a male teacher actually.

Why? There are crap make teachers just the same as crap female teachers. How does them being in possession of a penis mean they’re going to be any good?
Because particularly in deprived areas, young boys don't have any good role models. Absent fathers and all-female teaching staff at primary schools mean that the only place they find a male to look up to is often in the gangs. There's a massive problem with underachievement where working class boys are concerned.

[Pepperwort]

Going against the grain slightly, I think it's unfair to simply judge them as being judgemental. Many of us females have bad experiences of men. It isn't that all males are paedophiles, but let's face it, sexual predators are nearly all (99% or thereabouts) male. I am, thanks to my experiences, a bit more nervous around strange men. It takes a little while to build trust. There is nothing wrong with that. Teaching is a career requiring a DBS and a clean record, so teachers do get a bit more trust than otherwise. Infractions do still happen though.

I don't much care for the other extreme shown on this thread either, that male teachers are automatically better. That's coming from the idea that men automatically have more authority than women, which comes from their higher social status.

[Nanny0gg]

I might expect this attitude from some old fashioned elderly people but some of these people are young and liberal friends of ours. Am I missing something here?

I was sympathetic till I read this. As an 'elderly' (late 60s) person, I would like to point out that there were at least 4 male teachers in my primary school plus the HT and they taught me in Years 4, 5 and 6.

When I left working in schools a few years ago, we had 4 male teachers out of 12. And my DGD was taught by a man in Reception.

I'd like to tell you what you're 'missing,' but I'd be in trouble for extreme rudeness.

[Hamm87]

My sons teacher is Male and is the best teacher he has had so far

[LJenn]

First of all ... what .. the .. hell?!?
Second of all, yeah because women NEVVVVER commit offences. Jesus who are these people? Because it seems as if THEY need to be educated and not the kids.

That's awful OP I'm horrified. And wtf do they mean by, you know what he's like???🙈🙈

[RandomLondoner]

This makes no sense to me. SURELY if you were going to be that outrageous you'd say male teachers around GCSE and A Level students is more of a risk, as they hit puberty and can be more sexually aware?

I remember (as a pupil of about that age) a female teacher telling us that male teachers in the staff-room would look out the windows and comment on the girls they fancied. The comment didn't really register much with me, I probably didn't find it surprising. (Maybe I would have felt differently if I were female. I don't recall anyone else thinking it worth of discussion though.) It was a school where most of the staff were male. (Thinking about it, of nine teachers in my final year timetable, only one was female.)

[fairlyplump]

Weird friends you have! Like saying all men who like children are paedophiles. Never hear such utter rubbish in my life !

[PurpleDaisies]

Quite frankly, in my kids primary, the year 5 and 6 male teachers were the best of the lot.

My sons teacher is Male and is the best teacher he has had so far

There are great male teachers. This is not because they are male. This is because they are great teachers.

You never hear people saying “I had this female doctor once and she was brilliant” or “the best dentist I ever saw was a woman”.

[lemmathelemmin]

Well some men go in to teaching for the close contact to children.

[LemonadeAndDaisyChains]

"I wouldn't trust him alone with the kids so much now you know what he's really like"

Your FRIEND said this?! Did you pull them up on it? I'd be asking what on earth they were trying to say.
They'd be an ex friend very shortly, sound utter batshit.
The best primary teacher there was at ds' school was male, he was brilliant.
MN never ceases to amaze that there's some very weird, prejudiced and bigoted people still out there sadly

[Pepperwort]

the only place they find a male to look up to is often in the gangs. That's a reasonable point though.

There was a thread recently about just how common paedophilia is. We're living a woke age and some people just like to virtue signal.

[Nanny0gg]

I didn't say only elderly people have outdated views. I said I would be more likely to expect outdated views from elderly people for the obvious reason that people often retain views from their own youth beyond a time that society has moved on. It's a fact. Stop trying to be offended.

I'm not 'trying'. I am offended. Especially as it's some 'young and liberal' friends of ours.

Not so liberal as they make out then, eh?

As an 'elderly' person I wouldn't have thought anything of a man training to teach primary children.

[clarepetal]

Weirdos! I don't think there are enough primary school male teachers, good for him!x

[bengalcat]

I’d give them a wide berth . Primary schools need more male teachers - they’re an asset . As are both sexes of course . I have fond memories of the few male teachers I had at school .

[catgotyourbrain]

Um,
My Dad is a retired primary head teacher. My kids school had an (unusual) equal mix of male and female teachers. It was brilliant.

Absolute piffle and your friends need reeducating themselves. We need more men in teaching, same as we need more women in engineering.

[MrsToothyBitch]

Your friends are being ridiculous. I am sure there are questionable male staff out there - as a very small minority, but women can and do harm and exploit children, too. In lower numbers yes, but there are far more of them in the profession.

I trained as a primary teacher- PGCE 2012-2013 although I don't practice. There were quite a few men on my course, and the ones I knew were all lovely men - as were most of the secondary trainees I encountered. I can't account for the quality of their practice but I certainly didn't worry about them from a safe guarding perspective. The uni was also really happy to have an increasing male intake- thoroughly vetted of course! Similarly all the men I encountered already teaching or who have joined the profession since have given me no cause for safe guarding concern. I've only come across one male primary teacher who I reckoned wasn't much cop- and that was based on his teaching, and two secondary trainees (one of whom my concerns weren't based on his practice). I think it's a positive thing for children of all ages to have male and female teachers.

I had no male primary teachers myself (all girls school although they've hired some since, they were fab) but the few men who taught me in secondary were great and mostly very popular. Good teachers and nice men although we nearly always went to the female staff for pastoral issues - all girls again. Similarly, when I went to a boys boarding school which took girls in the VI form for A-Level, unsurprisingly masters were the majority rather than mistresses. The majority of my classes were taught by men and unpopular staff male or female were unpopular across the student body at large due to their personalities and teaching styles, rather than their sex. The one time a master had been accused of anything - well before my time-, he threw himself off Beachy Head. The claimant then admitted he'd made it up. The only suspect male I encountered in my own school days was an IT tech arrested due to paedophilia.

[TheWaspsAreEverywhere]

My youngest daughter has just had the most amazing male teacher in her final year at primary school, and my partner is an additional support needs teacher in a different school. He works in quite a deprived area, and I think it is important for children in those circumstances to have good male role models. I met him when my children were 9 and 12, and have never even for a second had any worries or concerns about him being around them, nor thought it odd that he is a teacher. He absolutely loves his job, loves knowing that he's making a difference, and I love talking to him about his work.

[BogRollBOGOF]

DS2 has missed out on this short school year with the only male teacher in the school who is brilliant. DS1 will probably never have him because of the way he jumped down year groups.

The only relevance that his sex has is that he is a positive male role model in a sea of female role models, and to many children, especially boys, that matters.

They also had a lovely male worker at nursery. Again, it was really positive to have a male role model... although maybe DS2 didn't need the encouragement to boot balls onto the roof continually

[Sarahandco]

There definitely needs to be more male teachers in primary schools! your friends are bonkers

[redbigbananafeet]

I'm a primary teacher. I don't believe you.

[FloreanFortescue]

It just goes to show that sexism works both ways. I've been working in primary schools for 14 years and I've worked with a grand total of 5 males in that time. Men are shockingly underrepresented. A poor Male colleague was once called "Easy on the eye Mr. {insert rhyming surname} because men are such a novelty in primary schools.