Get Schooled

By SET

September 26, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

The big issue is the femminization of education - by that I mean the values put forth in primary and secondary schools. Men still exist in military schools and private schools than follow a more paternal model of instruction and values in general.

Men (in large numbers) don’t like to work in nurturing environments. Not our thing. Authoritarianism is out in public schools in favor of collectivism and concensus. Women can have it.

By Concerned Teacher

September 26, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

Not enough pay and men normally move up to in leadership positions.

By Dragonlady

September 26, 2007 2:14 PM | Link to this

It’s simple. They can’t support a family on what a teacher makes. And it’s a shame, too, because we need men in the classroom. We have 3 excellent male teachers in my school, and all three have just decided they would rather be poor while happily teaching than doing something else.

By Bridget Gutierrez

September 26, 2007 2:19 PM | Link to this

Concerned: Initially, I thought that might be the case, too. That is, that men may not be in the classrooms, but they’re certainly in the central office.

Then I looked at the data. Women actually dominate administrative jobs, too. And we’re not talking about the secretarial pool here. Those jobs include special education directors, principals, human resource officers and superintendents.

Three-fourths of the curriculum directors in the state are women.

Overall, the proportion of males to females in administrative jobs this year is: 35 percent (male) to 65 percent (female).

So, want to take another crack at the question?

By Jeff

September 26, 2007 2:43 PM | Link to this

I gotta go with SET on this one.

Male teachers will want to enforce discipline.

Modern schools don’t truly want this.

Hence, they don’t really want male teachers.

The number one reason I finally told Bobby Jenkins to go F himself was due to lack of discipline. Most male teachers that I’ve known that have left have had similar reasons.

Honestly, for some, the money was the issue.

For most, it has been the discipline.

By Don't be so rude, Bridget!

September 26, 2007 2:55 PM | Link to this

Bridget, why did you snap at ‘Concerned’ like that??

Actually, she/he(?) was correct. You just gave the percentages, but you can’t read them. (Didn’t teach math??)

You said: About 19% of teachers are male. You also said: About 35% of administrators are male! That’s a huge difference (we’ll call it ‘rise’ for you!). If only 1 in 5 teachers are male, but over 1 in 3 administrators are male, then…..can’t you do the math??

So, ‘Concerned’ is correct, and you should not snap like that! Instead of snarling, “Want to take another crack?” Just apologize!

By Stacey

September 26, 2007 2:58 PM | Link to this

I agree with SET on this one. Men (IMO) aren’t as nurturing as women and are less able and/or willing to adapt to the politically correct, feel good, everyone is equal “stuff” being touted these days. Another factor could be parents paranoia over male teachers. There was a blog several months ago asking if it was appropriate for a male teacher to hug a student and I was floored by the number of people who said they felt that male teachers were pedophiles (or something of that sort).

I, for one, wish that there were more male teachers because I think too many kids are missing that male authority figure in their lives. While I realize that it’s not the teacher’s job to be a father to his students, like it or not, that how it often works out. I think it’s better for a kid to have a strict, male elementary school teacher than a strict, male parole officer.

By jim d

September 26, 2007 3:08 PM | Link to this

Not to mention that most men won’t continue to put up with a lot of crap from their employer—before moving on.

By JustMe

September 26, 2007 3:10 PM | Link to this

The men in teaching that I know are shown ‘sexism’ against them. The women in power tend to belittle them for whatever reason.

Interestingly, the students seem to love men teachers.

By oh, I could go on forever

September 26, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this

1) Guys think it makes them look too feminine. 2) Their friends might make fun of them! 3) With men, it’s assumed they couldn’t do “anything else.” 4) Their parents might encourage them not to. 5) Their parents may not pay for their college education, if that is their major! 6) Parents will treat them as pedophiles whenever they take an interest in a child - even tying a shoelace. 7) Many (I didn’t say all!) female teachers will try to make their lives hard and will laugh when they face difficulties. 8) They unfortunately learn to dread the question, “What do you do?” 9) They can’t support an entire family on the pay. 10) They won’t be allowed to discipline! 11) They will get sick of seeing how to fix the problem, but not getting listened to! Men flee the crazy boat faster…we have to learn how to catch up! 11) They won’t be allowed to succeed on their “own.” They are forced into sinking or swimming as a group. For some reason, this doesn’t bother females as much (WHY???). 12) Oh, if I only had a day……….

By Old School

September 26, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this

I think it takes a special kind of man with a special kind of heart to become a teacher. My husband taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Georgia History and Social Studies for over 31 years at a small K-8 school in our county. For many of those years he was the only male faculty member and one of only 3 men (principal and custodian and him) on the staff.

Neither of us went into teaching for the money, glory, or even the respect we might get for just being teachers. We both simply love teaching and young people.

My husband was amazing. He brought history to life and the students at that school blew the tops out of standardized tests. His geography students were consistently tops in our school system and often in our entire region. He taught both our daughters and they still talk about how much he brought to the classes.

Teaching has given us a comfortable life. We’ve been enriched by the countless students and their families over the years…even the challenging ones. I’ve been privileged to know a number of male elementary and middle school teachers who were/are as remarkable in their love for the profession as my husband. One kindergarten teacher in particular will always stand out in my mind as the best example ever of what any teacher ought to strive to become. He connected with his charges and nurtured them with rare insight.

I am humbled that, at the end of own my career, one of my former students wants my teaching position. It will mean a cut in pay for him but he wants to teach others like I taught him. I am truly humbled that he feels that way.

By Jeff

September 26, 2007 3:47 PM | Link to this

Old School:

I know it feels amazing to you, but your advice to him should be to run as far away as fast as possible from teaching.

My own motivations for going into teaching were in large part similar to his - I wanted to reach kids the same way that I had been reached.

We saw how disastrous THAT was!

By HB

September 26, 2007 4:07 PM | Link to this

Jeff, why after her husband’s and her own wonderful experiences should OldSchool discourage a prospective teacher just because you hated it? Not all teachers regret their choice and want to get out. I’m glad you’ve found a career that you are better suited to, but perhaps teaching will be a good fit for this young man.

By Bridget Gutierrez

September 26, 2007 4:08 PM | Link to this

Don’t: Good grief! Y’all take things much, much too seriously sometimes.

I was not trying to be rude. I was trying to be friendly and light-hearted.

To be clearer about my math: I was looking at the issue of proportions. That is, what is the ratio of males to females, both in the classrooms and in administrative positions?

In both cases, women dominated. So, whether you look at it from a teaching or administrative perspective, men are underrepresented in K-12 education. That was the only point I was trying to make.

If that was not what Concerned was getting at, then I apologize for misunderstanding.

By Tony

September 26, 2007 4:21 PM | Link to this

Could there be a link between the decline of male teachers and the elimination of the draft for military? It seems to me that several teachers I had in school in the 60s and 70s had avoided the draft by going into education.

By Don't be so rude, Bridget!

September 26, 2007 4:21 PM | Link to this

Bridgit - But you just said it again! It’s about proportions! Pleeeeease look back at Statistics class. It doesn’t ‘matter’ that women dominate in both areas. That is not the true math. What you look at for the “truth” here is proportions - just like you said! PROPORTIONS! Meaning, if men make up just 19% of the teaching force, then you would “expect” them to make up around 19% of the administrative force. But that is not the case! It jumps from 19% to a whopping 35%. So, according to “proportions,” as you call them, Concerned is absolutely correct. The fact that women still ‘win’ in each means nothing, mathematically. Thank you for pointing that out, Concerned!

By thomas

September 26, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this

All of you are off.

Here is why there are very few male teachers, especially at the elementary level.:

*Most principals DO NOT want male teachers working at their school. Case closed.

What many people don’t understand is that education is a “closed shop”. Only certain kinds of people can find work within the school system. If you do not fit the mold, you don’t even get a callback. Young, attractive, white girls are the first choice for many principals. Next up is older, experienced white women. Finally, you MIGHT see an occasional white male get a interview. The only places anybody else might get a shot is in the “hood”.

Think about. ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IS FILLED WITH WOMEN WHO LOOK, ACT, AND SMELL ALIKE. THEY THINK ALIKE. THEY ARE LIKE WIDGETS OFF AN ASSEMBLY LINE. I can go out in public and immediately pick out a teacher. They even wear the same hairstyle.

By Jeff

September 26, 2007 4:29 PM | Link to this

HB:

If the guy is as good in his field as I am in programming, and the primary reason he is going in is because he wants to have an impact on kids like Old School did on him, the BEST thing she can do is to tell him to keep his job, but that she is flattered.

Now, if, on the other hand, the guy will play the games necessary for teaching and not mind the tons of BS he will have to put up with, he may well be able to cut it.

Maybe he has other additional reasons. If he does, GREAT. But if modeling Old School is his primary motivation, he WILL fail. Better for her to at least TRY to save him now than for him to think he has failed her later. TRUST me, I know all too well how devastating it can be to feel like you have failed a mentor.

To this day, NO ONE disputes my subject matter expertise. But that did not make me a great “teacher” in the modern sense of the word, nor did it make it particularly enjoyable for me.

I fear the same could be the case for this guy, and I am simply urging caution.

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 4:46 PM | Link to this

I agree with what seems to be the consensus: too little money, not enough authority (or if you prefer, too much BS). My husband has often expressed how he might really enjoy teaching and coaching, but simply can’t afford to — and wouldn’t be able to put up with the administrative BS. He likens it to the military all the time: one can be quite successful as an enlisted member, but at the same time, the stupidity you have to deal with can numb your brain.

(On a related note, I think that male teachers probably have less parental BS to handle. I think women, particularly young women or small women, tend to be subjected to parents who think they can bully us, more than they might feel similarly about a 200+-pound man.)

By SET

September 26, 2007 4:49 PM | Link to this

I agree with Thomas that female teacher clones are predominant - and once in power they won’t hire anything other than themselves. So much for diversity.

Political Correctness can’t survive in any kind of academic/intellectual open environment. Maybe men are less likely to be PC. So they don’t hang around the failure factories.

But reading this thread made me think of something else. Is it possible that some people are still getting education more like the past - complete with male teachers? Are their any readers from the expensive private schools who can tell us what life is like there?

I noticed a Republic Bank ad - you know, the Beverly Hills type Private Bank people, who run print ads with the ruling class type customers smugly looking into the camera and talking about how happy they were with this bank no one has heard of and never seen (Offices in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, etc..). The ad was a “Headmaster” of a Southern CA private secondary school. Male, of course. I looked up the school’s website.

I suppose he’s paid so much he needs to call a courier to come collect the money, and he poses for Bank Ads. The rest can stand in line at Bank Of America or even worse, Wells Fargo.

Anyway - I’d bet that that school has male teachers.

I have a book by Andrew Hacker - “Two Nations Black and White. Separate, Hostile, Unequal” pub. 1992. Wish he’d do an update.

Brave New World.

By Bridget Gutierrez

September 26, 2007 4:57 PM | Link to this

Don’t: As I said, perhaps I misunderstood Concerned’s initial point.

I was making another, separate point, which I tried to clarify for you.

The fact that there are more men in administrative positions than men in classrooms doesn’t discount the fact that there are still more women than men working in both classrooms and administration –- which is the context for the discussion.

By Janine

September 26, 2007 4:57 PM | Link to this

I don’t think I buy the “not enough pay” reason. The average male income [employed full time, 2 weeks vacation] is a little over $40,000. Teachers in most urban school systms begin just short of that AND their health insurance is FREE as is life insurance. In addition, they can work at other jobs on the side and in the summer..or teach summer school or tutor. The can’t support a family on a teacher’s pay” doesn’t fly for me either, because judging from the number of families in which the wife must work,that is the case for most jobs today. I won’t go into the guaranteed pension bit..plus the 403B …but teachers who retire today are in better shape than 95% of the general population..and health insurance continues!!!….I know..I am one of them. THEREFORE…I am with SET and the others who have reasons other than #$$$$$$.

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 5:01 PM | Link to this

Another thought:

Most young female teachers that I know have “always wanted to be” a teacher. And in dealing with students, many of my female students express their interest in teaching. Boys, on the other hand, seem less interested as a group. (Some do want to coach.) But if we look at who these young people have had as role models, we are at a point in time where most of their teachers were female. So are we seeing, perhaps, an evolution of the field into a “girl” job? (As opposed to, say, being a mechanic, which people might think of as a “guy” job?)

By Janine

September 26, 2007 5:04 PM | Link to this

SET, Don’t know about California, but I taught private school as well as public school GA.Surprisingly [or maybe not] the private school salary scale for teachers was much below that of public school…with far fewer benefits. In fact, at one point, Dekalb County GA teachers who had been in the profession a few years, were making more than A*’t professors at EMory University.

By catlady

September 26, 2007 5:05 PM | Link to this

Teaching appeals to nurturing people, frequently. Sometimes it appeals to authoritarian types. Occasionally it appeals to the dull and unimaginative or lazy. I suspect the BS factor does not keep people out as much as pushes certain types of people out.

What might be more instructive, Bridgett, would be to look at who gets OUT of teaching before, say, the 10 year mark. Give us the demographics on them. Perhaps we can account for the stopouts—those folks, usually women, who stop teaching for a few years and then come back when their children are older.

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 5:10 PM | Link to this

Janine,

Health insurance is free?

Not in Gwinnett.

You make a good point about job salaries and two-income families. I will clarify my position about salary, then: It’s not so much starting salary as it is the ability to, often quickly, make leaps and bounds in pay-raises, as opposed to time-in-service raises and other small supplements as may the case for coaching and so forth. For professional white collar men, it is probably the case (or at least the perception) that they can move significantly above their starting pay much more quickly than they can in teaching; and there is more of an opportunity for merit pay for certain.

By Don't.......fail out of math!!

September 26, 2007 5:10 PM | Link to this

“…which is the context for the discussion”….actually, administration was not in your “blog.” Concerned introduced it b/c it SHOULD have been there. To say, “Well there is STILL more…” (meaning, greater than 50%) is stupid - that’s elementary math! Concerned was trying to take your math into at least a middle school level. He/she was pointing out a REASON for the disparities - then you can go and ask a five year old which is ‘more.’ So what if one gender is more than 50%? You have to look at distribution, if that’s a word for you. But we can stick w/ basic, elementary math if you want. Boring! Are there other math professors who can help? And by the way, Thomas is right. He just didn’t point out that the dumb female clones also don’t want the guys!!

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 5:19 PM | Link to this

catlady, You’re right; I think the BS factor will only keep out a small minority of folks who (1) have a unique up-close view of the field from someone who is already in it, such as a husband-wife relationship; and/or (2) have something else that they are doing or want to do, so that teaching isn’t their immediate passion, per se. I don’t think the BS factor would keep out someone who has long-wanted to teach; they will take their chances and try it, especially if they don’t have someone whispering in their ear all the negatives.

By Janine

September 26, 2007 5:27 PM | Link to this

HS Teacher Too In Dekalb basic health insurance is free for the employee…[unless they have changed in the last year]If you want to add your family you do have to pay , but, considering the going rate, it is a mere pittance. And I do think you use the right word perception… as in

“For professional white collar men, it is probably the case (or at least the perception) that they can move significantly above their starting pay much more quickly than they can in teaching; YOu know, there is considerable job security,[we used to joke that one would have to run down the hall naked in order to be fired…and then, it would have to be when the kids were there], regular raises, great pension, disability, time off! I just do not think money is the issue here, except with those who do not do their homework before choosing a career.

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this

Thomas, I don’t know how I missed your post!

ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IS FILLED WITH WOMEN WHO LOOK, ACT, AND SMELL ALIKE. THEY THINK ALIKE. THEY ARE LIKE WIDGETS OFF AN ASSEMBLY LINE. I can go out in public and immediately pick out a teacher. They even wear the same hairstyle.

Let’s break this into two parts.
First, the widgets.

You are dead-on. And, worse, when a teacher does HAVE any sense to stand up to the system, they are systematically forced out.

Second, the looking alike. I laughed out loud when I read this, because you are soooo right! Even better — pick out a group of teachers at a restaurant! It’s well known on this blog that I am a teacher, and I make an active, concerted effort to NOT look like a teacher, first of all, and to NOT dine en masse, second of all!

Have a great evening — your post made mine!

By Janine

September 26, 2007 5:31 PM | Link to this

We had a group of interns a couple of years ago who had just begun the teacher prep program..They had to come into a school and do an 8 week internship to be sure that they knew what they were in for. WE all thought that was such a great idea. Waiting until the last semester of senior year to practice teach and find out what it is really like is just TOO LATE>

By Bridget Gutierrez

September 26, 2007 5:38 PM | Link to this

Don’t: I was referring to the larger context of male vs. female. Nearly every statistic cited in my blog breaks down the numbers along gender lines. That’s why I initially mistook Concerned’s point about administrative positions, and why I provided those additional figures.

By HS Teacher Too

September 26, 2007 5:52 PM | Link to this

Janine, I definitely chose “perception” with thought. Regardless of the pension and job security, I don’t believe that 20-somethings choose their jobs with those factors in mind, necessarily. They are somewhat too remote and — while they are significant benefits, absolutely — I would argue that most 20-somethings don’t think long-term in taking their early jobs (or even majoring in education, for that matter. I can’t imagine an 18-year old saying they intended to teach because they’d have a great pension and can’t get fired, however true it might be.)

I think we’re on the same page about the $$ not being a good reason for men to not join the profession — but I maintain that it is, nonetheless, a significant reason that they don’t, because the PERCEPTION is that they can do better in other fields.

By gwinettian

September 26, 2007 6:07 PM | Link to this

I have to disagree about the salary situation with Janine. I have a son who is a senior in college and when he graduates he expects to start at close to 50,000 or better and he expects to have a job that will offer him advancement. He will have a general degree specializing in business.

His finance’ will have an education degree and hopes to work in a high school. Together they should have a good start but none of his male friends or contemporaries are considering teaching mainly because of the salary and lack of advancement.

I have to admit he has heard (from me) about all the BS that goes on behind the scenes in education and even if the salary was better probably wouldn’t want to teach because of that!

By JustMe

September 27, 2007 8:07 AM | Link to this

Male teachers at my school are very much looked down upon by the female teachers. The only male employees that don’t have to deal with this is the Principal.

The students seem to prefer male teachers. Maybe it is because most of our youth is looking for more direction in their lives?

By WFC

September 27, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this

SET—- “Amen!” (as usual)

JANINE—- health insurance is NOT free in Fulton county and only a small life insurance policy is free, not one tenth what a man with a family needs. I will agree that the retirement is OK. I get a defined benefit forever which is increasingly rare in the private sector.

The gender differential is actually MUCH WORSE than the statistics. I was an academic teacher (history) for 31 years and also coached basketball, baseball and football. I know for a fact that no more than a third of the male coaches would have stayed in teaching without the coaching component. Even so, many of my coaching friends bailed on teaching in their early thirties.

I was a building administrator (Dean of Students”— dealt with discipline—- for four years. Here’s the deal: many, many men go into education knowing from the start that they’ll teach AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE before jumping on the administrative track (Bob Burke and Tim Duncan, the last two principals at Chattahoochee HS are perfect examples.) Most female administrators have long experience in the classroom before they move up.

I don’t think that money is the #1 reason for the gender gap. My reasons for the gender gap (in no particular order):

• Men don’t take to regimentation as well as women and schools are highly regimented societies.

• There are almost no opportunities for advancement unless one is interested in administration. Compare this to college teaching: lecturer, assistant professor, assocoate professor, full professor.

• Men are much more interested in subject matter competence and subject matter competence is simply not very important in high school teaching “success.”

• Teaching ability seldom leads to respect.

• Money (it is a facor with some male teachers.) Female teachers are much more likely to have spouses making big money in business.

• Men tend to “suffer fool parents” less well. Lots of fools out there.

The gender gap won’t be narrowing any time soon.

By posterchild

September 27, 2007 9:05 AM | Link to this

Janine:

I’ve taught in DeKalb for 6 years and have never had free insurance…? Am I missing out on something here?

:)

By jim d

September 27, 2007 9:52 AM | Link to this

All in all I think it’s just because men are smarter. (he says ducking)

By Just a thought

September 27, 2007 9:52 AM | Link to this

In my own experience, I have worked with few male teachers who had high standards in academics and in discipline. Whether they were “coach” or not, they were much more “relaxed” in their approach to both. What I find interesting is that a classroom with similar expectations and behaviors led by a female teacher is put under greater scrutiny than one led by the male teacher. Is this because we so desparately want them to be present that they can pretty much do anything(or not do anything)?

By Old School

September 27, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this

To Jeff, I’ve had many, many heart-to-heart talks with this young man. I’ve shared the good and the ugly with him so he would not be coming into this position starry eyed. He is a graduate of this high school and of my program.

Not all school cultures are like your former school. Ours has its problems but I have always felt safe and completely supported by the administration. There have been a few incidents that challenged me but I’m not one to be frightened off (and I’ve never been physically harmed.)

Each school, each school system should be evaluated individually by any prospective teacher. It just happens that ours still enjoys a measure of parental support and relative peace among students and staff.

I’m a 33 year veteran female instructor in a non-traditional field with mostly male students. Any of those young men could wallop me into oblivion but none have ever given me the slightest whiff of even thinking about doing so.

As long as my protege is clear on the challenges and frustrations he would be facing in this teaching position, I say “Go for it!” It is still a noble calling and the rewards can more than make up for the challenges.

I’m just sorry you’ve not had as overall positive an experience as I have had.

By jim d

September 27, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this

All kidding aside there really are some pretty good reasons for men to back away from the classroom.

I know this will probibly PO a few bloggers but here’s a link to a an article that is very much on topic.

http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/2000-August/000276.html

By Concerned Teacher

September 27, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

Bridget from what I have seen in the schools that I have work over the years, Men do move up to leadership positions. Maybe men are outnumbered in administrative positions because more women go into teaching then women.

By jim d

September 27, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this

And just maybe, most men would refuse to teach the six lessons that, according to John Taylor Gatto, all public schools teach.

Lesson 1: Teach them to stay in the class where they belong

Lesson 2: Teach them to turn on and off like a light switch

Lesson 3: Teach them to surrender their will to a predestined chain of command

Lesson 4: Teach them that only the teacher may determine what curriculum they will study. (Rather, he enforces decisions transmitted by the people who pay him)

Lesson 5: Teach them that their self-respect should depend on an observer’s measure of your worth.

Lesson 6: Teach them that they are being watched

By catlady

September 27, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this

I hope this is not a double post. When I check out Wooten’s blog, my computer freezes up and looks for someone else to blame!

I have trouble imagining a real man standing in front of a class clicking that *@!# dog-clicker to elicit the students’ canned responses to Nazi-like curriculum designed by someone who has never taught real students, adopted by those whose teaching experience is limited, and that vastly enriches FOB.

By catlady

September 27, 2007 11:08 AM | Link to this

Sorry if I sound a little high-strung today. I just had another load of Reading First (absolute) bull tossed to me to do!

By Bridget Gutierrez

September 27, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this

Yes, Concerned, you are probably correct. But that brings us back to the original question: Why don’t more men want to teach?

I have a hard time believing that it can all be chalked up to a matter of pay scales. I mean, aren’t women also interested in making a good living?

By JustMe

September 27, 2007 11:55 AM | Link to this

Bridget - I agree that it is not all about pay. However, I do think that it is all about perception.

A man in the teaching profession (classroom teaching) is ‘looked down’ upon by both society in general and also by peers (women teachers). Teaching has historically been a ‘women’s job’ and that seems to have a lingering affect.

As I have stated, the students seem to enjoy men teachers. Many of the students seem to thrive in their classrooms when they do not under a woman teacher.

By Old School

September 27, 2007 12:40 PM | Link to this

All these comments remind me of a comment made to me by a student many years ago. I was completing my first semester as my school’s first (and only) female Industrial Arts teacher and was helping a student with his metalworking project. Offhandedly I asked, “So what do you think about a female shop teacher?” thinking he would tell me what an amazing job I was doing. He stopped, thought for a moment, and replied, “I guess that would be okay.”

Until I came along the school had nothing but men teaching Industrial Arts and Ag. That student’s response to my question let me know that gender did not matter…quality instruction did. I continue to get positive feedback from my students and their parents so I must be doing something right.

As for my husband (retired upper elementary social studies teacher) he too still gets positive feedback from his former students and the teachers who have them now. Not once in his 31 years of teaching was there ever even a hint of anything negative or derogatory about him being a male elementary teacher. Our school system may be rural and small town, but teachers are still respected…pretty much.