Keeping male teachers for young children.
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Posted By: VLI 123 on March 23, 2010 By Dr. Patricia Porter I have worked with several male teachers, all were wonderful and great role models, but they were the exception rather than the rule. Here is one reason why. The roles of parent and teacher are often muddled. When children are between 6 and 15 years old parents try to be teachers, to help their children do school type work. In the early years of schooling teachers try to be parents, teaching values, setting bedtimes etc. This confusion between parenting and teaching causes problems. Male teachers do not want to act a parent to a class of children, they want to teach, so may not stay. Women teachers find it easier to act as parent during the early years. But I do not think this is a good thing, and I think that it is us, the teachers, who are most to blame. We have taken on too many of the jobs that parents should be doing, partly because we do not see harried parents being able to take time to be with their children etc. I think the time has come when we need to hold parents more accountable for their parenting role. Teachers need to step away from parenting - I now that there is a great deal of overlap between roles but we must be clear about whose responsibility is what. We must give the kids back to their parents, we must make parents understand their role in their child's education. Teachers have taken too much power away from parents. I know that many teachers will scoff at this statement because they do not think parents are involved enough with their child's education. But how are they going to get involved if we don't give them the responsibility of doing so and the opportunities to fulfill their responsibilities? Let's get clear about who is responsible for what. Sure, I can teach anything and I can even tell a child when to go to bed ( I have been asked to do this on several occasions). But I would rather tell the parent that it is their responsibility to get the child to bed, that it is their responsibility to make sure their child has access to the education they need, that it is their responsibility to 'set the scene' for learning - then it is MY responsibility to actually teach the child, to get the child through whatever school system is in place. And I could promise to do that, and do it well, if parents agreed to take their share of the job of helping children learn. Sorry, a bit of a rant there, but I want to give back to parents the power to support their child's learning. To do this we have to show them what they can and must do to help children succeed, and give them the opportunities to use their power. Then maybe we would get more male teachers in kindergarten! If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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VLI 123
From Columbus, OH Central State University class of 1999 Member Since January 2009 |
Comments
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History provides us with sufficient data to understand that the role of parenting young children have always been left up to mothers. Additionally, at day care centres and preschools in many instances,one never finds a male figure as care-giver or teacher at this level. As a consequence, because of the structure of many socieities which have specifically defined roles for males and females, it is not surprising to find that, the teaching service is mainly dominated by females. This in itself have garnered a sort of negative impact on today's male children; they lack from an early age, good guidance and proper habit formation, in the absence of the father figure in the home, the school and many societal entities. Young males recruited into the teaching system are rarely placed in the infant department; instead they are given higher levels to teach (men should not teach the babies; they should work with the more rough and tumble older kids). One must also consider that some male recruits may themselves be victims of neglect or the absence of a father figure, not just in their period of infancy, but throughout ther entire lives and may not be able to communicate with children of that level. In contrast think about the average male teacher being placed to work with infants; his societal image may be crushed simply becuse he may be frowned upon as a "soft man" or that is academic prowess may not be sufficient to teach a more complex level. Do our male teaching folk subscribe to this view? How many of our male teachers would have a problem working with children of the infant department? How many would embrace the challenge? The stark reality is that, the concept of parenting MUST involve fathers in the process at an early stage; this must be redefined by all stakehholders in society. We must begin to see its importance and benefits to the lives of all young children (not just the boys) and therefore must subscirbe to the engagement of fathers/men in the education of youngsters in our homes, schools and other factions of society. Tuesday, March 23rd 2010 at 4:46PM |
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I do agree that we need more black male teachers for our black children, and all, for this is something that the black community needs to see. Likewise, the black community must also see, because of the crisis situation, the important qualities that black men have within, that will cause them to be needed by their black children, their black women, the black family and community. Many self-righteous,"tell it like it is" celebrities and leaders, especially black male ones, tend to forget this. Many of them begin to grandstand, and for a cheap applause, will begin to bash an easy target within the black community and society (face it, we're just use to talking about how black men ain't ****), as opposed to constructively criticism. Talking about irresponsible black men isn't going to, and will never produce such a healing within our communities, because again, it is focusing in on, and centering in on, bashing the no good black men that are out there, thereby giving the impression that all black men are that way, and if there are any good black men out there, who, even if they're not married to the mothers of their children, but are taking care of their children, the belief will be that they are so few and far between to where they really don't make a difference. Again, our black children, needs to see more positive black male fathers in the classroom, for the perception is, THERE REALLY AREN'T ANY GOOD BLACK MEN! We know about the no good ones, and yes they ought to be discussed, but such criticisms can never illicit the type of hope that can be produced, if the black community realizes that they do have diamonds in the rough, that black men, or younger black men can emulate, when it comes to having good father role models. Black men who discuss such issues, again, have to come off of their high horse, and stop grandstanding the issue, because you know it will receive cheap applause, and start dealing with the positive, or what they purport to be the world they want, will never come into existence-AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT ONE TO THE BANK! Wednesday, March 24th 2010 at 2:52PM |
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I think that "our community" agrees that your contributions to us are significant steps in "normalizing" what should always be the voice of a parent in an effort to support his/her child. I know that it was my father's input regarding the world of technology that has given me a more advanced view of the world of technology. It was my husband who paraded our daughter in a back carrier that gave her a first class presentation of the visual and the musical world. My husband was a middle school history teacher and a folk dance teacher with strong whistling skills that were served up for my daughter from day one. His sensitivity was the envy of our age-mates and reflects in my daughter's adult world. She benefited from a two teacher family, one an inner city history teacher and the other a school- psychologist/special education supervisor in a forward looking suburban community. The contrast was vivid at the table each evening. My husband would say, she, pointing to me, thinks she deals with special education, but I'm the one who practices it every minute of everyday. I welcome your voices and I welcome learning about your struggles in our current society. When did we decide that this was a female responsibility? My grandfather taught boys in my grandparents' home well into his nineties often between his building care-taker responsibilities. I recall being allowed to sit at the table to watch when I must have been very young. Grandma was baking and minding that I did not interfere. I do not know what the content was, but I have vivid memories of his soft prodding voice that supported the efforts of each student. We don't always know where our insight to children is derived from, but we need to take advantage of each resource, the kitchen table, the garage out back and the classroom of course. Perhaps the team-teaching environment or open classroom needs to be explored again to add the safety and the mutual support that these environments provide. Our leadership pride sometimes get in the way of sharing; however, our goals must be to focus on the students. Nevertheless, we cannot any longer deny that our practice in isolation has had difficulties. The recent Meryl Streep movie point out the difficulties of our isolation. In my search for support to our Haitian colleagues, I came across an article that describes how writers who report on traumatic events support one another. I was impressed by the collegial insight and the mutual concern regarding negative effects. I will provide the internet address. Where, in fact, is our deliberate support system? As a school psychologist trained in PTSD and the avoidance of it, I find myself reflecting on the nuanced system of journalists. We need to aspire to support one another as parents and as colleagues beyond the informal teacher's-room chatter. Let's begin by sharing more of those "beautiful photos"! I will sort through mine, as well. Thank you for your comments. How wonderful that we have this resource to enable us in our goals! Sheila Rosenberg School Psychologist Thursday, March 25th 2010 at 5:17PM |
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