Men in the Classroom

This topic has really come to forefront as of late, and below are a few good discussions on the topic. I have to admit that I made my own faux pas today.

You see, in highlighting Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher, I mistakingly thought that the author was a woman. What bothers me is that I had no reason to believe this. Indeed, the name of the contributor, Darrell, was right in the left-hand corner. My only explanation is the societal expectation that most teachers are women.

Remember how I mentioned the teaching tradition in my family going back several generations? As you would expect, it mostly includes women; however, I have a few uncles and cousins who are in education. Also, my Dad was a substitute teacher at one time. However, the actual percentage of male versus female teachers in my family reflects the national trend. Actually, it is my Dad's experience as a substitute teacher back in the late 1980s and early 1990s that really brought home the issues broached in the articles below.

There is a lot more that I want to say on the subject as it relates how our society treats men theses days (I only scratched the surface here). If we aren't careful, the next generation of men will not be so highly educated, and that is a tragedy. Some of the best high school teachers I had growing up were men.

Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Men In The Classroom
Dr. Helen: Percentage of Male Teachers Hits 40-Year Low

Lindsey