Experts say shortage of male teachers hurt students
10:04 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, 2006
The school year is winding down, but this is the time teachers are hired for next school year.
And there is a shortage of male teachers, especially at the elementary level.
Experts say the shortage is hurting students.
Jeff Kerr is a first-year, 1st grade teacher at Lowman Hill Elementary in Topeka.
Kerr was a construction worker before he chose to teach.
"My mother was a teacher for 33 years. She taught 2nd grade for 32 years," Kerr said. "Just growing up and seeing her, she was an inspiration to get into this field."
A breakdown of male teachers vs. female teachers in Topeka for K-12 and Elementary schools.
Trevor Mathews is another new male teacher.
Mathews is student teaching in Emporia and chose to become a teacher because he wants to make a difference.
"I think today too many kids don't have a male role model in there life, especially at a young age," Mathews said. "So, I want to try to fill that gap to be that male figure, that positive male figure they need."
"It does help to have males around at school and that kind-of makes things more stable for them," Kerr said.
And that is the reason male teachers are so coveted.
Many boys don't have a male or father-figure in their lives.
Scott Waters is a professor in Emporia State's Department of Early Childhood.
"As divorce rates are high, that contributes," Waters said. "The lack of a male figure contributes - on this research is clear - you find young people having more difficulty in school, you find them being more prone to trouble with the law."
In the Topeka 501 District, 22 percent of teachers are men.
At the elementary level, that drops to just 12 percent.
More numbers
Surrounding area schools show very few men teaching in the classrooms:
Manhattan-Ogden Public Schools
- Male teachers: 22 percent
- 101 male teachers to 350 female teachers
Lawrence Public Schools
- Male teachers: 23 percent
- 202 male teachers to 673 female teachers
In the Emporia school district, 20 percent of the teachers are men.
At the elementary level only nine percent of the teachers are men, 21 male teachers compared to 207 women.
And research by the largest teacher's union in the country, the National Education Association, shows the number of male teachers continues to decline.
The trend is echoed at the Emporia State teacher's college.
In most classes you will see just one or two male students.
Waters says that is not uncommon.
"I think anywhere you went you would find the same thing, a fairly low percentage of males going into the elementary grades," he said.
Waters says ESU is working to recruit more men to study elementary education.
At ESU's teachers college, just four to 15 percent of those graduating in elementary education are men.
One of the key reasons researchers say men don't flock to teaching is the perception it is women's work.
Both Kerr and Mathews say they are teased by friends about their profession.
"The comments go back to, 'well isn't that for girls? You're a guy and you're going to teach elementary,'" Mathews said.
Also, low status and salary are factors in the shortage of male teachers.
"That was why I took my time a bit because I struggled with that issue," Kerr said. "And then I finally figured out that's not what matters. It's what I want to do with the rest of my life that really matters."
A breakdown of male teachers vs. female teachers in Emporia K-12 and Elementary schools.
And the third reason men steer clear of teaching is the fear of accusations of child abuse.
"It is talked about, but it's not like 'don't do this' and 'don't do this.' It's just to make you're aware, be aware," Mathews said.
"I've had people tell me at my grade level I probably need to be more careful being a male teacher at this grade level," Kerr said.
Waters says students in their final semesters are interviewed about why they have chosen to teach.
"Time after time, a young woman will say, 'as a kindergartener or 1st grader I loved to teach my brothers and sisters,'" Waters said. "The males say they are attracted to the subject area."
Whether it's in the lesson plans or not, these male teachers are influencing their young students in ways perhaps more important than the basics of math and science.
"Teachers have such a crucial role," Waters said. "In many instances, they're spending more time with the child than the parents are."
And, these youngsters are teaching their new male teachers a thing or two themselves.
"The fact that they can be so calm and good one day and then the next day they come out the opposite way, you never know what to expect but that's what makes it exciting," Kerr said.
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May. 3, 2006 at 7:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)lckrings (Lisa Coble-Krings)
Cool graphics. They are very cute. Nice work.
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