Review of the Literature Through looking at the literature on this topic, I realized a very important question: why are there so few male teachers? Gender inequality, amongst teachers at the elementary level, paints a grim picture for the recruitment and retainment of male teachers (Anliak and Beyazkurk, 2008). This is perplexing, given that many other professions are approaching a gender balance more and more. Although it has been found that male teachers do have the potential to play a crucial part in young boys lives, there are some fears that may be deterring them from joining the workforce. Some of the fears are: low pay, a feeling of having a lesser status than other men in other workforces, and the stigma that is sometimes
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“Recuperative Masculinity Politics” speaks about the need to have more masculinity in schools, so as to change many stereotypes related to male teachers (Martino, 2008). He goes on to say, “My main proposition in this article is that the perceived intensified feminization of elementary schooling and the anxieties it incites for men doing women’s work represents another example of defensive masculinity with educational policy and the public media responding in ways which present …show more content…
In an attempt to make reading less feminine for boys, Sokal and Katz executed a plan having male teachers reading books with boys along with computer-based books. The study had boys working with male instructors on a reading assessment that was based on technology. Unfortunately, the results were inconclusive. Despite this, the commonly held opinions of students on reading are still very compelling. Many, including government agencies, have alluded to the need for recruitment. In an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project that was performed on 307 seven to eight year old children in England, half of the children were taught by males and the other by females (Hutchings, Carrington, Skelton, Read, & Hall, 2008). In their interviews, they asked children to focus on their teachers and how they view and connect with them. In hopes of seeing some correlations, they also inquired about personal role models that students wanted to be like. Only 11% of girls had ‘other sex’ role models while only 8% of boys had ‘other sex’ role models. Somewhat predictably, boys and girls gravitate towards role models of the same gender. More often than not, a main attraction of their role models was that they were smart and/or funny. It seems, despite the many ways one can look at it, gender is a valid predictor and does seem to be significant. Students often learn through observing. According to
“Recuperative Masculinity Politics” speaks about the need to have more masculinity in schools, so as to change many stereotypes related to male teachers (Martino, 2008). He goes on to say, “My main proposition in this article is that the perceived intensified feminization of elementary schooling and the anxieties it incites for men doing women’s work represents another example of defensive masculinity with educational policy and the public media responding in ways which present …show more content…
In an attempt to make reading less feminine for boys, Sokal and Katz executed a plan having male teachers reading books with boys along with computer-based books. The study had boys working with male instructors on a reading assessment that was based on technology. Unfortunately, the results were inconclusive. Despite this, the commonly held opinions of students on reading are still very compelling. Many, including government agencies, have alluded to the need for recruitment. In an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project that was performed on 307 seven to eight year old children in England, half of the children were taught by males and the other by females (Hutchings, Carrington, Skelton, Read, & Hall, 2008). In their interviews, they asked children to focus on their teachers and how they view and connect with them. In hopes of seeing some correlations, they also inquired about personal role models that students wanted to be like. Only 11% of girls had ‘other sex’ role models while only 8% of boys had ‘other sex’ role models. Somewhat predictably, boys and girls gravitate towards role models of the same gender. More often than not, a main attraction of their role models was that they were smart and/or funny. It seems, despite the many ways one can look at it, gender is a valid predictor and does seem to be significant. Students often learn through observing. According to