Lack of male educators spurs new IU class

Male teachers in the U.S. are at an all-time low, holding a meager 9 percent of elementary-school teaching positions and less than a quarter of all public-school teaching positions, according to the National Education Association.\nBut Indiana has one of the highest percentages of male public-school teachers, at nearly 31 percent. \nKelly Mullins, a sophomore secondary-education major, said “men stay away from teaching because they stereotypically see women as teachers.” Mullins said it is important to have more male teachers in elementary schools because they serve as positive male role models.\nDue to the increase in single-parent homes and boys who don’t have a father figures in their lives, male teachers can be helpful, Cary Buzzelli, IU professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, said in an IU news release.\nShaun Johnson, a doctoral student at the IU School of Education, has taken action in response to these declining numbers and created a graduate class called “Men in Education and the Male Teacher.” Johnson’s interest in this subject came to mind when he was in Washington, D.C., where he was one of three males teaching alongside 45 female teachers at a public school. Johnson said the new class will also focus on general diversity in the teaching profession.\n“The class is not going to be based on just males and the teaching world,” Johnson said. “It will also open up to the lack of different minority groups and different social classes and will be about diversifying the teaching field in all aspects.” \nVolkan Sahin, a doctoral candidate, came to IU in 1999 from Turkey and co-authored a study with his colleague Arif Yilmaz. They found that male elementary-school teachers they interviewed often felt an expectation to be tough disciplinarians and were often asked to do handy work around the classrooms, according to an IU news release.\nSahin’s research indicated that despite the long hours, low pay and hard work, there are four primary factors that make men enter the teaching profession. Men tend to enter teaching if they have had previous experience with children, if they have a desire to be a role model, if they work in positive environment in which colleagues and others support their work, or if they have children.\nJunior Sean Gibson, a secondary-education major, said his interest in teaching was sparked in middle school when he had a male social-studies teacher. \n“I believe that in the elementary setting, kids are more comfortable with a female teacher,” Gibson said, “but as you get older I think it is much easier for the male teachers to gain respect, and this is needed with older kids.”\nGibson said he has always been good at teaching people how to do things and that he would love to be a role model for kids. “Money is not a factor at all,” he said.\nFemale students also recognize the need for male teachers.\n“It’s good when you see guys going into education as a major. It shows that they are in it for the passion and not for the money,” said Cindy Zaleski, a sophomore secondary-education major. “Some of my most memorable teachers were guys.” \nOverall, people said they thought students’ achievements were not affected by their teachers’ genders. But they do think it would be good to see more male teachers in both elementary and secondary education. \n“Male teachers are more outgoing and laid-back,” Mullins said. “I think that everyone likes it when their teacher has a sense of humor.” \nJohnson agreed that having both male and female teachers leads to a more balanced education.\n“I feel that kids do need a more balanced place of learning,” Johnson said. “Kids, especially young men, need more male role models.”