Something often brought up in the debate about the gender gap is the"feminine" nature of schools. I'm often reluctant to label certain activities as necessarily feminine or masculine, but something that I have noticed in my experience as a graduate student in education is the absence of men. I mean there are a few of us, but I have had more than one class where I am the only male in the room. I suppose I have always explained this as a reaction to the pay scale teachers are locked into than lack of interest in the profession. I have met many men who tell me they would love to be teachers if it payed more, at least that is what they claim. Others claim that women tend to be more "nurturing" and are therefore more likely to choose the teaching profession. Whatever the reason there is a distinct lack of men entering the profession.
If school buildings across the nation are staffed predominantly by women, can we make the assumption that education, or the culture of education is much more "feminine" than the outside world. If so, could this explain why boys are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their female peers? It really could. If from a young age boys do not have access to many male role models in the school buildings they are forced to attend each day, how can we claim we are creating an environment that equally serves boys and girls? If all of the Schools of Education and training programs are dominated by female students and female teachers (I have yet to have a tenured male professor in two years) how can they claim they are effectively helping male teachers find their own voice in teaching?
I believe it is important to look at the culture of the school building and see what can be done to make it a place that is more masculine. A place a boy might look forward to going to every weekday and staying through his adolescence. At the moment, it seems the pull of the outside world can be intoxicating to a young man and schools seem to fail boys more than girls in regards to retention. Michael Gurian claim that sitting, studying, and listening quietly is more difficult for boys than girls and that teachers need to create a more "aggressive" classroom setting. Words such as "aggressive" and "competitive" in a classroom setting can cut against the grain of what many teachers hope for their classroom environment. Often administrators may quickly judge teachers whose classroom environment incorporates noise and movement readily, without inquiring why the teacher is using this strategy. I remember my first year teaching being questioned about having "too much noise" coming from my classroom with the hope that once I explained the activity all would be forgiven. I was simply told something to the tune of, sounds good, but its still too loud.
Until school buildings can open up and change the expectation of a quiet, neat, organized classroom as being the ideal, I believe boys will more likely than girls feel out of place in their educational setting. Until more boys grow up and choose to become teachers, I believe boys will continue to find the outside world more appealing than the school building. Until we can have an open conversation about the true differences about the development of boys and girls - physically, mentally, and culturally - we will not see this gap change much in the near future.
I look forward to my Education course tomorrow night at Seattle University - Male/Female ratio = 3/22.
"The culture of schools, especially for young children, is much more feminine than masculine. There are almost no male early childhood educators. Many teachers of young children find boys' interests in violence, gross things, and bodily functions to be boring or stupid. We need to recognize that many of us have 'internal prejudices' against these interests. Just as we used to ask ourselves in the '70s, 'In what ways am I being sexist in my treatment of girls?' we now have to ask, 'In what ways are we disapproving of boys' interests in our classrooms?' "
If school buildings across the nation are staffed predominantly by women, can we make the assumption that education, or the culture of education is much more "feminine" than the outside world. If so, could this explain why boys are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their female peers? It really could. If from a young age boys do not have access to many male role models in the school buildings they are forced to attend each day, how can we claim we are creating an environment that equally serves boys and girls? If all of the Schools of Education and training programs are dominated by female students and female teachers (I have yet to have a tenured male professor in two years) how can they claim they are effectively helping male teachers find their own voice in teaching?
I believe it is important to look at the culture of the school building and see what can be done to make it a place that is more masculine. A place a boy might look forward to going to every weekday and staying through his adolescence. At the moment, it seems the pull of the outside world can be intoxicating to a young man and schools seem to fail boys more than girls in regards to retention. Michael Gurian claim that sitting, studying, and listening quietly is more difficult for boys than girls and that teachers need to create a more "aggressive" classroom setting. Words such as "aggressive" and "competitive" in a classroom setting can cut against the grain of what many teachers hope for their classroom environment. Often administrators may quickly judge teachers whose classroom environment incorporates noise and movement readily, without inquiring why the teacher is using this strategy. I remember my first year teaching being questioned about having "too much noise" coming from my classroom with the hope that once I explained the activity all would be forgiven. I was simply told something to the tune of, sounds good, but its still too loud.
Until school buildings can open up and change the expectation of a quiet, neat, organized classroom as being the ideal, I believe boys will more likely than girls feel out of place in their educational setting. Until more boys grow up and choose to become teachers, I believe boys will continue to find the outside world more appealing than the school building. Until we can have an open conversation about the true differences about the development of boys and girls - physically, mentally, and culturally - we will not see this gap change much in the near future.
I look forward to my Education course tomorrow night at Seattle University - Male/Female ratio = 3/22.
"The culture of schools, especially for young children, is much more feminine than masculine. There are almost no male early childhood educators. Many teachers of young children find boys' interests in violence, gross things, and bodily functions to be boring or stupid. We need to recognize that many of us have 'internal prejudices' against these interests. Just as we used to ask ourselves in the '70s, 'In what ways am I being sexist in my treatment of girls?' we now have to ask, 'In what ways are we disapproving of boys' interests in our classrooms?' "
Joseph Tobin, Ph.D.
Professor of Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University. Author, Good Guys Don't Wear Hats
I would love to hear more about this! I know that the one lone male teacher at my school would love info too :)
ReplyDeleteI hear that. I think it is quite possible that schools are too female oriented and as a pre-school teacher with 15 boys I see each week I am always surprised at the reluctance of moms to want their kids (even boys) to be taught by men. I can't believe men teachers are still living under the molester stereotype. I want the parents to feel comfortable with their kids in my care, but I also know that no matter how energetic and fun I am, I can not substitute for testosterone. Boys need other boys to emulate and relate to.
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