Do you think that primary schools need more male teachers?

1. 64

   emdiposted 14 years ago

   Do you think that primary schools need more male teachers?
   
   Do you think that a positive male authority figure is important in a childs development(especially with the amount of kids without much contact with their Fathers.)?

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   1. 62

      Lady_Eposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Not really, there should be a balance b/w male and female teachers in Primary schools. Both male and female authority figures are important in a child's development but as they grow into teens, the male authority figure is very vital to Teenage boys.

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   2. 68

      ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think the family is much more important than public schools when it comes to teaching kids.  That's where kids pick up most of their ideas about right and wrong, not school.

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   3. 85

      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Early elementary is an important part of a child's education and schools play a much different role in our children's life than in the past. I understand what you're saying and I do think it's wonderful when dedicated male teachers/administrators are working with the younger children.
      
      Attachments naturally form in primary as well as older classrooms and a male teacher can relate to a child in a different capacity than a female. I have worked with excellent male educators who are dedicated to their profession.

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2. 70

   Beth100posted 14 years ago

   I believe that all children need a balance of female/male role models in their lives. I do not believe that primary schools need more male teachers.  The education system needs more diversity in the topics that they teach, including the incorporation of role models that the children can learn and follow.  The quality of the teacher is the most important aspect.  Role models can come from many sources.

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3. 59

   RedSonja94posted 14 years ago

   I think in the elementary level it isn't a big deal, but at the high school level male teachers are great for boys even if thier own fathers are living with them.  The more positive role models young boys have the better.

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4. 63

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Positive male role models are important, but I'm not sure those positive role models need to be "authority figures".  In fact, thinking back to how I viewed my own primary school teachers, even though they were old fashioned, all-business, teachers I didn't see them as "authority figures".  I saw them as "in a category by themselves, 'teachers'".  I liked them and did well well in school, but they meant nothing to me and beyond doing their job of teaching the information (not to be underestimated), they had no impact on me, personally.  In other words, I don't think having more male teachers in lower grades would do what some people think it may, in terms of male role models.
   
   Kids who have what they need in terms of close adults in their personal life may not be as likely to be looking for what they need in teachers; but if kids don't have what they need, I don't think it's good to hope that teachers will fill that particular need.  First, they can't.  Second, kids may develop an unhealthy attachment/expectations, only to change teachers nine months later.  I just think, if this is the reason to consider adding more male teachers, there's a house-of-cards type of thing involved.  For secondary school, when kids have a different set of things going on emotionally, I think it's different.  Primary school is different.  Younger children are often naturally more comfortable with women anyway.
   
   I think for littler kids, it's more important to keep bad male role models out of their lives than to hope teachers can be good ones; but I also think mothers have to be "whole", strong, responsible, people who are good role models as human beings (in other words, that she shouldn't act like helpless "little women" who are handicapped without having a man around).

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5. 84

   Aya Katzposted 14 years ago

   Lisa HW, this may tangential to the topic, but I don't think it's unhealthy for children in elementary school to develop an attachment to their teacher. I also think it would be great if they got to keep the same home room teacher from first to eighth grade. In order to teach a child, a teacher has to know the student. In order to learn from a teacher, the child has to know the teacher won't be gone tomorrow. Intimacy (in the good sense of that word) and trust are important pre-conditions to effective learning and teaching.
   
   The teacher can't be a stranger.

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