How hysterical mothers have driven men out of teaching
As endangered species go, this one is especially alarming: so rare has the male primary school teacher become that one in ten schools has none at all, while across the country they account for barely 15 per cent of those who teach under-11s.
At a time when unprecedented numbers of children live with single mothers, this means that more and more of them have little or no contact with any male role model at all.
So parents have decided, as a survey this week shows, that they aren't happy about it.
They think, correctly, that it is good for children to have a man to look up to; that many pupils, especially boys, behave better with a man in charge. They think that their children are being shortchanged by the imbalance.
I agree. But I also think that too many of these 'concerned parents' have only themselves to blame.
There are two reasons given to explain the slump in male teacher recruitment. The first is that men tend to view the profession as 'women's work'. But if that were true, then why are nearly half of all secondary school teachers men?
Nor does it explain why, given the far more rigidly sex-divided jobs of my youth, most of my primary school teachers were men.
So let's hazard a guess at what has changed since then. My old teachers were free to enjoy their jobs because they were exempt from the second, and more truthful, of the reasons given by the Children's Workforce Development Council (which commissioned the survey) for the decline in numbers.
It is that these days, men are scared of teaching young children because they are scared of false allegations of child abuse.
And if you want to know who is largely responsible for creating an atmosphere in which such a fear is all too horribly realistic, look no further than the twittering bunch of over-protective, over-excitable mothers clustered around our school gates.
These are the people who have bought, wholesale, into the myth of the sexually predatory bogeyman on every corner; the people who have, in a single generation, swept us from the sensible 'don't take sweets from strangers' to the absurd 'all men are paedophiles'...
Read more @ The Daily Mail
That is something that really should NEVER be typed.
And its especially silly, since it is the Daily Mail which has contributed more than most to this irrational fear of peadophiles.
I'm still waiting for my Criminal Records Bereau check to make sure I'm not a kiddy-fiddler, btw.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
From the site where I found a link to this article, it was said that the Daily Mail was consistently pro-men. or something like that. Don't read it myself to know really.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
If I was a teacher, I would probably teach in secondary schools, because life is ALOT more interesting there, that's when you're needed the most!
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
It would be like a minefield.
You'd probably need a thick skin to teach there. Not an easy job to do well IMO.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
That's part of the parcel and the fun!
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
What kind of secondary school did you go to?
Mine was fun, but NOT for teachers! WE used to have fire extinguisher fights and throw chairs around the classroom. Kids would jump out of windows to get out of detention (ground floor only...).
Primary is where its AT! That's the most important stage, IMO, cos it's when kids learn life SKILLS properly - skills they can apply to other topics.
In secondary school all you do is memorise things for the exams, and don't really learn anything.
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that 90% of what I learned (academically, in school) was in primary school.
Plus primary kids' minds haven't closed up yet, and they aren't full of those annoying hormones.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Ahhh primary school the days where you could get in trouble and use the excuse that your just a kid.
But secondary school is farr interesting! i mean our school we have crazy people where the teacher chases you outside the school telling to you have detention ah thanks god im leaving soon.
I recon Lampy is right. Secondary school is where ud be the most useful. Best place to shape the minds of tomorrow. Primary school would just be too babyish for my temperment. Id only confuse the poor things even more.
I can see myself being like Severus.
Back in BLACK
Woah, the attitude of the writer in this piece just seems a bit extra. IMO the reason there are less male primary school teachers is because teaching in primary schools is probably not seen as interesting, challenging or thorough enough - all subjects are obviously very basic compared to secondary school level. And I assume nurturing as well as teaching is involved, which is not seen very 'manly' in our society. And also because teaching at secondary school pays more.
I've just read the whole piece and was surprised it's written by a female... whose male friend was falsely accused of child abuse - which explains the tone of the piece and probably excuses writing such crap.
On the topic of accusing a teacher of abuse, In year 9 my form tutor was falsely accused by a girl in my class at secondary school. And it was awful to watch. Everyone knew there was no truth in what she said, yet the school did have to take her word seriously and I remember him being off a couple of days. When he came back he was a completely different person and the damage was obvious. It was really really sad. He'd really be careful about his distance and he wasn't at all jokey again with anyone in the class. When before he'd gone round the class signing our homework diaries, now he'd stand at the end of the table and ask us to pass them down to him. I'm surprised he stayed on at the school and even as our form tutor, but he did. He was a good and nice teacher and it's something that still makes me sad today that he had to go through such a thing and that it had such an effect on his character. Just before we left the school a couple of years later the girl did admit she had completely lied. He left the school a couple of years after us which I think was a good thing for him, it'd probably help him put it behind him.
Which is why, more people are needed at secondary schools. You know, that's the more crucial time, where everything learnt at primary school can be undone. That's where boys need male role models the most.
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
Maybe, but there are already many male teachers in secondary schools.
It's in primary where there is a shortage of them.
Famous quote:
"Give me the boy until he is seven and I will give you the man."
Don't just do something! Stand there.