The pay for a male teacher would be a disadvantage and one of the reasons we do not have many male teachers today. Every new experience, every word they learn, every behavior they adopt, is an investment in a more fruitful future. ... And children who are exposed to diversity early on tend to have greater empathy as adults, says Gabrielle Wilcox, an assistant professor of school and applied child psychology at the University of Calgary. It is believed children stand to benefit from a greater male teacher presence in early childhood education (ECE) where, internationally, the vast majority of ECE teachers are female.
By Vicki Palmer, Contributor.
Another disadvantage is the negative response from the surrounding society. The Working Group on Men in ECE provides a global meeting place for early childhood professionals to reflect on the value of gender balance in early childhood education and the benefits and barriers to men…
This sense of "otherness" and common perceptions of ECEC as simple care work may contribute to low levels of male participation in the ECEC workforce worldwide; however, this situation could change with greater awareness of the professional challenges inherent in this work, and with greater exposure by staff and parents to male educators. Similarly, when I went out on practicum, there were a few raised eyebrows from parents.
According to this argument, male early childhood teachers are more able than their female counterparts to identify with and respond effectively to boys because they share an essential masculinity and an understanding of boys’ perspectives and experiences (see, for example, Jensen, 1996). Many parents readily rhyme off the benefits of having male teachers…
As it is very natural for women to be working in the early childhood profession, people tends to overlook the fact that men are equally competent in becoming preschool teachers.
Even though there are some barriers for men going into the early childhood profession, many researchers believe that more male educators would benefit young children, contribute to gender equality, improve staff dynamics in the early childhood sector, and encourage fathers to become more involved with their children’s education. Having the presence of a male model in the classroom can be beneficial in many ways.
The 13 Key Benefits of Early Childhood Education: A Teacher's Perspective. This study ( N = 180) examines the relationship between children’s social adaptation and the educational practices of 53 ECE teachers, 23 (44%) of which were male.
Conference organiser, Dr Martyn Mills-Bayne, who lectures in early childhood education at the University of South Australia, says that male early childhood educators … After graduating I spent six years working in a rural childcare centre which had a supportive environment.
Career early childhood educator and founder of TicTacTeach.com, passionate about using her extensive …
This situation is a concern as stereotyping of male preschool teachers will lead to more male preschool teachers being unemployed and cause discouragement to males pursuing early childhood as profession.