Role Of Father in Early Childhood Education

Article Summary 4: Male Voices in Early Childhood Education

Summary

Because of gender roles and stereotypes in our society, we do not often see male early childhood teachers or are surprised to see them in an early childhood classroom. Our author presented us with six different male teachers and provided us with an interview about each. They had many similarities. The first, Stehli, did not intend on becoming an early childhood educator; his major was engineering. He got to see a childcare center on campus and decided that it would be an enjoyable thing to try, quickly falling in love with his new found career.

He is now an infant/toddler teacher. The second, Romei, found his passion for teaching after working with children in a summer camp. He is now an ESL relief teacher. The third, Langely, was in the Marines for twenty years before deciding to take on education. He is currently a director of a child development center.

The fourth male the author presents us, Greene, was a middle school teacher before directing his career towards early childhood education.

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His interests lie within learning about the development of children. He is now a senior advisor on early learning. The fifth, Smalley, worked as a camp counselor and decided to be a teacher from there, just as Romei did. He is now a college student aiming to work with younger elementary grades. Finally, the fifth, Tagawa, was influenced by his aunt, an assistant principal, to explore teaching. He is now a principal himself.

All of the men had very similar advice to give to other men who are considering entering the early childhood field. Each of them points out that it is very rare to find a man in the field. Each of them advises others not to be discouraged by this and not to let initial judgments by family members and coworkers to hinder their passion for teaching. They speak of parents who might be hesitant about leaving their children with a male teacher initially; they point out that people will ask you why you chose early childhood education as your career path- but they heavily stress not letting any of that affect your decision to be a teacher. It is all about a teacher’s passion, regardless of their gender. A couple of them also make a very good point regarding the need for more male teachers in early childhood education: they make excellent male role models in the lives of children who may not otherwise have a male role model. They also collectively urge fellow early childhood educators to listen to and follow their mentors.

Questions

Are there organizations that bring male teachers together for support? Do they get much negative reaction from parents or coworkers?

New Information

I knew that male teachers were rare in the two childcare centers that I have worked in, but I didn’t know that it was equally rare everywhere. They also brought up a very good point that I hadn’t considered: many children are from single parent families (mom) or have fathers that are deployed- having a male teacher would make for a great male role model in the absence of their father.

Use Information

The advice that the men offered is equally valuable to women teachers as it is to their fellow men teachers- be passionate about early childhood education and do not let others step in the way or discourage you from your chosen profession. I currently use these values and will continue to keep them in mind.