Masculinities+in+Curriculum

= //Boys and Curriculum//  =

Often when we think of gender issues and curriculum, what immediately springs to mind are the challenges girls face. What you may not realize is that there are also issues impacting our boys. We recognize this is a very broad issue, and to fully examine it in this presentation is not possible. We have chosen today to examine masculinity and curriculum from one perspective.

**A challenge facing boys**
Stop. Think about the school you teach at. Let’s focus on the male teachers. How many are elementary teachers? How many are art or music teachers? How many are administrators? How many are coaches or PE teachers? How many are kindergarten teachers? How many are Educational Assistants? How many are teacher librarians?



In the educational field, there is talk about boys now becoming the underprivileged group, rather than girls. There is an increasing number of female elementary teachers, and there is growing concern that this is negatively impacting boys’ achievement and behaviour (Dreissen, 2007, p. 184). An argument has been made that this is the result of a lack of male role models, particularly in elementary classes and areas considered “feminized”, such as fine arts (Roulston & Mills, 2000, p. 222). Being taught to read and write by females can lead boys to believe these activities are not manly (Martino & Kehler, 2006, p. 119)

**The many roles of male role models**
Allan articulates the most common definition of male role-models as male teachers who act as substitute fathers (as cited in Sargent, 2005, p. 254). Often, there are three forms the male role model can take in the classroom; a father figure for students lacking a strong male presence, a disciplinarian who can manage the challenging behaviour of boys in particular, or a gentle male figure who can be a positive role model to children exposed to abusive or neglectful home lives (Sargent, p. 255).

How would you define a male role model in a school context?

**What does the data say?**

 * In Canada, almost 40% of male teachers are over 50 and nearing retirement in the next 10 years (Ontario College of Teachers, 2004, p. 6).
 * Just 18% of elementary school teachers in Edmonton are men, according to 2006 Statistics Canada data, which is slightly higher than the national average of 16%. (Edmonton Journal, 2008)
 * The decrease in male teachers is consistent across Canada. Male teachers dropped from 41% in 1989-90, to 35% in 1999-2000. This statistic is even lower among younger male teachers. Male teachers aged 30 to 39 is now 33%, and there are only 22% of males teaching aged 20 to 29 (OCT, p. 7). **//For statistics specific to your province as well as data from around the world, please visit page 7 of the Ontario College of Teachers publication titled Narrowing the Gender Gap: Attracting Men to Teaching at []//**

**Why are there so few male teachers?**
The reasons are numerous. Elementary teaching positions are often very gendered. It is a challenge to draw male teachers into the early elementary grades because of the view that women are the natural nurturers and men need to be very cautious when working around children because of society’s view of sexual misconduct (Sargent, p. 254)**.** As well, it is a challenge to attract men to the teaching profession because society often perceives teachers to be overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated (Ontario College of Teachers, p. 5)

**Implications: What can be done?**
While there is no quick fix or easy solution, some recommendations have come forth from Ontario and New Zealand, two places working hard to attract male teachers. Here are a few of the recommendations: (Ontario College of Teachers, p. 21 – 27)
 * Have male teachers involved in recruitment at career fairs
 * Develop mentor programs where experienced male teachers mentor new male teachers
 * Review the starting salary
 * Where there is a male teacher, principals should find a way for as many students as possible to work with this teacher
 * Involve male volunteers where there are very few male teachers

**Enrichment Activity: The Missing Male Teacher //(optional)// **
Shaun Johnson is a graduate research assistant at the Centre for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University. In 2008 he completed a study called “The Status of Male Teachers in Public Education Today”. While we understand this video is American and cites statistics that are not necessarily reflective of our education system in Canada, many parallels can still be drawn. To view the full brief that Mr. Johnson completed, please go to [].

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