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He can HEAL: A call for nominations

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He can HEAL: A call for nominations

I'm working on a book for middle schoolers and need some inspiring examples, please help me out?

Richard V Reeves
Nov 14, 2023
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He can HEAL: A call for nominations

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The Entry-Level Health Care Jobs Men Are (and Are Not) Taking
Image Credit: Harvard Business Review

As you likely know by now, I’m borderline-obsessed with the need to get more men into HEAL jobs (health, education, administration and literacy). That includes teaching (especially in K-12), nursing, psychology and counseling, social work, and the literary arts. See my previous post “Men can HEAL”, or my piece in TIME magazine “Why America Needs More Men Working in Health Care and Education”, or, of course, the book Of Boys and Men. We’ve increased the share of women in STEM occupations (while still leaving much more to do on that front), but at the same time massively reduced the share of men in HEAL jobs. In fact there are now fewer men in HEAL than women in STEM:

As Corinne A. Moss-Racusin and her co-authors write in 2022 article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Over the past half century, women have entered professions traditionally occupied by men to a much greater degree than men have entered those traditionally occupied by women. Unfortunately, people express less concern with men’s underrepresentation in HEED than with women’s underrepresentation in STEM.

(Their HEED category is essentially the same as HEAL).

The lack of concern with the falling share of men in occupations like teaching, psychology and social work is indeed unfortunate, and this will be an important theme for the work of the American Institute for Boys and Men, which officially launches this week (so, watch this space)!

Help me write a book

I’m delighted to be working on a book with Quarry Books (part of Quarto), aimed at middle schoolers, called He Can HEAL. This will accompany a similar one called She Can STEM. It is happening thanks to the vision and courage of editor Jonathan Simcosky. (For more of the background, see this article in Publishing Perspectives from Porter Anderson).

But I need your help. The book will feature profiles of 50 inspiring men working in these professions, either from the present or the past. So, please, send me your ideas. And as soon as possible, you might be shocked to hear I’m up against a deadline! So far I’ve got some wonderful men currently working in psychiatric social work, nursing and early education. But I need lots more, in lots of fields. Know any awesome male elementary school teachers, or counselors, or nursing assistants, or care workers? Can you think of men in these fields who were leaders or pioneers in the past?

I’m thinking of men like Hector Hugo Gonzalez, who became a nurse in Texas in 1962 and then served in that capacity in the Vietnam War before becoming president of the Hispanic Nurses Association in 1982. A mural honoring healthcare heroes was unveiled in 2021 at the University of Louisville (that’s Huge Gonzalez on the left):

School of Nursing Mural
2021 mural honoring healthcare heroes at the University of Louisville

Gonzalez funds a scholarship for male Hispanic nursing students, one of the very few such scholarships available to men seeking to enter HEAL professions.

Then there’s Jermar ‘Coach’ Rountree, finalist for National Teacher of the Year in 2023 who works with students from K through grade 8 as a health and physical educator and sports coach.

Jermar Rountree is Teaching Others the Importance of Being Fit to Serve -  Muscle & Fitness

As he explains:

Teaching is where I belong. I love what I do and that will not change. I am dedicated to my kids, families, and colleagues. That is what pushes me along no matter what. I want to be that trusted person, that father figure, that coach that my students can rely on no matter what.

Or how about Edward Krise?

In the 1940s, Krise lived at Hull House in Chicago while studying for his Master’s in social work, before serving in Korea as a psychiatric social worker, and then pioneering the study and care of mental health challenges of veterans at Walter Reed hospital, then and leading efforts to desegregate the U.S. military—being awarded the Legion of Merit for his service to race relations, not once, but twice.

Please send me your nominations by Nov 20th! Thank you in advance for your help on this and for all your support in general. It is much appreciated.

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He can HEAL: A call for nominations

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Gus Fleming-Wood
Nov 19

I would like to nominate Shane Trotter. Shane is an author and a strength and conditioning coordinator at Mansfield High School who works very closely with his school district and students to encourage a better, more responsible lifestyle that will create mature, self-fulfilled adults. Shane’s book, “Setting the Bar,” discusses many topics surrounding the development of the youth. It includes many lessons and anecdotes from Greek and Roman Philosophy, and provides solutions and advice on how to counter the obstacles that hinder the youth from developing into mature adults. Shane created a newsletter due to the immense positive feedback from his book, https://shanetrotter.substack.com/ , that is written for parents and educators. The success of both the book and newsletter led Shane to write a proposal to the school district, which was accepted, that allowed him to create a pilot program at two local elementary schools. This program increased the amount of recess periods the students have from 1 to 3 and created a health, character, and personal responsibility-based elective. I had the honor of being a student under Shane, where I was invited to a group he created for students to learn how to navigate the issues of modern society and become mature, respectable, and happy adults. This group, The Arete Men’s Group, focused on creating a strong mental fortitude and living by cardinal virtues, those being courage, temperance, fortitude, wisdom, and justice. To build this strong mental fortitude, each time the group met we would immediately start with a cold plunge at 6 AM. As a group we also went on a two-day hike where we pushed our mental and physical limits. It has truly been an honor to work with Shane, and to see his actions and proposals leave a positive impact on the youth in my hometown.

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Joylynn Blake
Nov 19

Chris Hall, MS and HS teacher, gardener, woodworker, homesteader, historian, author of Common Arts Education and common arts practitioner

https://alwayslearningeducation.net/

From his book's description: "The liberal arts...represent the core frameworks for cultivating virtue and practicing skills vital to our life in the world. And yet, they alone are insufficient, for we must eat, heal, defend ourselves, trade, build, find our way around, and more. It may seem evident that the common arts should be an integral part of education, and yet we see that every generation is losing skill in the common arts as we increasingly rely upon others to provide them for us. In Common Arts Education, author Chris Hall provides not only an argument for an integrated liberal, fine, and common arts pedagogy, but also some practical advice for crafting a robust, hands-on curriculum.

...The author discusses 13 common arts, including:

Agriculture

Architecture

Navigation

Medicine

Cooking

Woodworking

And much more!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AItwxUBfB6jisp0glqTP8?go=1&sp_cid=19823938b3d3f861f0cfc4bd10550c4c&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=44b95e45d5be43be

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