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Brian H's avatar

Having taught in both elementary and university settings, I whole-heartedly agree that teaching is a critical area for men to serve in society. Speaking in generalizations, I think one of the elements that keeps men from pursuing this career is a sense that there is little mobility in the profession. The only way "up" is into administration, which is a) a very different career often requiring considerably more education and b) difficult to get into as the number of those roles is far fewer. Part of an answer would be to re-structure educational administration so it is more of a shared governance model. That is, allow teachers (men and women, of course) to serve in administrative positions for a term - 5 years? 4 years with a possible renewal for a total of 8? - and then return to the classroom. That would allow senior teachers to have some flexibility without having to abandon the classroom forever. It would provide more in the education profession the chance to exercise leadership gifts and gain perspective on those roles. It would "seed" every school with people who have served in administrative leadership once they're back in their teaching positions. It would allow everyone (but I do think this is particularly important for men) to see the teaching profession as not just a permanent classroom assignment for 30+ years, but a career with mobility, flexibility, new challenges, and change over the course of time. I would argue that even more than the pay (though that isn't inconsequential) the perception that teaching lacks growth potential is a deterrent for many men.

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Jim Dalrymple II's avatar

Honestly I think the salaries are the biggest thing. Right or wrong, I suspect most guys who have the ability to go to college and get white collar-type jobs still want to support — or at least substantially contribute to the income of — their households. They may or may not know the gender ratios in teaching, but they surely know that they could make more money in almost any field. Meanwhile salaries in education seem like they are designed as secondary incomes (ie you have a spouse making more money, so you have the freedom to pursue something low paying).

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