Growing shortage of male teachers

[GirlySports]

http://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Fea...html?GT1=10887

Many men once in the profession say they quit because of worries that innocuous contact with students could be misconstrued, reports the NEA.

Saw this off of MSN. I know there are a few male teachers in this forum.
Are conditions really this bad? Do you have to be really careful when dealing with female students?

[JohnnyB]

I don't know what it's like in Canada, but I can tell you teaching professional English here in Shanghai is a constant battle of willpower.

[The Goon]

I was coming here to say that maybe the solution is hotter female students, but it looks like that might be part of the problem.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by fotze

Before people go off thinking you are a horrific person, your students are all 18+, correct?

Yes, my students are all over 18. That's what makes it so torturous, and many of the classes I teach are just me and one student...

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Yes, my students are all over 18. That's what makes it so torturous, and many of the classes I teach are just me and one student...

So why do you need willpower?

Seriously I think this this article is targeted towards kids.. even grade school kids.

Scenario: 8 year old girl plays on the playground, falls, and is crying.
Can a male teacher pick her up and hold her hand on the way to the school nurse without someone filing a complaint?
Or does he just leave the girl in a crying heap.

[rockstar]

More importantly, how can you have a "growing shortage?"

[flylock shox]

JohnnyB has the libido of 10 tipsy Charlie Sheens, and has the dating standards of Roger Federer (if you've seen his girlfriend, you'll understand). To him, this entire world and everything in it appears as no more than a soft, damp, orifice.

[JohnnyB]

I quite love teaching, but I must admit I'd have little interest in being a public school teacher in NA. The rewards are far too low for the responsibility, demands of the job and the value of the work. I agree that the political climate around teachers is oppressive, but not just for men either. I think it's just one of those matters of working a job where you deal with the public. The public is wacky and you've gotta face the broad variety of neuroses festering among them, all present included.

[MarchHare]

Every year SAIT (and I believe UofC as well) hosts an event where they invite middle school girls to participate in workshops around the campus to get them excited about a future career in information technology, since that field tends to be dominated by male employees.

That's all well and good, but how come there aren't corresponding career fairs aimed towards making middle school boys excited about a career in a female-dominated profession, such as social work, nursing, corporate communications, and (apparently), teaching?

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Saw this off of MSN. I know there are a few male teachers in this forum.
Are conditions really this bad? Do you have to be really careful when dealing with female students?

I can't speak to elementary school teaching, but as a University teacher I can tell you that we men are pretty paranoid about this. I NEVER meet alone with a female student (or any student, actually) unless it's in a public place or in an office with the door open and lots of people in the halls.

It's just a matter of self-protection--99% of people are honest, but you can't be too careful. Often mental illness manifests in the University years, and sometimes there are people who have an agenda that they're willing to go to great lengths for. The problem is that all it takes is one accusation and a guy could lose his job, especially if he's a grad student or adjunct. If you're found innocent, that might be years later when it's far, far too late to stop the accusation from ruining your life.

[MaDMaN_26]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

JohnnyB has the libido of 10 tipsy Charlie Sheens, and has the dating standards of Roger Federer (if you've seen his girlfriend, you'll understand). To him, this entire world and everything in it appears as no more than a soft, damp, orifice.

funny.

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Many men once in the profession say they quit because of worries that innocuous contact with students could be misconstrued, reports the NEA.

Saw this off of MSN. I know there are a few male teachers in this forum.
Are conditions really this bad? Do you have to be really careful when dealing with female students?

I teach in a Junior High School and I say that I would think the issue would be more with students (for whichever reason) deciding that they don't like you and thus interpreting something as inappropriate, or choosing to interpret it that way, if that makes sense.

Even at this age level, where hormones are running rampant and nearly everything is hypersexualized, the students seem able to interpret innocent contact as exactly that. This being said, I know many of my male colleagues (of which there are six out of 28 staff) outright refuse to have any type of contact for any reason whatsoever with any student, male or female.

I have had students (female) ask for hugs from time to time and I always make sure that if such a thing occurs it happens in full view of several people and that it's a one-arm, as little contact as possible type thing.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by rockstar

More importantly, how can you have a "growing shortage?"

Easy, I have one in my pants.

[burn_baby_burn]

A friend of mine who attended a coaching clinic told me of similar situations. He mentioned something as innocent as helping a young female minor hockey league player putting on shin pads could be misinterpreted.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Easy, I have one in my pants.

hahahahhahahaha

[FanIn80]

I know I would never want to be a teacher in North America. Not with the way everyone is tried in the media before they even make it into a courtroom.

Wasn't it just last year that someone's wife was murdered here in Calgary and the police brought the husband in for questioning... the next day his picture was on the front page of the Sun proclaiming "Man Arrested for Murdering Wife." He was later released after his alibi checked out, and they went on to find the real culprit... but there was never anything on the front page of the Sun to say he was innocent.

I can just imagine giving some girl a D on a half-assed assignment, only to have her lie to her parents about some made-up story of trying to force her into something. I'd be all over every front page in the province (and even some outside the province) proclaiming me as psychotic child-molester... up until my trial when my lawyer gets her to admit she lied and made it all up. Then there would be a nice little tiny paragraph on page 16 in the two local papers here in the city saying, "Remember that guy we had on the front page 2 years ago who we thought raped that little schoolgirl? Turns out he didn't do it."

Yeah. Sign me up to be a male teacher in this society please.


Edit: That came out a lot more condescending and paranoid that I had intended, but I think it gets the point across.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Edit: That came out a lot more condescending and paranoid that I had intended, but I think it gets the point across.

Not at all. I agree with that.

I would think that 99% of teachers get into the profession because of their genuine love for children and wanting a rewarding job. Like everything, it's the bad apples that ruin it for everyone and also over-protective parents who think everything revolves about their prince/princess and whatever the child says must be true.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Easy, I have one in my pants.

So even when it is grown, it is still short?

[SarichFan]

To be off the cuff a moment.. Is it not every boys dream to hook up with a hot teacher in their high school lives? There were quite a few I would've loved to bone... When I see a pretty damn nice looking lady going to prison for hooking up with a 16 year old kid.. that ain't right. In fact it pisses me off, where was that when I went to school? ahahah

[CaptainCrunch]

Woman have the ultimate work place and school place advantage, they have what is in essense the true finger of death.

Frankly they point the weapon at you and activate it with the two words . . . Sexual Harrasment. It doesn't matter if you didn't do it, the company and the law in this case will always condemn you with little evidence.

Its easier to fire a person then to investigate the claim.

Workplaces in a lot of ways are a lot less team oriented because of that fear.

I had a girl who coveted my position make an accusation against me even though the closest we got was walking past each other in the kitchen. (And no I didn't do the accidental pants falling down tripping move), and I was basically told that my denial would mean nothing, and that in the case of her word vs mine in the absense of witness statements, or physical evidence, hers carried more weight. Basically there was no point in defending myself or my track record with the company because the company wanted the issue to go away.

After I left, I found out that she had gotten a nice little raise and a shiny new position in the company.