Comments on: Boys can learn without male teachers

By: Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:31:49 +0000

When I think of my own teachers the ones I remember as the best are, with one exception, women. I don’t remember learning any importnat social skills from any of my male teachers, but then I have a father who was pretty involved in my raising (and lived in my home with me).

By: Michael E. Lopez

Michael E. Lopez — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:30:36 +0000

I was once one of two men who worked in an elementary school.

Two. For the whole school.

One was a fourth grade teacher, much beloved by his students. I was the librarian.

I was useful for handling kids the female teachers couldn’t.

Literally. Handling.

I don’t know about the whole role model thing. I was in my early twenties… so I doubt I would have been a good role model anyway.

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:39:23 +0000

Boys can learn what without male teachers?

By: SuperSub

SuperSub — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:45:10 +0000

Just about every parent will tell you that boys mature differently than girls (I just commited sexism sin #1 by saying that). Looking at my students over the past years that have been labeled LD and have not possessed some other underlying factor, most have been boys that seem intelligent enough but simply lack maturity, responsibility, and unfortunately the background knowledge they should have learned in previous grades.
Boys thrive under rigid structure, which is contrary to the views that boys need constant action and movement. Unfortunately, the student-centered and differentiated classrooms of current elementary schools disadvantage boys.

By: Mike Curtis

Mike Curtis — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:42:26 +0000

When I was a kid, the sex of the teacher didn’t matter as much as the knowledge that, if I didn’t pass the third grade standard, then I would have to do it over again. Social promotion is the reason we have illiterate high school students; not sex.

By: Tweets that mention Boys can learn without male teachers « Joanne Jacobs -- Topsy.com

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:10:12 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by kriley19, JoanneLeeJacobs. JoanneLeeJacobs said: Boys need good teachers, not necessarily male teachers: http://www.joannejacobs.com/2010/01/boys-can-learn-without-male-teachers/ [...]

By: Ed is Watching » Male Teacher? Female Teacher? Boys Really Need School Choice

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:26:10 +0000

[...] You can write about education issues a lot, have your eyes focused on the future, and still miss some of the debates that are going on out there. Washington Post blogger Valerie Strauss says that schools need to hire more male teachers, especially in the early grades, for the sake of boys. Citing Richard Whitmire’s book Why Boys Fail, blogress extraordinaire Joanne Jacobs responds: “Boys can learn without male teachers.” [...]

By: Stacy

Stacy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:58:10 +0000

Obviously, the desire for male teachers is driven by the perception that disadvantaged kids lack male role models. While this is probably true, it is not the place of a public school system to try to redress this social issue. Instead they should focus on finding competent teachers regardless of gender.

By: momof4

momof4 — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:50:49 +0000

Cranberry – My observations match on the homework and girl issue and I’d extend it to anything that incorporates any kind of artwork/drama. Overall, girls are more willing to do an assignment even if they already know the material and they are more willing to make it pretty/fancy. Of course, that didn’t apply to mine.

I also think mainstreaming/heterogeneous grouping has increased the homework weighting. I am aware of a number of situations where the homework typically arrived in handwriting other than the kid’s. Ditto for the increase in groupwork – both in terms of girls and in terms of mainstreaming/heterogeneity.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:24:50 +0000

To be fair to teachers, changing these practices is not necessarily in their control. It must be a whole-school effort, led by the administration. In many schools these days, the curriculum is set from above. There is no extra time in the school’s schedule to tackle individual deficiencies.

With the shift in our local school to a curriculum mandated from above, we have encountered the response, “that material has been presented in earlier grades.” Hmm. So, if boys haven’t learned what wasn’t presented, that’s their own fault? They’re not learning according to the school’s schedule, and that’s just too bad? Of course, parents in this district will hire tutors, and try to repair the damage at home. The argument is still a terrible one.

Has anyone studied the relationship between the percentage of male instructors in a school, and socioeconomic factors? Our affluent local school has a significant number of male teachers.