3mo ago

We need more male teachers so British boys have role models, says minister

www.theguardian.com

The fate of boys “is a defining issue of our time”, according to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as she calls for more men to become teachers to combat “toxic” behaviours.

since 2010 the number of teachers in our schools has increased by 28,000 – but just 533 of those are men

Do you think this is an issue? Decades ago, boys would have been taught by male teachers, so today's female teachers are a change from the past.

18 comments

Then you need to start treating them right.
Every teacher I've known is overworked, underpaid and stressed out.
- I would consider teaching, if it wasn't paid/worked like a passion job.
  Overworked, underpaid, and any push-back inconveniences the kids, so you feel guilty.
- You are correct about the treatment of teachers.
  But when you stop and think about the interpretation.
  Are you saying women are more willing to accept such abuse.
  Care more so do it anyway.
  Or have less options for non abusive jobs.
  Because any interpretation dose not look great for us men as quality role models.
  
  Male teachers in primary schools have a whole set of problems unique to them, this is not a case of women being more willing to accept abuse or a lower status.
Teachers basically raise the next generation, they have a huge impact on the subjects kids become interested in, education is one of the most important things in society.
Teachers should be paid more, and they should be able to have a 40 hour work week, not 60 hours like most do now, and they shouldn't have to be buying the equipment they need to do their jobs themselves.
National Education Service please!
- Yes but at the same time the caliber of teachers has gone down. Jonathan Gullis was a teacher, I mean, I wouldn't want him alone in a room with my kids.
- It's the second most important job in the world after agriculture, it's insane how bad they're considered
I just sent this to a friend who is one of the small proportion of male teachers in a primary school, turns out he just resigned because of the trust.
Thinking back many many years, I can't think of any male teachers in primary and an awful lot of the male teachers at my secondary school were either bastards, wankers or weirdos. There were some decent ones but I have no uplifting stories of them being inspirational (ex pupils of my Mum's say she definitely was), although I should have listened to Mr Benson about going to Oxford to do Geography. Asking teachers to be good role models to combat "toxic masculinity" seems like another example of what my Dad called "the elastic curriculum" - some politician would get it in there head that something nerds doing and punt it onto the schools as if they have all the time and resources in the world.
My key male role models growing up were my Dad and my ex-uncle Norm. If the good examples aren't set at home then the schools have no chance.
- I had some good male teachers. The ones who weren't so good were easily angered and lashed out at the class. The ones who I much preferred knew how to lay down rules and get the respect of the class.
Decades ago, boys would have been taught by male teachers, so today's female teachers are a change from the past.
Both states are the result of misogyny, and it's not like the kids that were taught by male teachers are now being taught by female teachers to balance it out, it's completely different sets of kids. Children need positive role models of both genders, and boys are being completely left behind in that regard currently.
- not just currently, boys have always been left behind in this sense. who was their positive role model in these days of yore? some sexist reactionary ass, most likely.
Many of my friends (both men and women) that were teachers have changed careers over the past decade. The stress of the job is apparently vastly disproportionate to the compensation and many are pushed far past breaking point.
I think the problem is more that teachers are receiving a fraction of what they should if we want to keep the best ones in that field, and we don't have enough of them in general. These modern large class sizes to gloss over the staffing issues, are a big part of the problem IMO, it's a lot easier for kids to fall through the cracks in a bigger group before thinking about the teachers being overworked.
There being better male role models is the responsibility of all of us.
- Same story here.
  Teachers want to teach but what they're asked to achieve is impossible without working 60-70 hour weeks.
  And when people talk about all the holiday they receive: all the teachers I know use that time to crash, become ill, recover, and then they're back to work.
  
  Steady on. I don’t think even teachers will say they do 10 hour days, 7 days a week.
This is definitely part of a plan and not an opportunistic pony ride on the back of the TV show called Adolescence when has been on every front page and chat show for the last week.

18 comments