O/T Men in nurseries

[Skint Gull]

TonyW i'm amazed at your reaction to this. This is not just about learning statistics, it's about social development for kids and it's FAR more relevant now than it was in years gone by. I agree with your point the the male teacher still needs to be a good teacher but with so many your lads nowadays (especially in deprived areas) growing up without their dads around, having more positive male role models can only be a good thing.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not the sort of liberal twat who never blames the kids, as they get older they have to take responsibility for their own actions regardless of how they have been brought up. However surely you can see that a lad who doesn't know who his dad is, or who's dad can't be arsed to spend the time and money to see him will only have a negative perception of men. It's not about them 'growing up wearing dresses and listening to Take That', it's about them thinking the sort of attitude that their dickhead fathers have got is how men should be and turning out just like their fathers.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Interesting thread.

I agree with a lot of the comments re: lack of male role models, but I don't think everyone is being totally 'honest'.

Bottom line, if you're a bloke - would you do it? I wouldn't. There are a lot of reasons for this. Certain prejudices, perhaps (ie it's seen as a woman's job inside and outside profession). The money (starting off somewhere between £10k and £13k if you're lucky). The vulnerability to accusations, more likely to come if you're a bloke because of the prejudices mentioned earlier. As Lush says, there seems to be an 'extra' risk for blokes in this job, on top of all the other ones.

But I take completely the point being made at the start of this thread, that this initiative is intended to change some of these opinions. It clearly won't happen overnight.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Id love to be a nursery teacher as well. All that would stop me is the starting salary im afraid.

Speaking as a parent myself I think its sad that there isnt more male nursery staff. I remember for a little while there was a male one at my daughters nursery a few years ago shame there isnt more.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Perhaps the thing that's stopping you lot from applying is the memory that, when you were all at school, you tended to lazily bracket all male teachers (except maybe PE teachers) as either "wankers" or "benders"?

Or was that just my school?

 

[csider]

must be a great place to meet clunge.

 

[TonyW]

TonyW i'm amazed at your reaction to this. This is not just about learning statistics, it's about social development for kids and it's FAR more relevant now than it was in years gone by. I agree with your point the the male teacher still needs to be a good teacher but with so many your lads nowadays (especially in deprived areas) growing up without their dads around, having more positive male role models can only be a good thing.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not the sort of liberal twat who never blames the kids, as they get older they have to take responsibility for their own actions regardless of how they have been brought up. However surely you can see that a lad who doesn't know who his dad is, or who's dad can't be arsed to spend the time and money to see him will only have a negative perception of men. It's not about them 'growing up wearing dresses and listening to Take That', it's about them thinking the sort of attitude that their dickhead fathers have got is how men should be and turning out just like their fathers.

Well, I'd like to agree, but the World just doesn't work like that.

If a lad is going to grow up to be a thug, then its going to happen.
Doesn't matter if he is "educated" by men, women or donkeys.

If he wants to be a nice lad, he will be.

Simple as.

There are many, many boys that grow up to be decent people having only had a mother at home, and being taught/looked after at nursery and school by girls.

The added presence of men wouldn't change anything.

 

[TonyW]

Perhaps the thing that's stopping you lot from applying is the memory that, when you were all at school, you tended to lazily bracket all male teachers (except maybe PE teachers) as either "wankers" or "benders"?

Or was that just my school?

No, that's every school!

 

[tedebear]

For pre-school men just can't cut it I'm sorry. Very few of them have the maternal instinct to care and teach. For school, many men are better as they have the instinct to teach and care.

Notice the order there?

 

[Wilko]

For pre-school men just can't cut it I'm sorry. Very few of them have the maternal instinct to care and teach.

Isn't that as sexist as saying women cannot be good pilots because of poor spatial awareness or good surgeons due to slow decision making?

Not having a dig, just making an observation.

 

[Gwylan]

when you were all at school, you tended to lazily bracket all male teachers (except maybe PE teachers) as either "wankers" or "benders"?

... and PE teachers were all "bastards".

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

GR - I am currently putting together a Sociology podcast about the representation (or lack of it) in nurseries and primary schools. Any chance you would like to be interviewed on it to express your views and also plug your September event?

What a great subject to be covering in your podcast. I would love to be interviewed for it.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Just wanted to say that it's great to hear read such a wide-ranging discussion about there being so few men working in nurseries. Or to look at it another way, why there are so many women working in them.

It's true that the low wage presents a barrier. Men may also have concerns that they will be perceived to be a) A paedophile B) Gay C) Useless at 'men's jobs'

However, once in a job, what I've found in my own experience at different settings is that most women don't get that men will be different, will interact with children in a man's way - which usually is much more playful and directly playing with the children, rather than distantly watching over the children in a motherly way. Beyond that, I've found that men are a lot more at ease with physical play than a lot of women tend to be. We remember taking part in super-hero play when we were young, and it didn't do us any harm!

 

[Wardy]

I would love it if my son had a some male carers at his nursery. I think that it is important because like others have said though they may be teaching the same things they will be doing it in a different way. By different way what I mean is that they will approach it from a different angle, with emphasises on different parts of the subject.

As for why there is a lack, I think one of the reasons especially in nurseries is that it is seen as a form of of childcare and not education. That means that it carries extra stigma as being a woman's job.

 

[The Tassie Seagull]

Work as a Primary PE and Gr5 teacher in Tas. Only other male teacher is in Gr6. Although there are quite a few male teachers in primary schools here, the vast majority are in the higher grades

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I will say again that its only the low salary that would prevent me, Im a parent already so to me anyway childcare is quite natural.

 

[The Tassie Seagull]

Moved into teaching after working in health clubs in the UK for about 8 years. Did my general primary teaching degree at UTAS, but because of my sports science degree, teach PE as well. Taking 40 kids to slog round at the state x-country champs tomorrow - its going to be freezing!!

My degree had an even split of males and females, but very few of the whole group are currently teaching now, only three years later.

 

[Wilko]

What a great subject to be covering in your podcast. I would love to be interviewed for it.

Good stuff, do you live in Brighton area?

 

[Billy the Fish]

I know you were making a joke here but this is the EXACT reason why boys are underperforming at all levels of education and often lack a positive male role model. Many boys grow up in a one parent family (usually just mum), then go to playgroup, then onto primary school and quite often through the first 12 yrs of their life without any positive male role models.

The images, references and depiction of males in TV programmes and adverts is either as a pathetic wimp being pushed around by his wife or as a paedo.

Very sad state of affairs that society often assumes that males who have a caring side and interest in working with children are dodgy.

Some would say the reason is girls getting up the duff in an unstable relationship and the scumbag fathers not looking after their kids. The problem needs to be tackled at the source and that is by educating and encouraging families to stay togeather.

 

[TonyW]

Isn't that as sexist as saying women cannot be good pilots because of poor spatial awareness or good surgeons due to slow decision making?

Not having a dig, just making an observation.

No, not at all.

By definition NO MAN has a maternal instinct - physical impossibility, as we can't be mothers, so no, not sexist at all.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

No, not at all.

By definition NO MAN has a maternal instinct - physical impossibility, as we can't be mothers, so no, not sexist at all.

I wouldnt say I have a maternal instict, butI do have an instinct to look after children whether my own or someone elses.