Male Elementary Teachers: Thoughts and Perceptions From Meager Misters

• In Event: Roundtable Session 35
  In Roundtable Session: Lives of Teachers: Beliefs, Gender, Vulnerabilities

Abstract

Male teachers make up about 9% of the teaching force in American public elementary schools. This underrepresentation, as well as other thoughts about being male in a female dominated profession, is explored through conversations with eight current and retired male elementary teachers. Using qualitative methods, these conversations explore issues such as why more males do not join the profession, reasons that participants chose elementary teaching as a career, and fears and challenges about working in schools and with young students. Building upon prior research, this study meshes established historical patterns with new insights from participants, making recommendations for policy changes for recruitment, retention, and understanding of male elementary teachers in the future.

Author

• Edward Miller, Teachers College, Columbia University