Marlborough's only male kindergarten teacher is encouraging other men to "throw the stigma out the window" and join the profession.
Michael Clark, the head teacher at Springlands Kindergarten, said he wanted men to forget about what people might think about them being in early childhood education.
"If it's something you really want to do and something you're keen on, get off your rear and go do it."
Male kindergarten teachers make up only 1.7 per cent of the country's teachers.
Mr Clark is the only male kindergarten teacher in the region, although there is another male teacher working at a play centre.
He said he was more rough and tumble, more forgiving and also louder than his female counterparts.
Mr Clark started at Springlands Kindergarten in term 2 last year and before that was a teacher at Renwick Kindergarten for two years.
Children needed more males as role models in their early education to show them they could choose careers that did not necessarily fit their gender, he said.
Male teachers also brought a different perspective to the table, he said.
"There's a lot of talk about how boys learn and how best to teach boys because, in a profession dominated by women, they don't understand how boys work."
Some people were a bit wary about men working with children at first, he said.
"Historically there have been times where there've been anti-man sentiments when working with kids."
Clark first trained as a primary school teacher before later training as a kindergarten teacher at Massey University.
During that time he was required to do placements at different kindergartens.
"Sometimes you'd turn up for a four-week placement and at the start you'd get that `Ah, yeah, oh, a guy – right'."
Once teachers and parents knew he was married and had young children of his own, they became more comfortable with him as a kindergarten teacher, he said.
Becoming a kindergarten teacher needed to be seen as a viable career option for male school-leavers, he said.
Men needed to have the self-confidence and resilience to "buck the trend" and become kindergarten teachers if they wanted to.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
My son had a male kindy teacher and he was absolutely brilliant!
My father was a teacher, and a dmn good one, and I had tought of going into the same profession, but the hysteria and fear, and the risk of an angry kid making a false alegation and you career is done, and ask Peter Ellis if his time in jail was fun. No thanks.
With good systems in place,men have nothing to fear from working with children.Other teachers especially need to take resposibility for ensuring children are safe.As a parent whose kid was taught by a teacher that spent 17 years abusing children,we need to accept that some people are attracted to teaching precisely for the opportunities to abuse.Parents who expressed concerns about this guy were told they were hysterical, PC, feminist claptrap, you namne it, and that he was "the best teacher in the school".Even after he was tried and convicted, truly deluded ex-colleagues of this criminal were publicly saying he was a good teacher. This was especially galling for the victims. And coryllus #2 - lets not minimise the harm done to these children.
Its not men that have the stigma it is society as a whole. You cant tell me as a parent you havent secound thought motivations of a male working in the childcare industry?
Early childhood education needs to be accepted as a place for woman AND men, some children need a positive male role model in their lives.
Keep up the good work Kindyman
I hope more men DO go and work in early childcare - I worked there myself for a while, and it's SUCH a female dominated world!
I have two sons, and they're lucky enough to have their Dad home with them all the time.
The best way for boys to become good men, is for good men to show them how.
Yep - sorry to be so negative but - it will be all well and good until the first accusation of inappropriate behaviour and then all male kindy teachers will be tarred with the same brush.
Even the comment in the article "once they knew he was married and had children of his own"; I read into this that the view is that a single male with no kids is (obviously) a child molester. So no young guys can pick this as a career then?
You really have to cut out the over-the-top reactions and suspicions before this will become a reality.
coryllus #2 I couldn't agree more, kids need positive male role models, especially with so many single parent households but what man would take the risk! Clearly Mr Clark may not recall poor Mr Ellis but it is a risky position for men with the automatic assumption of guilt if one mother over-reacts, and heaven forfend he might be a single man! Not a chance, he'd be driven out. Ridiculous and absurd but true, we are still playing witch hunter about men working with kids.
The irony is that although predators exist and do great amounts of damage in the lives of their victims, hysterical mothers and fear-mongering women have done just as much damage by seeing perversion where there is none and levelling false allegations at innocent men. Male role-models are just as important as female role-models, but I suspect the stigma that exists against males in this context has as much to do with reluctance to be looked at sideways by people who love to see corruption wherever they look. I love children and am a proud uncle, but find myself nervous when a child approaches, talks or engages with me in a public context. There is always a paranoid mother nearby who assumes that every stranger is a paedophile.
Well done for speaking out.
People are neither rational nor reasonable in regards to the well-being their children, a well known and exploited phenomenon when people want to circumvent logical debate on an issue.
Considering the attitudes I have experienced while looking after my own children, and the guilty-until-proven-innocent attitude faced by men regarding this kind of crime, means I would not consider having that sort of risk exposure to other peoples children without pervasive video recording evidence and a full time witness.
I think it would be great to have more guys in it. My daughter just turned 1 and I'm about to update my skills for 6 months to continue working from home and am about to look for a daycare that's not just females i had hoped (haven't noticed it was all females) as she likes strong people holding her to chestt height. I don't like unqualified and those under a certain age for her care so I'm guessing it'll be hard. No father cuddles? You must come from a very diff type of family as my partner is always giving hugs kisses singing and even kissing her fav teddys that she puts in your face. I know she would very much love both genders in her care.
When my son was younger (nearly 20 years ago!!) I chose the Childcare Centre he went to because there WAS a male working there. There are kids who have no positive male role models, mine son being one of those, and that to me was hugely important! Male early childhood teachers are a HUGE asset!
And as for the other Daddy Daycares, I have a number of friends with at-home dads. It is becoming more and more common yet not necessariuly more accepted. I was horrrified by a friend telling me that her daughters friends weren't allowed over to play after school if she wasn't home.
Coryllus #2 is right, alot of males (myself included) still live with the fear that the hysteria of the early 90's created when dealing with kids. Even today the ads on TV are about males abusing their partners and kids. We need to get a positive message out there about the benifits of a male role model
My brother is a Kindy teacher... What is the big deal with this guy?
@coryllus #2
Exactly. And no one wants to be the next Peter Ellis and subject of a fabricated witch-hunt
My son has a male teacher at his day care and I think it is one of the best things that has happened in his pre-schooling. All of the kids love the guy and he is brilliant with them. They all seem to gravitate to him and he provides a sound balance with the children. Sadly the whole Peter Ellis affair still lingers over this country and it's early childhood teaching participation from a males point of view. It will last a little longer but it is great to see guys biting the bullet and entering in the environment. Congratulations Michael and I hope all goes well.
coryllus #1 is on the money. The persecution of Peter Ellis and the entire staff of the Christchurch Civic Creche by utterly incompetent and in some cases bigoted professionals has had a ghastly, chilling impact on generations of children and men.
Nothing to do with stigma, it's to do with the discriminatory women who assume a man who wants to play with kids is a pervert.
you made your bed ladies, lie in it
I have a mate who teaches at High School - young guy with 2 little ones - and he is always vigilant to not be put in a situation that could cause false accusations. Its not in the back of the mind, its in the front everyday.
My 3 children all went to pre-school, all female teachers, and I had the same experience as Daddy Daycare...the kids just craved the attention, my 3 wondered what all the fuss was about LOL.
Its a pity isn't it that for male teachers to be accepted they have to present as husbands and fathers...with people not marrying so young these days and having children later I can understand why male school leavers wouldn't think of becoming a pre-school teacher.
Good on Michael! I am a primary teacher and whole heartedly agree we need more guys in early childhood and early primary years. One of our Intermediate male teachers spent a good bit of time working alongside me in my junior class and he was wonderful with them and they really responded to him too. Such a shame there is the stigma because of our recent past.
Go the blokes!!!
Thats the problem with this country...too many women teaching! No wonder our kids are all little wooses
I'm all for this. The more males that are involved in the classroom from an early age, the better. However, it's just too dangerous these days. One slip of the tongue from a kid or one telling off that the kid responds badly to and that teacher has his career curtailed for life. Too many people will respond with 'well there's no smoke without fire' in those circumstances. I've always wanted to be a teacher, particularly for kids between the ages of about 5-9. And everyone I know in the profession says I'd be great at it. But I just can't risk it anymore. It's not a like of male pride thing, it's a lack of wanting my life ruined thing.
My son has an older male teacher at his daycare and I think its great and very refreshing to have a male in a workplace that is often dominated by women. Its a shame that a few low lives have ruined the profession for alot of males who would make fantastic early childhood teachers.
I was a kindergarten teacher and graduated to head teacher - and worked for 14yrs in early childhood. My experience with male staff was most welcoming and I chose male applicants many times-excellent at reacting with children in activities in an expressive and fun way. I was teaching when a lot of calls were made of abuse -I have never felt this was of any way possible as there are always more than one adult and parents come and go to the centres which are open plan buildings. Spinglands Kindergarten are lucky to have male teachers and yes they should be encouraged to take up a career in this field.
Hopefully we're finally at a stage where the PC brigade can shut their yaps and let the teachers teach.
My boys' pre-school had a male student teacher for a time; the kids just gravitated to him & his manner and approach in dealing with both boys and girls at pre-school was a wonder to behold. There is something about a male authority that the kids really do respond to. Because of the stigma around male pre-school teachers, a friend of ours has shied away from that career path although he would be an absolute star in the role. More male pre-school teachers please!
"Once teachers and parents knew he was married and had young children of his own, they became more comfortable with him as a kindergarten teacher, he said."... says it all, really.
Hug a kid or take her to the toilet and you set yourself up for accusations of child abuse. It is such a sad fact of life that males have to live in fear of being perceived "kiddy fiddlers" We only have women (some) to blame for that.
I would happily drop of my 2 young daughters and my son (all under 5) to a Kindy run only by a group of males. In fact if such a place existed I would drive out of my way to drop my kids off there.
How do we change this?
I echo the sentiments of Daddy Daycare #1
I spent a day at Kindergarten with my daughter and was always surrounded by a group of little boys. We built volcanoes out of sand and pumped water into them with a hose causing eruptions, we played ball games, had a great time. These little boys were calling out for some male attention and "boys games" which they probably didn't get much of so I think it's a great idea to have more male teachers at all levels.
My eldest daughter has also had two male teachers at primary school and I think this has been really good for her, as well as doubtless the boys in the class.
Ideally you'd have both male and female teachers in all kindys and primary schools.
Note that Mr Clark is married with children, which he admits helped him be accepted. This won't apply to most school leavers so it is going to take a huge shift in attitude before we have younger male teachers in primary and pre-primary.
Would definitely echo the need for more male kindy & primary teachers. They do bring a different perspective to teaching and I think boys particularly benefit from strongmale role models. Some years back my sons kindy had a male teacher for a number of months and it definitely benefited the kids. Sometimes I wonder if the not so good pay puts off men more than women, as they still tend to be the main earner in a lot of families.
our kids need more males in kindy and primary schools!!!good on you mr clark !!!!!!
The world needs more blokes like this chap. Many more.
My kids had a male teacher at their preschool, he was awesome and the kids really enjoyed him. Unfortunately there are no male teachers at their primary school now.
I'd love to see more guys train as primary or kindy teachers.
My younger son was fortunate to have a male kindy teacher. He thoroughly enjoyed the rough and tumble and male perspective during his time there. Kindy teachers of both genders do a fantastic job but it is better when there is a mix of teachers. Both the boys and girls benefit!
No male in his right mind should ever go into childhood education. One vindictive comment or false accusation and boom, life destroyed. It's not worth it.
Michael Clark is perhaps too young to remember why there are no male kindy teachers - or indeed why there is a shortage of male primary teachers. What he claims is perfectly true. Kids do need male role models. Just as they need cuddles and comfort and don't get these either from males these days - even from their own fathers, because of the hysteria about sexual abuse. Having worked in this area myself, I saw more harm come from the hysteria and from false accusations than from the actual abuse itself - and that's saying something! I was never able to decide whether I felt more anger at the true abusers who cause the trouble in the first place, or the panic stricken mothers who interpreted the most normal behaviour as abuse and caused mayhem as a result. The destruction of lives was and is horrendous. I believe the hysteria is abating - but it will be a long time before men will feel safe working with children.
When my daughter started in kindy I sat in for a couple of sessions to get an idea of how the place operates and how my girl might take to it. I was amazed by the kids reaction to having a guy around the place; I spent most of the time with a small crowd around me competing for my attention to chat, show me things they made etc. I don't think you can put a value on having positive male role models in environments such as this.. Good on you Kindyman!
No comments:
Post a Comment