Where are all the Male Teachers?

Every now and then I'll be in some staff meeting or function and the thought will randomly hit me: "I'm the only guy in this room."

To take a quick inventory of my school's staff, we've got a male gym coach, 2 male elementary teachers, and 1 other guy in the secondary with me. So that's 4 out of the maybe 20 teachers (and I'm not even counting the administration and office staff), or 1 guy for every 5 gals. Oh, and those other 3 men? They all started working here this year. I think last year we had 2 men - myself and another guy who left. So what gives? I thought we were all "rah-rah equality" in the field of education?

The reason you don't see male teachers is pretty simple in my view: men don't want the job. There are a lot of things about modern teaching that make it unappealing to men, which is a shame, because there's a real need for male teachers. But the problems remain. To wit:

Problem #1 - The Feminized School Environment Let's make a short list of things that men typically enjoy doing. Ready? Here goes:

A. competition, in games or otherwise

B. Movement, action, and fighting

C. Danger and taking risks

Now ask yourself, are any of those things encouraged in school? Competition? Nope! I can't say Johnny is smarter than Tony, even though Johnny has A's and Tony has F's. How about movement or fighting? Definitely can't do that - and that goes for students too. Can't have running in the halls, and was that a mean word that Timmy said just now? How about danger? Well I'm sure sometimes - CAREFUL WITH THAT SHARP PENCIL!

Now to be clear, these problems are much worse for male students than they are for male teachers, but they nevertheless create a stifling atmosphere (for men) that even the adults can feel.

Problem #2 - An Overemphasis on Emotion

Over the last couple decades, schools have become increasingly focused on the emotional well-being of their staff and students. To some degree this is a good thing. Who doesn't like being emotionally healthy? But men and women see the subject of emotional health very differently, and to put it bluntly, men do not care about it nearly as much as women do.

To give an example, not too long ago my school hosted a professional development seminar on "self-care." Topics covered included how to prep meals more efficiently, picking a realistic bedtime, and why you should spend less time on your phone. "Bored" does not begin to describe how I felt. If the meeting room had literally caught on fire as part of the proceedings, I still don't think my eyes would have deglazed.

You know what my idea of self-care is? Skipping these time-wasting meetings about ginger tea and bubble baths (actual subjects discussed) so I can go get things done.

Problem #3 -The Pay is Peanuts This problem is especially acute if you work in a small private school like I do. Now to be absolutely clear, I'm not complaining, and I appreciate my pay. I realize that I could make more working in a public school, but I choose to work here because that's where I think God wants me to be. And besides, I enjoy the Christian work environment. But for a lot of men, money is a bigger deal. And it's not because they're greedy. Many godly, Christian men are interested in providing for their families, and they just can't do that on a tiny private school salary. For many men, the idea of letting their wife play breadwinner is humiliating - a sign of personal failure. Whether that idea is right or wrong, it keeps a lot of men back from jobs like teaching that require some financial sacrifice.