September, 2008

Adam Greene and Jordan Cook have spent their summers having fun -- going to the pool, leading crafts and playing games. They've also undertaken more serious responsibilities, such as maintaining order and resolving conflicts.

They are counselors at Derry Twp.'s summer day camp, organized by the township's parks and recreation department.

They are teachers in training. Greene, 22, of Hershey, is majoring in elementary education at Penn State University. Cook, 22, of Palmyra, graduated with a degree in elementary education from Susquehanna University.

One woman after another stood up and approached the front of the conference room in the city school district's central office. Their schools had been recognized by the state's education commissioner for dramatic improvement in student performance, and Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard was extending Advertisementhis appreciation. The women were often accompanied by their assistant principals and several teachers. Within minutes, Brizard was flanked on all sides by women educators.

A thought-provoking article on the Babble parenting site asks a simple question with complex, many-layered answers: Why are there so few male teachers of young children?

They're young and enthusiastic, brimming with the love of teaching.

They're also men. And somewhat to their puzzlement, that makes Marc Hoare, Rakesh Patel and Adrian Hoyte hot commodities.

Hoare, 29, who teaches Grade 7 English and math at Kitchener's Margaret Avenue Public School, says he's mystified as to why there aren't more male teachers. He loves his job and says it's equally well-suited to men and women.

A worried school principal stopped me in the hallway after I had given a talk on how boys were falling behind in school.

The principal wanted to know the answer to a practical question.

The search committee at her school had to make a choice between hiring a male teacher or a female teacher. The female teacher understood the importance of making teaching more boy-friendly.

But shouldn't her school choose the male teacher? Wouldn't he be a good role model for the boys?