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Why recruiting more men of color isn’t enough to solve our teacher diversity problem
A few months ago, I helped teach a lesson about gender assumptions in the workforce. My students brainstormed a whole list of male-associated jobs: construction worker, bus driver, engineer. Not one suggested teacher. It didn’t matter if the classroom was predominantly female, male, freshmen, upperclassmen. The answer always implied the same: I, a black man, […]
Read MoreChange: From acceptance to serenity
Change…it is inevitable and constant. In fact, “There is nothing permanent except change” (Heraclitus). Sometimes changes are welcome and yet at other times, change leaves me struggling with acceptance. In light of the recent Democratic and Republican conventions, the word acceptance could be heard in the given speeches. The meaning of the word acceptance was […]
Read MoreHer Male Teachers Were Integral to Her Success and Sense of Self
I just had a conversation with an old high school friend of mine who is now a high school teacher herself about the nature of student/teacher relationships. She confessed that she has an easier time connecting with her male students than her female ones; this prompted us to reminisce about the teachers who had impacted […]
Read MoreMenTeach E-News – June 2016
MenTeach E-News June 2016 1) Why let the facts get in the way of a good story? Women will always be blamed for boys’ underachievement 2) The remarks of Donovan Livingston at Harvard 3) 2017 World Forum Foundation – Men in Early Childhood Education proposals due 4) Northern California Men in Child Care Conference 5) […]
Read MoreOnly 8 percent of New York City teachers are men of color. Here’s how the city is trying to change that
“Start sharing. Don’t be shy,” the facilitator said at the start a training last week for Asian, black, and Hispanic men hoping to teach in the New York City school system. He’d asked them to name a movie or song that spoke to them. “Rocky,” one man said. “The Star-Spangled Banner,” said another. “Remember the […]
Read MoreEnd Gender Barriers for Male Teachers
Recent efforts to break gender barriers in traditionally male-dominated fields present opportunities for women to advance in fields which were previously closed off to them. While there is still work to be done, initiatives such as Girls Who Code or the NYU organization Women In Science suggest there is hope for a female-friendly work environment. […]
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