I visited with my sister-in-law over the weekend. She teaches in the western suburbs of Chicago. She showed me the composite picture of her staff. Grand total of 3 males out of a total of 39!(1 is a custodian.)

KariBlake,

I have to disagree with you on two points. One, all students (male and female) have different learning styles. Teachers (whether male or female) do need to respect this, and incorporate more space in the classroom for physical movement, cooperative learning, etc.

And two, do you even know the definition of feminism? A feminist supports the social, political, and economic equality of men and women. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism As a woman who is married to a feminist man and raising a feminist son, I really take issue with your misconception of the term.

It's been a long time since I was in school but this story made me realize that I didn't have a male teacher until I was in the 10th grade.

Kids need father figures in their lives, and that is lacking in a lot of homes. I would love to teach, but would probably get in trouble for getting on the kids. Kids would not mouth off to me as much as my wife.

chelleandlou - you said you're child never had male teachers except for art and music. i would bet my house she went to Monroe Elementary here in Janesville. I for one am extremely disappointed in the job they do hiring teachers in terms of integrating more males into the building. for the last 4 years or so there have been multiple opportunities for them to hire on a male teacher, and it seems they have passed. while i can agree you always want to hire the *best* prospects, there is something to be said about exposing young children to adult males as educators and role models. I'm actually quite surprised they don't integrate more males, because based on my experiences working in the district, they try VERY hard to be perceived as an elite public school system, yet, in my opinion, they fail to capitalize on many opportunities to improve in even the most basic ways.

Oh my. Most female teachers are not feminists. Most teachers do not have an agenda. We work very hard at being fair and unbiased. Anytime a parent thinks a teacher is not fair, biased, or is picking on a student just shows how little that parent is. Is it true that a teacher may not like a student? Absolutely. That's human nature. It's impossible to like everyone, but I can still be fair and treat the student respectfully. In all honesty, though, I dislike more parents than I do students, especially those parents who think their kids are geniouses who never get into any trouble.

My daughter has had several male teachers. Hands down Mr. Caley was the best of them. He is an excellent communicator with the gift of bringing out the best in his students. I am thankful she had a year with this wonderful teacher.

Puffer, I understand your thoughts and am the last to condone disrespect. But through my sons I've seen how feminine American education has become. Boys are ignored or criticized for sharp, pertinent questions and denied recess, while girls are rewarded for good penmanship and acting like cute little teachers-in-training.

My sons are bright. They learned the system and coped. They're successful citizens. But most of their "bad" teachers were female, simply because most of their teachers were female who bought in to the feminist agenda and didn't choose to understand the male mind. That's wrong.

I believe it's time for a change in education. All male teachers won't work, any more than all female ones. We need a balance, an equal balance. And we need accountability from all of them.

BigGirl you bring ignorance to your self in what you wrote. If you honestly believe what you wrote look into the income of male C.E.O.s vs female C.E.O.s in moderate to large companies.

Most people that have the endurance to go to college and become a teacher of all the choices to choose from, my hats off. Especially to my cousin at Craig high school that man could have chosen to become nearly anything and he is giving it back one student at a time.
We need more teachers that are there to teach because in their hearts it's their calling not a three month vacation privilege.

justsome1here~I totally agree. Two of my favorite teachers, one male & one female. My worst teachers, one male & one female. It doesn't not matter what gender. It matters what is in their heart.

kariblake- while I agree that girls and boys have different learning styles, they need to learn how to act appropriately whether the teacher is male or female. In the real world chances are you are going to be working for someone, and you don't get to pick if your boss is a male or female. Kids need to learn to act respectfully to ALL teachers/adults/peers regardless of sex. The boys will be boys attitude doesn't always fly in the real world.

Some of the best teachers my son had were female and some of the worst teachers my daughter had were male. What matters most is not the gender of the teacher, but whether that teacher is dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to help students succeed.

I had both male and female teachers during my youth in the 1960s and 1970s (although my first male teacher wasn't until I was in fifth grade). I loved every single teacher I had and will forever be grateful for each and every single one. No matter what the profession, men and women need to be compensated fairly and equally. And, I will probably be attacked by some posting here, but I think teachers deserve even better pay than they currently receive. And I agree 100 percent with the comment re: parents, public and government needing to let the teachers do their jobs. (And, no, I am not a teacher but will always be a learner.)

We need more male teachers in the classrooms, at all levels. Countless studies, as well as raw common sense, show that boys and girls learn differently. Girls succeed more in school because they follow girl rules set by girl teachers. They sit still and act nice.

Male teachers better understand that a boy needs some activity during the day. Boys are more direct in their learning styles, and a male teacher understands this.

Dude, I loved Mr.Caley!!!!
I'm a sophomore in high school and I still remember having him in elementary school and how much fun he was.

I am happy with my pay, and I get paid exactly the same amount as any woman or minority in my district with my experience. I didn't sacrafice anything to be a teacher. I am proud to be a teacher, and I am proud to have left corporate America for this profession. Now if parents, the public, and the government would just let us do our jobs.

Give me a break! The most sexist story I've ever read. Poor men. They get paid so much more than women in other jobs, so it isn't worth while for them to sacrifice themselves, as women do, and become teachers. What's the solution? Pay women more for other jobs?! No, the solution is pay men more for the jobs that women are ghettoized in, and do so because you care so much about the poor and the minorities! Outrageous!

My first male teacher was in 3rd grade and when I found out I didn't want to go to school. I was soooooo scared. I hadn't had very good male role models though. I think that was part of the reason I was so scared. But once I got in the classroom and he started teaching, he eventually became one of my favorite teachers. Out of my top five teachers that I couldn't have made it through school without 4 of them were males. I think we need more male teachers. Yes we need more teachers of different ethnicities too. One of my top five was a black male. One of the best teachers I could have ever asked for! I wish more men would start teaching. I also wish teachers got paid more!

As a male educator who would like to teach at the elementary level, I feel women are given the first priority at the jobs because they are seen as motherly. I have tried to get jobs in numerous districts including Janesville. One suburban Milwaukee school, however, only hired female teachers. The (male) principal was very clear on that. If you want male teachers, you have to hire them because they are out there and interested.

My daughter is a 6th grader, she's just now having her first male teacher for any core instruction. She has had male music and art teachers previously. I think male teachers are more authorative. Women don't seem to be as stern or strict.

The percentage of men in the classroom has fallen by half since 1981. I know I had plenty of male teachers myself in the Janesville schools, and 11% remains higher than the national average, now just 9%.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/40906