Giving Compass' Take:

• Josh Brown shares how male teachers can provide role models for students who might not have positive male figures in other parts of their lives. 

• How can the teacher pipeline be expanded to provide a range of role models for students? 

• Find out why teacher representation matters. 

It was only the second week of school and Ernesto* had already cussed me out twice. He learned to protect himself in the school of hard knocks, where daily lessons involve neglect, abuse, and distrust from the adults in his life. His father left him when he was young, and his mother worked multiple jobs to support him and his younger brother.

As much as young men look up to sports figures, a strong male role model in the front of the classroom can positively influence the emotional development of his students, especially boys.

Like Ernesto, too many boys grow up without a strong male role model at home — or at school. This gender disparity in the teaching profession is unfortunate because it is critically important for young boys to see positive male role models in their lives. Qualities that make a great teacher, like patience and sympathy, are not typically associated with men.

By modeling these character traits, male teachers can shape their students’ ethical compass and might even inspire them to become teachers themselves.

Read the full article about male teachers by Josh Brown at EdSource.