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It is guys night out at the pub. There are two preschool teachers, a Montessori teacher, a summer camp director, a nail salon worker, and a librarian. Which ones are men?
All of them! It is guys night out. “The times they are a-changin’ “.
Well maybe, but it is still a fact that only 5.6 percent of childcare workers are men, and of that only around 2.5 percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers are men. In the emerging workforce which is seeking to secure gender equality, it is not only women who need to seek professions traditionally thought of as “male”, but men need also to consider professions traditionally thought of as reserved for women.
“The need is there!” said Alex Straus in a Ted Talk given last July. Straus was the second male in history to graduate from the early childhood education (ECE) program at Western Washington University. He pointed out the importance of men becoming more involved in ECE. He said as more men are recruited in this traditionally female profession, it will support gender equality, provide positive male role models for children and provide support and guidance to male caregivers.
Peter Alexander is the founding engineer and Chief Information Officer with iQ3R, he commented that “Well, there are some problems with that despite it being a noble goal. Some of my best students are preschoolers and kindergarteners so I certainly understand how great the work is. But there is a stigma associated with men working with children that we have to work to overcome.”
The stigma Alexander is referring to is a general sense of uneasiness many parents have about adult men teaching and playing with their kids. Citing Jeremy Davies from the UK’s thinktank “The Fatherhood Institute”, he said there is an “underlying, often unspoken, acceptance of the idea that men are dangerous.” And this penury of male presence in ECE is not endemic to the United States. In the UK, men form only 2% of the ECE workforce and just under 3% in Australia. Norway has a stated goal to fill 20% of its ECE workforce with men and is now at 9%, making it the global leader. Still, this hardly evidences gender equality.
iQ3R is making way for men to join the ECE workforce. About half of their teaching staff is comprised of male ECE workers. Most of their ELD courses are taken by students in preschool and kindergarten. The key seems to be the non-threatening nature of the online platform. “There is a built-in safety factor that goes beyond background checks and fingerprinting — which we nevertheless still do,” Alexander said, reflecting on the place iQ3R is creating for men in ECE. “The parents are often close by and can watch their kids interact with the teacher. That added buffer renders the kinds of usual stigmas sort of irrelevant.” He added that the meetings are recorded for training purposes and quality control, so there is no room for anything but learning.
Peter Durham is one of the iQ3R Lead Instructors. Having recently turned 60, he said “Many of us (male staff) are teachers because we love working with kids. The online environment provides a safe alternative to the classroom, where we can see how we like work in ECE. Concerns that might otherwise be raised in an offline care center never even come up.” iQ3R stands for intelligence, questioning, reasoning, reflecting, and responding. These are exactly the kinds of things young kids love, Durham reported. iQ3R aims for true gender equality. It is just as likely for a student to be placed with a man as with a woman. According to Alexander, that is intentional.
iQ3R sponsors an online forum for discussing teaching issues and encouraging cross-talk among the teachers. Most of their teachers hold certifications as credentialed instructors. There has been a recent interest in expanding their online ECE programs which will make even more opportunities available for men who are interested in continuing their role as fathers, mentors, and leaders after their own children have left home. Alexander concluded, “It is a great chance for dads to practice their parenting skills without having to wait to become grandparents.”
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This content is sponsored by iQ3R.
Photo provided by iQ3R.