Male Voices in Early Childhood Education And What They Have to Say about... What led to their interest in early education Their important mentors Why they think teaching children is so satisfying Advice for men entering the field How to encourage more men to become early childhood teachers The future and where they see themselves Gender and career challenges for male teachers Susan Friedman Wh at is it like being a male early childhood educator? What advice do men in the field today have for men entering the profession? I asked six men at different points in their careers a school principal, an education consultant, an English-as-a-secondlanguage specialist, an infant/toddler teacher, a military child development center program director, and an early childhood education student about the rewards of working in the early childhood field. Susan Friedman, senior editor at NAEYC, conducted these interviews to reflect male voices in the field. Photos courtesy of the interviewees except as noted. Illustrations Michael J. Rosen. An expanded version of this article is available in an online archive at www.naeyc.org/yc/ pastissues. 6, 10 Alan Stehli is an infant/ toddler teacher at the Orfalea Family and ASI (Associated Students Inc.) Children s Center on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo, California. On entering college as an engineering major, I toured the campus Children s Center and thought working at the center would be a great part-time job. I soon realized it was more than a job it was a passion. I could see that I would be a much happier person as a teacher, and I switched majors. I started working with preschoolers. Then a teacher I first worked with moved to the infant room and asked me to join her. I discovered I had a knack with infants. I loved observing how quickly they grow and change and how excited they are about their developing language. I m the only full-time male staff member. Changing my major from engineering to teaching was easy because I felt passionate about teaching. Friends, however, gave me confused looks when I told them. At the center, families and the children are very accepting. The children respond differently to me. They could be doing an activity, and when I come in, they seem more interested. Perhaps it s only because there are so few male teachers. Don t be discouraged when considering entering the early care and education field by things like the low level of compensation and the stereotype some have that teaching/caregiving isn t a man s job. What keeps me going is the feeling that I play an important role in each child s life. Young children need positive male role models. Reprinted fromyoung Children May 2010 41
I could see myself as an administrator 10 years or so down the road, or perhaps working in child advocacy. I don t want to leave the early childhood field. It s wide open. I m enjoying what I m doing right now. being a part of his or her development, and helping families deal with a challenge, like coping with tantrums. I love having real conversations with children I knew as infants. There s never a dull moment. Teaching is having the ability to bring about change in a child s life, NAEYC/Richard Graessle Louis Romei is an English-as-a-secondlanguage (ESL) relief teacher providing support to teachers of dual language learners in public preschool classrooms in Garfield, New Jersey. Romei taught preschool for five years. Cliff Langley is the Stuart Mesa Child Development Center director at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. He has worked at the center for seven years, first as a program assistant, then as a training and curriculum specialist, and now as the director. When I was in high school, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Instead, I joined the Marine Corps, thinking I d be in for a single enlistment. I stayed for 20 years, and then I went back to school to study education. During my junior year in college, I worked with kindergartners in a summer camp and became interested in becoming an early childhood educator. I was a communications major, but found I was delighted to work at the camp. When I told my father, a school vice principal, how much I enjoyed working with kindergartners, he told me about a precertification program to which I could apply to teach pre-k through third grade. A teacher with whom I worked as a student teacher was a mentor. Lorraine Rake helped me appreciate that it was one thing to be in college classes and learn about the developmentally appropriate ways to teach children, and quite another thing to see it in action! I am definitely in the minority among the 40+ teachers in our preschool program. I m the only male, and sometimes this is a challenge. I feel that early childhood education could use more male teachers. It s important for children to have both male and female role models in their lives. Many children I work with are being raised by a single parent, usually a mom. These children respond to me in a very positive way. Don t feel intimidated by finding too few male teachers. When considering entering the early childhood field, this should not hinder you. Teachers become teachers because of their love for children and their passion for the profession. That s all that matters. I see myself as a curriculum supervisor, teaching others about developmentally appropriate curricula in another 10 years. What I love is that teaching is one of the most altruistic professions. Teachers give so others can benefit. There s no greater satisfaction than seeing your students progress and grow because of your own hard work and dedication to the field. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Keyser, was important to me along the way. A retired military man with a flat top haircut, he was the most interesting person I had ever met. He taught us about life and the world and respected children s opinions. I admired him for that. Continue your education if you are considering working in the early childhood field. Don t think you re going Teachers become teachers because of their love for children and their passion for the profession. That s all that matters. 42 Reprinted fromyoung Children May 2010
Men in the Lives of Young Children 2010 People tell me that my work is not rocket science and how hard could it be? They are right. It s not rocket science. It s more important than that! to have an easy job. Teaching is hard work, and it takes dedication. Prepare for some negative responses for example, that working with young children is not meaningful work for men, only babysitting. It s important for us to represent the significance of our work and that early care and education is a real profes- sion. I ve had people tell me that my work is not rocket science and how hard could it be? They are right. It s not rocket science. It s more important than that! Over the next 10 years, I see myself continuing my work with children and families at the child development center on Camp Pendleton. Being one of so few men did not seem to me like such a challenge, because I was warmly accepted. Some military families with deployed male service members are concerned that their children don t have a male role model in their lives. The families I work with appreciate the male influence I bring. I love working with children because every day is a new adventure. Early childhood educators really help children become good people, citizens, and Americans. In this child care setting, many families remain for years, and it is a pleasure to see their children grow. Ed Greene is senior advisor on early learning for Cito USA, in Atlanta, Georgia, a subsidiary of a measurement and assessment company based in The Netherlands. He currently works on a pilot program to adapt and implement the Pyramid Approach to Early Learning in three sites in the United States. In the 1970s, while I taught in an urban middle school, I became interested in early childhood education. My landlady also worked for Head Start in Philadelphia, and she sparked my interest in early childhood education how the study of child growth and development was connected to teaching young children. I was surrounded by a circle of early childhood educators who embraced and mentored me, so being one of few men didn t feel like such a challenge. I experienced some skepticism when I was an infant caregiver in Pasadena, California, and some mothers would ask why I wanted to do this as a man. Positive responses and support eventually outweighed everything else. Men thinking of entering the early childhood field should study child and human development to learn how children grow, develop, and learn. When we base our discussions and strategies on what is best for young children, it brings people together. Understanding the social and cultural contexts in which a child s development occurs is empowering. Some men and women may have been socialized to believe there are certain ways to play, based on gender that boys don t play with dolls. A more interesting conversation takes place when people discuss the meaning behind that play. Ground yourself in child development, and you will have a deeper understanding of children and how to meet their needs. The focus on child development is what I love about early childhood education. It remains a core interest today, as does my interest in the role of culture in children s development. While I served on the faculty of Pacific Oaks College, I became very interested When we base our discussions and strategies on what is best for young children, it brings people together. Understanding the social and cultural contexts in which a child s development occurs is empowering. in language and culture and their influence on a child s development and experience at school. My colleagues and I started teaching a course called Family, School, and Community in a Pluralistic Society. Another group of us looked specifically at language and culture as it related to Black children. These areas of study and the people with whom I ve been privileged to work still deeply shape who I am today. Reprinted fromyoung Children May 2010 43
When I worked as a camp counselor, I loved the younger children s sense of humor. That s when I decided I wanted to be a teacher. Be patient, and take advice from others in the field. For the right person, teaching is a great job; but understand that teaching isn t as easy as people make it out to be. Relate to the children. Give children the opportunity to teach each other. Jim Smalley is a senior majoring in early childhood education at Heidelberg University, in Tiffin, Ohio. help each other understand the story. Remember to keep children interested in learning. You can motivate them by finding out what their interests are and relating these to the subjects you want to teach. In the rural area where I was a student teacher, children were familiar with farming. I d revise math story problems to include tractors and other things they knew about. Being one of few men in the field can sometimes be a challenge. But my attitude is, like in any other work environment, it s what you make of it. I ve learned a lot from everyone around me. I love it. In five years, I could see myself teaching kindergarten or first, second, or third grade. I m a basketball player, so perhaps I ll coach a high school team too. It s important for children to have a male teacher when they re young, because many are from single parent families and may not have a male role model in their lives. I don t accept the stereotypes that men have better managed classrooms and women are more creative. I think every individual brings something unique to teaching. Every teacher, male or female, aspires to have a well-managed and creative classroom. I do. You might find yourself in a second grade class with 30 children. That s what happened to me. I learned there are strategies you use, like partnering children during reading so they can For the right person, teaching is a great job; but understand that teaching isn t as easy as people make it out to be. Dean Tagawa is principal of LaFayette Park Elementary School, in Los Angeles, California, a year-round pre-k-tokindergarten school with four preschool classes (two serving special needs) and nine kindergarten classes. development and worked with us to make kindergarten learning fun for the children. He taught us that everything had a dual purpose: playdough developed fine motor and academic skills and games helped children develop math and social-emotional skills. I was in college when my interest in being an early childhood educator began. My aunt, an assistant principal at an elementary school in Los Angeles, encouraged me to work as a teacher s assistant. The school was in a rough neighborhood and she thought the fifth- and sixth-graders needed a positive male role model. While I was there, I also worked with kindergartners, and found I loved that age group. In my career, the first principal I had, Lloyd Houske, in the LA Unified District, was important. He had a strong background in early childhood Don t be afraid to consider the early childhood field. Children will see you as their teacher whether you are Miss Erica or Mr. Dean. Be flexible, for kids are going to be kids. Being with the children is the best part. Some parents might be anxious about a male teacher, but as they observe the many ways their child is growing and learning, they will see that teaching is a profession and not based on gender. 44 Reprinted fromyoung Children May 2010
Men in the Lives of Young Children 2010 Watching children grow socially and academically is what I love about teaching. A school can change an entire community because of the influence on and support given the families we serve. Connect. Educate. Inspire. We can attract more men to the profession by educating families and stressing that children need both male and female role models at the earliest ages while they are developing their personalities. I see myself at my same school for the next 10 years, if possible. I want to develop special education programs to help children get ready to enter general population schools. After that, I d like to run for the school board, emphasizing the importance of early intervention. Watching children grow socially and academically is what I love about teaching. A school can change an entire community because of the influence on and support given the families we serve. I love this! We teach the whole child, provide a balanced program, and address core academic areas and children s social and emotional needs. I want all children to feel safe and have fond memories of their preschool or kindergarten experience. Renewing your NAEYC membership? Upgrade now and save with a Comprehensive membership. Promoting Excellence in Early Childhood Education For more information, call 800-424-2460 or visit www.naeyc.org/membership. Copyright 2010 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.naeyc.org/yc/permissions. National Association for the Education of Young Children www.naeyc.org Reprinted fromyoung Children May 2010 45