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China: 59% female teachers. Japan: 62.7% (primary), 54.8% (secondary) female teachers. USA: 87% female teachers. I think you're right, the order doesn't matt

China: 59% female teachers. Japan: 62.7% (primary), 54.8% (secondary) female teachers. USA: 87% female teachers. I think you're right, the order doesn't matter so much as where the order comes from.

rayiner 12y ago
I'd love to see more male teachers. But I also think there's an (perhaps unconscious) sexist undertone that we need more male teachers because we can't expect boys to see women as proper authority figures.
- pauleastlund 12y ago
  First, I do think some of it is not just teacher demographics; I think the learning style promoted in American schools serves girls, in the aggregate, better than it serves boys. But more directly addressing your post, I don't think the point about teacher demographics is that boys can't respect women; I think it's that they're less likely to see women as role models. I always tried to downplay this stuff -- race-blind-and-gender-blind and all that to treat all people equally -- but I have a son and three daughters now and in spite of us never really making it a Thing, gender is a Thing for them. My kids were curious about video games but my daughter got turned off by a lot of them because "how come so many of the characters are boys." No matter what I said, she couldn't get past that. She felt like video games weren't for her. Is it crazy that boys might subconsciously feel the same about school? "If it's for boys how come all the teachers are women?"
- stevenmays 12y ago
  I think the sexist undertone is actually toward men - most male teachers of children (pre-high school) are viewed as weird or pedophiles.
  - tptacek 12y ago
    Are your kids male teachers taking flak for this? I see people on HN writing this all the time, but as the parent of a middle schooler and a high school student who just left middle school: There's a 50/50 split between men and women in my kids' middle school, and nobody is weird about guys teaching. There were plenty of guys teaching at their elementary school as well. My daughter had a male teacher in 2nd and 5th grade. I went to Jesuit high school, and more of my teachers were men than women. Again: no weirdness at all. Is it true that "most male teachers of children" (or even many male teachers of children) are viewed as "weird", or is this just a meme on message boards?
    - stevenmays 12y ago
      Then give me another reason to explain why educating has become largely a female profession in America? Before high school I think I may have had two male teachers. One was fired for making "inappropriate comments", the other was considered weird because he patted kids on the back and said good job. It is not just a meme, it's a reality.
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China: 59% female teachers. Japan: 62.7% (primary), 54.8% (secondary) female teachers. USA: 87% female teachers. I think you're right, the order doesn't matter so much as where the order comes from.

rayiner 12y ago

I'd love to see more male teachers. But I also think there's an (perhaps unconscious) sexist undertone that we need more male teachers because we can't expect boys to see women as proper authority figures.

pauleastlund 12y ago
First, I do think some of it is not just teacher demographics; I think the learning style promoted in American schools serves girls, in the aggregate, better than it serves boys. But more directly addressing your post, I don't think the point about teacher demographics is that boys can't respect women; I think it's that they're less likely to see women as role models. I always tried to downplay this stuff -- race-blind-and-gender-blind and all that to treat all people equally -- but I have a son and three daughters now and in spite of us never really making it a Thing, gender is a Thing for them. My kids were curious about video games but my daughter got turned off by a lot of them because "how come so many of the characters are boys." No matter what I said, she couldn't get past that. She felt like video games weren't for her. Is it crazy that boys might subconsciously feel the same about school? "If it's for boys how come all the teachers are women?"
stevenmays 12y ago
I think the sexist undertone is actually toward men - most male teachers of children (pre-high school) are viewed as weird or pedophiles.
- tptacek 12y ago
  Are your kids male teachers taking flak for this? I see people on HN writing this all the time, but as the parent of a middle schooler and a high school student who just left middle school: There's a 50/50 split between men and women in my kids' middle school, and nobody is weird about guys teaching. There were plenty of guys teaching at their elementary school as well. My daughter had a male teacher in 2nd and 5th grade. I went to Jesuit high school, and more of my teachers were men than women. Again: no weirdness at all. Is it true that "most male teachers of children" (or even many male teachers of children) are viewed as "weird", or is this just a meme on message boards?
  - stevenmays 12y ago
    Then give me another reason to explain why educating has become largely a female profession in America? Before high school I think I may have had two male teachers. One was fired for making "inappropriate comments", the other was considered weird because he patted kids on the back and said good job. It is not just a meme, it's a reality.
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