Gender Will Find a Way: Exploring How Male Elementary Teachers Make Sense of Their Experiences and Responsibilities

Abstract

In recent years, public discussions over the socialization of boys have increased dramatically. These concerns have fueled a number of proposed remedies, one of which has been a push to increase the presence of men in elementary schools. To date, however, this call for increased male participation in elementary education has focused primarily on boosting the numbers of men in the field. The authors contend that simply increasing male representation is not enough. Drawing from interviews with fourteen male elementary teachers, they explore how these teachers understood and talked about their experiences and responsibilities as male teachers. At times, they illustrate ways in which they drew from dominant discourses of gender, race and class to make sense of their experiences and responsibilities. At the same time, the authors highlight moments of instability and/or potential disruptions to these discourses as men sometimes challenged or questioned traditional narratives of gender. They then identify implications for teacher education, professional development, public rhetoric and debate, and future efforts to recruit and incorporate more male teachers.