Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education
ISSN: 1090-1027 (Print) 1745-5642 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujec20
“I Am the Teacher”: how male educators
conceptualize their impact on the early childhood
classroom
Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Kirsten Cole & Jean Yves Plaisir
To cite this article: Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Kirsten Cole & Jean Yves Plaisir (2020): “I Am the
Teacher”: how male educators conceptualize their impact on the early childhood classroom, Journal
of Early Childhood Teacher Education, DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2020.1754310
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2020.1754310
Published online: 23 Apr 2020.
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JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2020.1754310
“I Am the Teacher”: how male educators conceptualize their
impact on the early childhood classroom
Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Kirsten Cole, and Jean Yves Plaisir
Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, USA
ABSTRACT
ARTICLE HISTORY
According to recent statistics, fewer than 3% of early childhood
educators are self-identified men. Thus, at a time when young children are constructing their identities and exploring gender roles and
boundaries, opportunities for them to engage in authentic and
meaningful learning experiences with both male and female teachers
are scarce. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how self-identified
male educators construct non-normative masculinities as they fulfill
their roles with young children within early childhood education
(ECE) environments. To achieve this objective, we draw upon the
voices of men in the field to highlight their motivations and shed
light on the challenges of their lived experience in the field of ECE.
We use data from questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and classroom observations from a much larger research project that uncovered intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing men’s decisions to join
the ECE workforce. Overall, the men in our study view their involvement in ECE as an opportunity to support children’s social and
emotional development as they also push back on stereotypes
about men in this sector. Our findings have implications for national
and international practices and policies that envision the recruitment,
support and retention of men as a key strategy for building and
normalizing a mixed gender workforce in ECE while also enhancing
opportunities for young children and their families to engage in
meaningful and positive gender experiences with both female and
male educators.
Received 13 December 2018
Accepted 25 March 2020
Introduction
I think that it’s so embedded in society that men don’t work with children, and that’s
primarily what females do. Until we come to the point where more and more men are
invested in the lives of young children, then we are going to have to constantly have that
notion of, “Oh how can we bring more men?” or “How can we do a study about men?”
because it is a field that doesn’t have that, and how can we create more men coming into this,
how can we do this? One day, we’ll get that percentage up, hopefully, and then in the future
we’ll say, “Oh, well this how it could have been and should have been, all the time.”
Aaron, Head Teacher, 3-year-old classroom
Despite recent efforts to increase the participation of men in the early childhood workforce, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018) reports that fewer than 3% of early
childhood educators are self-identified men. These statistics are similar in many countries
CONTACT Mindi Reich-Shapiro
mreichshapiro@bmcc.cuny.edu
Teacher Education Department, Borough of
Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, S616, New York, NY 10007
© 2020 National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
throughout the industrialized world (e.g., Farquhar, Cablk, Buckingham, Butler, &
Ballantyne, 2006; Ho & Lam, 2014; Wohlgemuth, 2015). Thus, at a time when young
children are constructing their identities and understanding of the world, opportunities
for them to experience a healthy range of gender role models are scarce.
The early childhood classroom can be viewed as a community of practice within which
young children come to know themselves and the world by engaging with adults and peers
in a collaborative and ongoing process of transformation through a multidimensional
system of relationships (Stetsenko, 2012; Wenger, 2007). It is, therefore, important to
consider the sociocultural context of these early childhood settings.
In this paper, we begin with a review of key literature examining the historical
gendering of the ECE workforce, the value of male early childhood educators and the
challenges that they face. We delve into the narratives of men currently working in early
childhood sites throughout New York City to illustrate how they conceptualize their
impact on the field. In questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, the male educators
in our study reflect upon their experiences within the field of early childhood education,
the challenges and opportunities they face, and the roles they play – and are expected to
play – within the school community. They speak about how they help to shape curriculum
in their classrooms, and about their expectations of young children’s social, emotional,
physical and cognitive capabilities. They examine their influence on children’s understanding and awareness of gender roles, as well as on broader societal conceptions of
masculinity. They discuss the dynamics of their relationships with female colleagues, with
administrators and with the families of the children in their classrooms. In our analysis we
examine the connections between their perceived capacity to serve as a resource and guide
for young children and their identity as male educators. We conclude with concrete policy
recommendations that emerged from the data analysis that could be implemented to help
increase the recruitment and retention of men in the early childhood workforce.
The value of male educators in the early childhood workforce
Within the daily routines and practices of ECE settings, educators and young children
collaboratively construct gender identities and experiment with gender roles in the social
and physical organization of the classroom and playground, and they sometimes reinforce and
sometimes challenge stereotypes in these contexts (Danby, 2003; Lowe, 2003). Aina and
Cameron (2011) argue that gender stereotypes and gendered power relationships are reinforced when young children do not have the opportunity to engage in authentic and meaningful learning experiences with both female and male teachers. Increasing the presence
within the early childhood workforce of male educators who identify with a broad range of
masculinities would enhance the diversity of voices in the early childhood classroom and
challenge these stereotypes (Brownhill & Oates, 2016; Wood & Brownhill, 2016).
In several recent studies, male educators described important differences in how they
construct learning experiences for young children, bringing a gendered pedagogy into the
classroom in relation to play and exploration, social mobility, conflict resolution and meaningmaking (Bosacki, Woods, & Coplan, 2015; Huber & Traxl, 2017). For example, male teachers in
a Canadian study were more likely than their female counterparts to support children’s
engagement in “rough and tumble” play, through which children explore their boundaries
and relationships, and learn about both self-regulation and empathy (Bosacki et al., 2015). In
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
3
a study from Austria, boys in early childhood classrooms with male-female teaching teams
showed greater social mobility than boys in classrooms with only female educators and sought
greater physical contact and support from the male educator on the team, engaging in more
communication and affective exchange (Huber and Traxl (2017). Using data from a three-year
research project in Switzerland, Tennhoff, Nentwich, and Vogt (2015) documented differences
in how male educators organize the spatial environment with a greater focus on outdoor play
and opportunities for independent exploration vs. a more traditional approach in early education that emphasizes care and protection. Male and female educators working together in early
childhood classrooms have the opportunity to reflect on their pedagogy and learn from one
another, creating a classroom environment that better supports the physical, cognitive, social
and emotional development of young children.
The gendering of the early childhood workforce in the U.S
Gender discourses that privilege the “unique” maternal role in the care and education of
young children are deeply rooted in the institutional culture of public education in the
U.S. and many other nations (Ailwood, 2007; Brownhill & Oates, 2016; Kamerman &
Gatenio-Gabel, 2007). Although early childhood education in the U.S. today is almost
exclusively the professional domain of women, it was not always so. The first infant schools
established in the U.S. in the early 1800s adhered to the prevailing societal patterns, which held
that women did not have the intelligence, strength or moral authority to be entrusted with
educating future generations (Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015). The social and cultural forces that
created the current gender imbalance in the early childhood workforce can be traced to the
mid-1800s, influenced by educational reforms, changes in labor market forces due to urbanization and industrialization, and shifting societal perceptions of the role of women in the
care and education of young children (Ailwood, 2007; Kamerman & Gatenio-Gabel, 2007;
Taylor Allen, 2017). There is a strong correlation between the bureaucratization of U.S. public
schools that began in the mid-1800s, and the increased employment of women as teachers
(Parkerson & Parkerson, 2014; Rury, 2013). When the discourses and constructs surrounding
public education in the U.S. are examined, they reveal a connection between this feminization
of the workforce and the perception of teaching as a profession unworthy of respect or
compensation (Drudy, 2008; Rury, 2013). Low status, challenging working conditions, low
salary and poor benefits for early childhood educators undermine high-quality experiences for
children in early education settings. In recent years, research and advocacy by professionals
engaged in early childhood education has begun to challenge these harmful perceptions of
early childhood education as a profession (Allen & Kelly, 2015). Efforts toward achieving
gender balance in the early childhood field should be pursued alongside policies that promote
workforce diversity and inclusion, as well as practices that can transform institutional culture
in order to promote improved professional opportunities for both men and women.
The purpose of this study
Recent studies have highlighted the benefits of increasing men’s participation in the field
of ECE (e.g., Aina & Cameron, 2011; Bosacki et al., 2015; Huber & Traxl, 2017) and the
challenges that they face (e.g., Brownhill & Oates, 2016; Cameron, 2001). However, few
studies explore effective strategies for how to reimagine the early childhood workforce to
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
achieve greater gender balance. Understanding the subjective experiences that shape men’s
decisions to work with young children can be instrumental in guiding practice and
shaping policy to recruit, retain, mentor and develop male educators in early childhood
education programs. In this study we focus primarily on how self-identified male educators describe their lived experiences in ECE and conceptualize the impact of their work on
the socioemotional and cognitive development of young children, so as to inform policies
and practices that are likely to increase men’s participation in the field of ECE. Questions
that guided our research were:
How do male educators perceive their experiences and participation within the field
of early childhood education?
● How do they help to shape curriculum and influence children’s understanding and
awareness of gender roles, as well as broader societal conceptions of masculinity?
●
Methods
Study setting and research protocols
This study, which examines male educators’ subjective experience of their impact on the field
of early childhood education, is drawn from a two-year investigation of the intrinsic and
extrinsic factors impacting men’s decisions to pursue a career in early childhood education.
The larger research initiative took place during a significant expansion of the New York City
early childhood education system. The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) provided
funding and technical support for eight university-based research teams, including ours,
working in partnership with the City University of New York’s Professional Development
Institute (PDI).
We utilized a variety of instruments designed to elicit both qualitative and quantitative
data, including a lengthy questionnaire, individual interviews, focus groups and classroom
observations. All of the research protocols were developed collaboratively by the three
principal investigators (PI) and three research assistants (RA) who comprised the research
team.
Participants
A note about gender identity
We use the term “male educator” to describe the individual self-identified and selfdescribed male early childhood educators who participated in this study. We recognize
that the binary notion of gender as “male” and “female” has been contested and expanded
upon and that these binary categories do not adequately encompass the gender identities
of all people (Babits, 2018; Hyde, Bigler, Joel, Tate, & van Anders, 2019).
Participant demographics
The 46 self-identified male educators in this study ranged in age from 18–64, with the
largest percentage (39%) between 25–34. Participants were offered the option of choosing
more than one category to describe their race and ethnicity: 16 identified as Black or
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
5
African American, 12 identified as White, 11 identified as Hispanic or Latino, 1 identified
as Asian/Pacific Islander and 6 selected more than one race/ethnicity.
The men in our study had served for a range of years in the field, with the highest
percentage (36%) working for over ten years and the second highest (24%) having worked
for three to five years. In terms of positions held, 59% were employed as assistant teachers
or paraprofessionals and 41% described their position as lead or co-teachers.
Data collection
Initial sampling process
The initial sampling process was assisted by MDRC, an education and social policy research
organization that identified sites across a range of economically and demographically diverse
community districts. Our research team recruited participants from 29% of the sites provided
by MDRC and then extended outreach to include our professional networks, making certain
that our sample remained representative of the economic and demographic diversity of
New York City’s community school districts. The 26 early childhood sites in the final sample
included 9 NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) public schools, 12 publicly-funded
community-based organizations (CBOs), several of which had PreK-for-All classrooms as
well as classrooms funded through Early Learn (e.g., Head Start), and 5 tuition-based
programs, one of which included PreK-for-All classrooms.
Questionnaires
In the first phase of data collection (February-May 2017) a team that included one PI and
one RA visited each site to meet face-to-face with the site administrator and male
educators. We explained the research protocol and distributed instructions to access the
online questionnaire, which provided information about demographic and professional
characteristics, as well as open-ended responses about participants’ working experiences,
teacher preparation, professional development and mentoring. The questionnaire (see
Appendix) required 40–50 minutes to complete. Questionnaires were distributed to 81
male early childhood educators, of which 46 were completed, yielding a response rate of
57%. Participants included 14 lead teachers, 6 co-teachers, 19 assistant teachers, 5 paraprofessionals, and 2 family advocates.
Administrator interviews
Once we had analyzed the data from the questionnaires, PIs conducted one-on-one on-site
interviews with 7 male and 7 female administrators who supervise male educators at their
early childhood sites, which included 6 NYCDOE public schools, 6 publicly-funded CBOs and
2 tuition-based programs, 1 of which included PreK-for-All classrooms (Table 1). In these
audiotaped semi-structured interviews, we began with questions about the administrator’s
own career trajectory. The remainder of the 30-question interview focused on recruitment,
retention, mentoring and professional development of male educators, as well as school
culture and climate. Interviews lasted approximately 80 minutes.
Male educator interviews
PIs then reached out to men who had completed the online questionnaire and expressed
initial interest in participating in an individual interview. Fourteen participants – 10 lead/
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
Table 1. Demographic information for administrators who were interviewed (N = 14).
Interview ID
Admin 01
Admin 02
Admin 03
Admin 04
Admin 05
Admin 06
Admin 07
Admin 08
Admin 09
Admin 10
Admin 11
Admin 12
Admin 13
Admin 14
Gender
Male
Male
Female
Male
Female
Female
Male
Male
Male
Female
Female
Male
Female
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
White
White
White
Black or African American
White
White
White
Hispanic or Latin
Black or African American
White
Hispanic or Latin
White
Black or African American
Site Type
DOE
Private
DOE
CBO
DOE
CBO
Private (PreK for All)
DOE
CBO
CBO
CBO
CBO
DOE
DOE
co-teachers, 4 assistant teachers/paraprofessionals – agreed to follow-up interviews. We
also interviewed a NYCDOE early childhood instructional coordinator/coach who had not
completed a questionnaire (Table 2). These interviews were conducted one-on-one at
a range of early childhood sites throughout New York City: 3 NYCDOE public schools, 8
publicly-funded CBOs, and 2 tuition-based programs, 1 of which included PreK-for-All
classrooms. In these audiotaped semi-structured interviews, which comprised 24 questions
and lasted from 80–90 minutes, participants discussed teacher preparation and career
trajectories, professional development and mentoring experiences, educational philosophy
and pedagogical choices. Our questions also prompted the men to reflect upon their views
on masculinity, their relationships with colleagues, families and children in their classrooms, and their recommendations for the field to support men’s participation in early
childhood education. Interviews were transcribed by one RA and then reviewed for
accuracy by a second RA and the PI who had conducted the interview.
Focus groups
For the final phase of data collection, we conducted two focus groups drawn from
participants in our initial outreach. The focus group discussions were led by the three
PIs and videotaped by the RAs. The first focus group was a cohort of 6 male early
Table 2. Demographic information for male educators who were interviewed (N = 15).
Interview ID
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
Race/Ethnicity
Site Type
Position
White
Hispanic or Latin
White
White
Hispanic or Latin
White
Hispanic or Latin
Hispanic or Latin
White
White
Asian
White
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latin
Black or African American
DOE
DOE
DOE
Private (PreK-for-All)
CBO
CBO
DOE
DOE
CBO
DOE
DOE
Private
CBO
CBO
Private (PreK-for-All)
Lead/Co-Teacher
Lead/Co-Teacher
Lead/Co-Teacher
Lead/Co-Teacher
Assistant/Para
Lead/Co-Teacher
IC/Coach
Assistant/Para
Lead/Co-Teacher
Lead/Co-Teacher
Lead/Co-Teacher
Assistant/Para
Lead/Co-Teacher
Assistant/Para
Lead/Co-Teacher
Highest Level of Education
Post-Masters
Masters
Masters
Post-Masters
Associates
Masters
Masters
Associates
Bachelors
Masters
Masters
Associates
Associates
Bachelors
Bachelors
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
7
childhood educators working at a multi-site agency. The administrator at this agency had
recently formed a men’s support group that met on a semi-regular basis. This focus group
included 3 teachers, 1 administrator and 2 family advocates. Of this group, 1 teacher and 1
administrator had participated in earlier interviews. The 90-minute discussion explored
the genesis, structure and organization of the support group, as well as the successes and
challenges they had faced over the past year. For the second focus group, we met with 6
early childhood administrators who had participated in earlier interviews. During the 80minute discussion, we shared the draft policy and practice implications that have emerged
from our study and solicited their insights and recommendations. Focus group discussions
were transcribed by RAs and reviewed for accuracy by all three PIs.
Data analysis
We analyzed the descriptive data from the questionnaire using SPSS to create a set of cross
tabulations that explored how intersections of race, ethnicity and social class impacted
men’s career trajectories and overall experiences in the field. NVIVO was used for
thematic analysis of administrator and teacher interviews. The three principal investigators collaboratively developed an initial set of themes, which were used to code
a randomly-selected interview and refined into a coding scheme. Broad themes included
educational philosophy, work experience, commitment to community, perception of
obstacles/challenges, bias and suspicions, perceived expectations of male educators, mentoring and professional development, curriculum/pedagogy, construction of gender roles,
construction of masculinities, classroom management/discipline, and policy implications
and recommendations. We used sub-categories within each broad theme to achieve
a deeper analysis. Each interview was coded by two PIs and one RA, with a satisfactory
level of intercoder agreement.
Findings
Through analysis of questionnaire responses, individual interviews and focus group
discussions with the men who participated in the second phase of our study, we explored
how self-identified male early childhood educators conceptualize their lived experience
and describe their impact on classroom culture and curriculum and their relationships
with colleagues, children and families. This is important to help raise understanding about
what motivates men to work with young children and how to develop them as resources
in ECE environments (Brody, 2014). Key themes emerged from analysis of the data: (1)
complex intersections of gender, race and social class impact male educator’s decisions
and opportunities within the field of early childhood education; (2) male educators believe
that their presence in early childhood settings raises awareness and challenges stereotypes;
(3) male educators must face and overcome suspicion and bias about their decision to
work with young children; (4) male educators often bring a different pedagogical perspective into the early childhood classroom; (5) male educators provide a positive role
model at a time when young children are constructing their gender identities; and (6)
male educators push back against the established narrative about the challenges they face
with an alternative narrative about the professional and personal fulfillment of teaching
young children. We will herein explore each of these themes.
8
M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
Intersections of race, gender and social class
Demographic data collected from the questionnaire revealed complex intersections of
gender, race and social class with regard to educational achievement and teaching position. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, African American and Latino male educators in
our study did not reach the same levels of educational attainment and hold fewer lead
teacher positions than White and Asian/Pacific Islander male educators. This inequity
suggests a need for policies and practices that would provide support for African
American and Latino male educators in advancing their careers within the field and
improving their financial compensation.
While the field of early childhood education provides job opportunities, such as
assistant teacher or paraprofessional, for educators with lower levels of qualification, this
often limits opportunities for career advancement and higher levels of compensation
(Whitebook, Phillips, & Howes, 2014). Nearly 25% of the participants in our study listed
high school as the highest educational level they had completed while an additional 19%
listed an associate degree. Of the 26 male educators in our study who reported receiving
hourly wages, 75% earn less than 20 USD/hour. Of those who reported receiving annual
salaries, 50% earn less than 30,000 USD/year, while only 17.5% earn more than 60,000
USD/year. Men working in community-based organizations generally reported lower
earnings than those working in NYC public schools or in PreK-for-All classrooms.
When asked whether they planned to remain in the field of early childhood education,
several participants responded that, although they enjoy working with young children and
find the work both challenging and fulfilling, they are finding it “hard financially to stay.”
Nearly 73% of the participants indicated that increased compensation would would
influence their decision to remain in the field, while 55% responded that opportunities
for promotion or career advancement would encourage them to remain. Professionalizing
Male Educators' Race/Ethnicity and Education
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Black or
African
American
High School
Hispanic
Associates Degree
White
Asian/Pacific
Islander
Bachelor's Degree
Other
Master's Degree
Post-Master's
Figure 1. Male educators’ race/ethnicity in relation to highest level of education (N = 43).
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
9
Male Educators' Race/Ethnicity and Teaching Position
25
20
15
10
5
0
Assistant Teacher
Paraprofessional
Black or African American
Hispanic
Lead Teacher
White
Co-Teacher
Asian/Pacific Islander
Other
Figure 2. Male educators’ race/ethnicity in relation to teaching position (N = 46).
the workforce, improving work environments, and attaining pay equity across the teaching profession could provide motivation for both men and women to pursue careers in
ECE (Boyd, 2013; Whitebook, McLean, Austin, & Edwards, 2018).
Raising awareness: challenging stereotypes and definitions of masculinity
To become early childhood educators, the men in our study have already faced and, to
some extent, surmounted a variety of challenges and obstacles, including the widely-held
perception that working with young children is a profession suited only for women. In
analyzing data collected from questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions,
several recurring themes emerged. Participants spoke about explicitly and intentionally
challenging gender stereotypes and broadening the definition of masculinity through their
work with young children. At the same time, they shared their thoughts about bringing
“male” interests into what they perceive to be a “female-dominated” early childhood
curriculum They reflected upon their various roles in the classroom – positive male role
model, father figure, protector and nurturer – and talked about providing an alternative
perspective on discipline, play, exploration and risk-taking (Bosacki et al., 2015; Emilsen &
Koch, 2017; Sandberg & Pramling-Samuelsson, 2005). The men in our study work across
public and private early childhood sites, in classrooms ranging from nursery to first grade,
and as head teachers, assistant teachers and paraprofessionals, yet most spoke to
a common theme: being a male teacher in an early childhood classroom is intrinsically
a catalyst for change in the culture of early childhood education.
When talking about masculinity, several men in our study used terms like “macho” or
“machismo” to describe what they view as stereotypical manhood, as illustrated by Ángel,
who teaches kindergarten and first grade:
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
I don’t consider myself a macho person … growing up, especially in a Latino household, if
you weren’t strong enough, or if you weren’t getting into conflicts or fighting, that’s “Oh,
yeah, you’re man enough.” Or you would hear, “Don’t cry, men don’t cry.” I feel confident in
myself. I’m like, “Well, yeah, just because I don’t yell and scream and push people around or
get into conflicts doesn’t mean that I’m not man enough, you know?”
Many recalled growing up with the message that masculinity involved conflict and
physical strength, being a protector and taking on an authoritarian role in the family.
Connor, a teacher in a kindergarten classroom, spoke of his masculine identity being
formed through “a lot of heartache and compensation.” In a variety of ways, the men in
our study have rejected those stereotypes, choosing instead to identify with a broader view
of masculinity, one in which men can be gentle and soft-spoken, affectionate and nurturing, dependable, kind and quietly strong. As one participant explained:
A man can understand how to calm somebody who’s a three-year-old who’s upset, or give
them their own space, or be respectful to them … it’s not any less masculine, because it’s real
fathering, it’s how fathers need to be, truly … so, yeah, it’s changing stereotypical views of
masculinity and it’s enforcing what real masculinity is to me.
Several men also articulated the idea that, as male teachers in early childhood classrooms,
they model empathy and sensitivity. Anthony, a teacher in a first-grade classroom, shared
that, “I’ve had women turn around to me and say, ‘My god, I didn’t think you were so
sensitive. You’re more sensitive than I am about that topic!’ Yeah, well!” These male
educators provide a strong message to the children in their classrooms that, for both boys
and girls, “It’s okay to cry if you’re upset. Cry.”
In their interviews, many of the men reflected upon what it means to them to be a role
model for the young children in their classroom (Brownhill, 2014). For one participant, an
assistant teacher in an afterschool program, being a positive male role model means,
I guess, just showing that a dude doesn’t have to be a dude. You don’t have to fall into these
misogynistic tropes. You can like ballet and you can like football at the same time. You can
want to wrestle and still like the color pink. I think it’s showing that the copious amounts of
choices and intricacies that weave through our lives are all acceptable.
Several men explored the idea that they are also father figures to many of the children in
their classrooms, providing both affection and discipline. Some of the male educators
shared stories about mothers who have expressed that they are happy their children have
a male teacher because the child’s father “is not in the picture.” One participant explained
it thus,
If they did have a man in their lives, they either weren’t there, or they weren’t affectionate or
encouraging or (they were) the source of conflict. So, to me, now, I’m showing them that not
every man is scary or is somebody that isn’t dependable … Men can give you advice or can be
encouraging or nurturing and give you a hug.
Men in our study described the positive relationships they have developed with the
families of children in their care, in some cases overcoming parents’ initial surprise,
skepticism or concern about male educators. They conveyed the importance of creating
open channels of communication with parents (“a two-way street”) as part of the trustbuilding process and about providing support for families in need. They expressed joy
and satisfaction in working closely with parents and families to help the children
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
11
succeed. As one participant explained, “I think I definitely am looked at differently by
families. Incoming families. But … I’ve worked really hard to forge really strong
relationships with the families in my past three years here. So that’s very important to
me.” Several of the male educators proudly shared stories about parents who asked that
a younger sibling of one of their students be placed in their class when the time came.
Others talked about former students and their parents who returned years later to visit.
Anthony recalled a visit from a young woman who had been his student in first grade.
At that time, she had just arrived with her family from Nepal and she did not speak
English:
She said “Everybody knew how to write in English. And you knew I was an artist and you let
me do my writing in art. My father used to get mad because he wanted me to be a doctor, but
I just want to thank you for letting me do my stories in art. And guess what? I’m at Columbia
(University) and I’m going to be a cardiologist!” There it is. Right there.
A common theme in questionnaire responses and interviews was the idea that, just by
being male early childhood educators, they are challenging stereotypes and changing
societal norms, that it “takes away a stigma.” They also spoke of how early experiences
as babysitters, camp counselors, and volunteers in afterschool programs helped to shape
their views. One male educator recalled how his positive experience and joy in teaching
has influenced male friends to follow in his footsteps. Another noted that “it’s getting
better and better, female police officers and male early childhood teachers and this is what
we need for evolution.”
Suspicion and concerns: overcoming bias against male educators
Both administrators and male educators in our study spoke about the particular challenges
faced by men in early childhood education. Societal constructs about appropriate gender
roles for men and women – particularly the idea that the care and education of young
children is more suited to women – continue to impact men who choose to work in the
field (Farquhar et al., 2006; Sargent, 2004). Most of the men in our study had, at one time
or another, encountered misperceptions – and sometimes suspicion – about their motivations for working with young children. In a few instances, suspicion led to serious false
allegations.
Participants spoke about receiving advice from administrators and female colleagues
about never being alone with children, and about how to “protect” themselves by never
changing diapers or taking a child to the bathroom. One administrator recounted telling
a male educator to “be mindful of your body and space and how you use your voice” so as
not to appear threatening. When asked what advice he would give to men who are
thinking about working in early childhood education, another administrator replied, “A
good hip turn is always the best thing to do, right? Because a child can hug a woman in
any way, but (for a man) a good hip turn is always good. So as the kid’s ready to hug, it’s
a hip turn.”
Most of the men in our study spoke compellingly about their positive relationships with
female colleagues and the strong support and mentoring they have received from women with
whom they work. However, several also reported having to think carefully about how they
interact with their female peers. Connor, who is the kindergarten grade leader, explained,
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
Sometimes I have to think, when we’re doing our group planning, if I am getting too heated
about something … Sometimes we’ll have fundamental differences where, ‘I don’t like how
we’re doing this. We need to change this’ or ‘I don’t think we should teach math this way.’
And we’ll start getting a little – it sometimes gets heated – and sometimes I have to say, ‘Wait,
am I mansplaining? Am I being too aggressive as a male? Should I back off a little bit?’ And
I’m constantly thinking about that, with the dynamic of working with so many women.
Liêm, who teaches first and second graders, described his own hesitations and concerns
about his role as a male educator in a female-dominated field:
Teaching is the place where women get to own it. They get to feel the strongness in it, they
get to have complete autonomy over it. But then here comes a male … and as a result of that,
I wonder sometimes if I have created a weird dynamic … Males have been too much in
power. They have controlled too much. So, I shouldn’t be a male who really stands out in
a big way … Some of those dynamics also are played here, too. How do I make sure that
I don’t step over toes or that I don’t cross a boundary to make a woman feel like I’ve done
something on purpose to diminish their value in the profession?
Many participants expressed the desire to compare experiences and gain insight from male
colleagues and to engage in conversations that address the gender-specific challenges they
face in working with young children. As a minority in the field of early childhood
education, the men in our study have experienced microaggressions and microinvalidations when parents, administrators and colleagues have explicitly or indirectly indicated
“that they are not okay the way that they are.” They spoke of the need for safe spaces in
which to unpack biases–conscious and unconscious–about male educators and develop
the skills to mentor and support men working in the field.
Gendered pedagogy: exploration, discipline and teacher expectations
Throughout the interviews, male educators described perceived differences from their
female colleagues with regard to their approach to developmentally appropriate early
childhood curriculum and classroom structure (Tennhoff et al., 2015). They talked
about how they encouraged young children to explore more freely and engage in more
physical activity, and about how they supported greater independence for even the youngest children in their care. As one participant explained, “I allow the kids to be a lot more
physical and rowdy, and to expel their energy in a more kinetic way.”
Taking risks
The men in our study described themselves as more open to allowing children to take
risks without fear of failure and to actively participate in decision-making. Ryan, a head
teacher in a Pre-K classroom explained that his philosophy is, “Just watch what they do
(and) encourage. Don’t make kids feel afraid to make a mistake.” Aaron, who teaches
three-year-old children, explained that in planning curriculum, “I always think of it like
jazz. I create the chord pattern in terms of the lesson plan and then we jam, and hopefully
it goes great places.” They voiced their thoughts about the importance of natural exploration – about going with the child, rather than leading – and about scaffolding as “a dance
between the child and where we would like to see the child going, but always child-led.”
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
13
Discipline
Contrary to the experiences of male educators teaching in elementary, middle and high
schools, who describe the expectations of peers and colleagues as positioning them to be
stricter disciplinarians than their female colleagues (Bristol & Mentor, 2018), the men in
our study, particularly those who teach in the preschool grades, often perceived themselves
as less strict, more easygoing, and more comfortable with sharing authority with the
children than their female colleagues. As one participant described it, “I think just treating
children like an adult, in a way … just not worrying so much about ‘I’m the boss.’” The
male educators in our study spoke about creating classrooms where children have
authentic choices and participate in planning ideas, and “where they can have fun.”
The authority of the male voice
While several participants articulated the need to think more carefully than their female
colleagues about modulating their tone of voice, or about the classroom management
strategies and techniques they use, so as not to appear threatening when interacting with
the children, others reflected on how their physical presence advantageously shapes their
relationships with the children in their classroom, particularly with regard to classroom
management. Several male educators perceived that their physical presence allows them to
be “looser” and less rigid than their female colleagues, with the knowledge that they could
use their male authority when necessary to bring order to the classroom. As one participant explained, “As a male teacher with a beard, I feel like I get a level of respect that the
other female teachers in my classroom don’t necessarily get from the kids.” Another
reflected on how, for many of the children in his class, “a male presence means a little
bit of authority.” One participant noted that “the tone that I carry is very different from
a woman’s voice,” and thus, elicits a different response from the children, while another
recalled how a child’s mother specifically asked him to “use the male figure voice” when
speaking with her son. The following vignette illustrates this phenomenon:
So, I have one child who we’re working with right now. We have a contract with her because
she is a little bit inappropriate with her tone with other students. She acts as if she’s the
teacher … she’s at the point where she’s telling other kids what they should and shouldn’t be
doing. She rolls her eyes at teachers, she talks back. But not to me. So that’s something, that’s
a strength that I get just being a male because she won’t roll her eyes at me, she doesn’t talk
back to me and as soon as I tell her to do something, she does it. I can hear one of my student
teachers and my assistant tell her to do the same thing six times and I turn, I lower the
register of my voice and she’ll immediately do it. So that is an advantage I have. It’s not
necessarily a strength.
Democratic participation
When discussing their educational philosophy, several participants reflected on what they
perceived as a difference from their female colleagues in their expectations of young
children and in their interactions with the children in their care. They spoke of not
“babying” children or “sugarcoating” ideas, but instead recognizing young children’s full
potential and teaching independence. Anthony, a first-grade teacher, explained, “I’m real.
I don’t believe in fantasy in school … I have real conversations in my class.” Connor,
a kindergarten teacher, said that he provides a structure in his classroom in which children
“understand sometimes there’s responsibilities that we don’t necessarily like to do or want
14
M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
to do, but we have to do them to become better people.” Tomas, a Pre-K teacher, noted
that, while he is nurturing, he doesn’t use “motherese” when talking with the children
because, from him, it would be inauthentic. He described his whole group meetings as
more like a college seminar or real conversation, wherein he allows children to enter the
discussion without having to raise their hands and wait.
The men in our study strongly advocated giving young children authentic choices and
authentic responsibilities. As one participant explained, “if they don’t have a choice,
they’re going to hate school. And I really feel like they should have a voice in what they’re
doing.” Another participant, who works with three-year-old children, described his classroom as a participatory democracy: “I tell the children that this is our classroom, so we
have to respect the classroom together. We clean the classroom together, we organize the
areas together. We can even plan ideas together, if you want to … we can share ideas
together, we can work on the classroom together.”
Construction of gender roles
The classroom has to be set up with equally yin and equally yang elements. It can’t be totally
female-dominated in terms of the curriculum … I think that women, perhaps just naturally,
bring in what is comfortable and natural to them or what they were raised with. So, I think
that we have to say, wait a second, this is for the children, and how can we create equally
masculine and feminine experiences for both the girls and boys? How can they both be
exposed to both? So, we’re going to have a construction area over there and the girls are going
to be right over there playing … and the children should learn painting and they should learn
athletics and they should learn everything, they should be exposed to everything.
Aaron, Head Teacher, 3-Year-Old Classroom
Throughout the interviews, the male educators in our study conveyed their thoughts about
how “female-centric” many early childhood classrooms seem to be. They perceive that
part of their role is to reshape the environment and the curriculum, to provide balance
and perspective, and to bring an alternative viewpoint into the classroom (Huber & Traxl,
2017; Koch & Farquhar, 2015). Participants reflected upon the importance of diversifying
young children’s experience and modeling non-traditional and non-stereotypical roles for
women and men, girls and boys in the classroom. As one male educator explained, if
young children only have experience with female educators and caregivers in early childhood classrooms, it reinforces stereotypical gender roles, which is “an injustice to the kids,
because they’re not getting a masculine and feminine … we have both in us, innately, and
we need to express all of our self.”
Participants described how they explicitly address issues of gender bias and inequality,
assuring that boys and girls feel comfortable playing in all areas of the classroom and
engaging in all activities within the curriculum. As Javier, a paraprofessional in
a kindergarten class, said,
You hear children say, “Oh, this game is only for boys” or “This is only for girls.” In the
dramatic play area, I hear a lot of, “Well, no, you can’t take care of the baby because you’re
a boy.” And so … we address it, we’re like, “Well, actually boys can take care of babies, too”
or “girls can actually climb, too.”
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
15
Other participants also shared stories of how the children in their classes are exploring
gender roles, often bringing into the classroom their own experiences or societal norms
they have absorbed through various interactions. They spoke about how they will often
take these opportunities to “teach in the moment” and offer a non-traditional perspective
of gender: “Everyone is equal here. She can play. We can play. This is a classroom where
we all have a choice to play.” They articulated how they make conscious choices in the
books that they use, the people that they talk about, and the curriculum themes they
explore. They conveyed how they teach about how women can be police officers and men
can be teachers, how both men and women are strong and nurturing. One participant
talked about the importance of teaching acceptance, because “the world has gender
roles … you leave the gender, you take out the bias.”
A different narrative: teaching as powerful and fulfilling
The driving force that made me become an educator was 9/11 … When you watch a plane go
through a building, and I still get emotional when I say that, you want to give something
back … . you have to make a difference … So my mission has always been that what I plan to
teach will come from (the) heart.
Anthony, Teacher, First Grade Classroom
The challenges facing men who choose to enter the field of early childhood education –
low salary scales, low professional status – have been well documented in the literature
(Cameron, 2001; Rolfe, 2006; Roseman, 1999). However, there is a parallel narrative that
emerged from the data in our questionnaires, interviews and focus groups: the men in
our study view teaching as a powerful and fulfilling profession, often citing a moral
commitment to the work. They spoke of wanting to “give back,” helping to guide
children and families through trying times. Several talked about their desire to address
issues of poverty and educational inequality through their service. As one participant
described it:
Every day you have to build up a certain amount of stamina and know that it’s going to be
difficult. But … something keeps pulling me back to wanting to work with people in this local
neighborhood of mine. It seems to be a place that I love to serve … And then you keep
coming back, because you love it … I feel fulfilled. And I feel happy. And I know I’m doing
something right.
Some shared that they were motivated by great curiosity about how young children learn
and grow, and they spoke of the joy and satisfaction of seeing each child’s progress and
that moment when, as Connor put it, “they really become themselves and they know that
they’re getting it.” Anthony, who came to education as a second career, spoke about the
“excitement” and “electricity” that went through him when he entered a classroom: “What
I love is, I love watching them learn.”
Many reflected proudly on their own capacity to nurture children’s growth and learning,
and specifically cited the importance of providing young children with access in their daily
lives to positive male role models that challenge and subvert gender stereotypes. The men in
our study described the rewards of showing boys and girls, through their own actions and
interactions, that men and women can take multiple roles in the classroom, that men can be
16
M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
sensitive and nurturing, gentle and patient, fun and playful and, most important, dependable.
They spoke about creating a classroom environment that nurtures justice and equity:
What I’m teaching is getting to them. They’re understanding it. It’s so satisfying when my
kids are socially equitable, you know, and they’re fair to each other. And they care about
other people’s cultures. And they’re praising these different cultures and they’re praising
women and men and girls and boys. Just makes me proud of them. Just, like, I’m working
with the families to make that happen.
They also reflected on the transformative impact of their work with children and families,
the sense of accomplishment, of making a difference. Some described themselves as guides
to helping children and parents navigate the educational system, while others conceptualized their role more broadly as guiding young children on their journey through life. For
one participant, “The bottom line is, how many children can you help … the work I do
now will forever affect the children. You can’t say that about most other professions.”
Another participant described early childhood education as “the most important job.”
The men in our study spoke about their connection to the neighborhoods and communities in which they work. They proudly shared stories of former students and parents
who, over the years, have returned to thank them. They expressed the belief that, as early
childhood educators, they have a profound impact on children, families and communities.
While the field may not offer high levels of financial compensation, clearly many men
were drawn to this work for the emotional rewards the work brings. Though others may
question their decision to teach young children, they counter this criticism by asserting
their awareness of the power inherent in their work.
Recommendations for Policy and Practice
I believe that representation is important and precedent as well. So, if there’s no precedent or
something that’s tangible that someone can identify with, it will continue to create this
cyclical reason why there’s not enough males of color in education. I think us coming here
to problem solve around that, may not necessarily solve a hundred-year-old problem in
education, but I think it’s a great step in the right direction.
Juan, Executive Director, Head Start Preschool
Despite challenges arising from the deep-rooted sociocultural dynamics that have contributed to the gender inequities of the field (Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015), the men in our
study expressed a strong commitment to their work with young children as they reflected
upon the multiple roles they play in early childhood settings: challenging stereotypical
views of masculinity, expanding expectations of young children’s cognitive capabilities and
guiding children to take risks and explore higher concepts. The following recommendations explore effective strategies to address these challenges and to reimagine the early
childhood workforce to achieve greater gender balance.
Strengthening the pipeline: intentional outreach and recruitment
A common theme that emerged from interviews with administrators and educators is that
engaging male teachers in early childhood classrooms is intrinsically a catalyst for change
in the culture. Efforts to achieve gender equity in the field of early childhood education
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
17
must, therefore, include a multifaceted and intentional approach using innovative strategies and focused recruitment to strengthen the pipeline of male early childhood educators
(Whitebook et al., 2018).
High school internships and volunteer opportunities
Engaging young men in high school internships and volunteer programs that provide
opportunities to work with young children, would allow them to explore whether early
childhood education is a profession that interests them. We recommend that policy makers
consider the potential for initiatives such as high school information sessions about careers in
early childhood education, service-learning placements in after-school programs, and summer youth employment programs that partner with early childhood settings.
Targeted outreach through existing programs
In interviews, the men in our study who had chosen early childhood education as a career
change expressed a strong commitment to the field. They viewed teaching as powerful and
fulfilling and strongly identified their own impact as non-stereotypical male role models.
There are already programs in place in New York City, such as the NYC Teaching Fellows
program and NYC Men Teach, that provide tuition remission and alternative pathways to
reach certification. We suggest expansion of these existing programs to include intentional
outreach to increase the participation of men in early childhood education.
Reaching out to fathers
Men in our study spoke of their positive relationships with families (Rohrmann, 2019).
Therefore, another recruitment strategy would be to have male educators build upon these
relationships, engaging in conversations with fathers of the children in their programs
and, as one participant explained, “creating a space where (they) see themselves in the
context of the classroom.”
Supporting male early childhood educators
The male educators we interviewed highlighted the importance of mentoring and professional development in helping them to learn and grow as educators, navigate challenging
situations and achieve career goals. There are several promising avenues to explore with
regard to policy and practice aimed at guiding and supporting men in the field (Warin,
2018; Wright & Brownhill, 2019).
Targeted mentoring and professional development
While male educators spoke positively about the mentoring they received from female
colleagues, they also shared concerns about their role in a female-dominated field. We
recommend that intentional and targeted mentoring and professional development should
be provided to new male teachers, focused specifically on the experiences of men in early
childhood education. These professional development workshops should be designed to
18
M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
provide a safe, judgment-free zone. Experienced male educators should be asked to
mentor new male teachers, which would provide support for men entering the field and
affirmation for those who have developed strategies to successfully navigate the challenges
(Plaisir, Cole, & Reich-Shapiro, 2019).
Support groups and safe spaces
A valuable policy initiative that emerged from our study is the concept of a men’s cohort,
a male affinity group that provides a safe space for male educators to reflect upon their
experiences without judgment. The men’s cohort was created by an administrator at an
agency that operates multiple early childhood sites and includes assistant teachers, head
teachers, program directors and family advocates. Participants met on a monthly basis,
utilizing time set aside for professional development, to share their narratives, reflect upon
their experiences and generate strategies to meet the challenges they face as male early
childhood educators. During our focus group discussion, participants in the men’s cohort
enthusiastically described the sense of belonging and shared experience they gained from
these monthly sessions, as well as the challenge of finding time to meet. We recommend
that policy makers and administrators further explore the positive potential of such
support groups and cohort models (Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015).
Professionalizing early childhood education
A long-standing barrier to gender equity is the perception of early childhood education as
a low-status profession (Brody, 2014; Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015). However, the men in
our study presented a different narrative of teaching as powerful and fulfilling. Proactive
strategies are needed to shift public perception and change the institutional climate, which
will require coordinated collaboration among multiple stakeholders: program administrators, teacher educators, unions and policy makers.
Teacher education programs
Men in our study perceived themselves as focused more on learning/exploration, rather
than care/protection, even with the youngest children. We recommend that teacher
education programs and professional development institutes design curricula framed to
be more inclusive of male educators (Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015; Nelson & Shikwambi,
2010). While an emphasis on care/protection reinforces stereotypical societal views of the
profession as the domain of women, shifting the emphasis to supporting young children’s
exploration and learning could attract more men to the profession.
Representation
We recommend that program directors and their advisory boards, supported by structures
at the policy level, should become more proactive and intentional in their efforts to recruit
male educators. Early childhood education workforce development and outreach materials, as well as early childhood settings, should include non-stereotypical images of men in
nurturing roles, which would better reflect the perception of male early childhood
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
19
educators who see themselves as challenging gender stereotypes and narrow definitions of
masculinity (Peeters, 2007).
Conclusion
In this study, we draw upon the voices of men in the field to illuminate the challenges and
the value of their lived experience as early childhood educators. Their reflections provide
an opportunity to reconceptualize our understanding of the early childhood classroom
teacher as a nuanced and complex role that contains both power/authority and care/
nurturance. Policy makers and administrators must continue to challenge institutional
barriers and societal discourses that reinforce stereotypes, in order to reimagine the early
childhood workforce and create the conditions that will support inclusion and equity and
provide opportunities, through professional development and mentoring, for men to
explore how their gendered identities shape their approach to working with children
and families. Although progress has been slow, we observed an emerging shift in the
cultural discourse among the educators and administrators in our study, which summons
a call-to-action for research, practice and policy to form partnerships and explore strategies toward achieving a more gender-balanced workforce.
Acknowledgments
We thank our research assistants, Mengying Bi, Tina Siganporia and Jason Tan de Bibiana for
assistance with this research. Institutional support was provided by Borough of Manhattan
Community College, the Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RF-CUNY),
the New York City Early Childhood Research Network, the Professional Development Institute
(PDI) at CUNY, and MDRC.
Funding
This study was made possible through the generous support of the Foundation for Child
Development [CUNY BMCC 02-2016].
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Appendix I
Questionnaire Administered to ECE Male Educators
(Background info)
When we report on our findings for this research it is helpful for us to be able to describe our
participants in demographic terms that reflect how they identify themselves.
How do you describe yourself in terms of categories like race, ethnicity, languages spoken, gender
identity, etc…?
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M. REICH-SHAPIRO ET AL.
Please provide us with some background information about your current position. Pretend that
we’re meeting for the first time and you’re telling me about your work.
How do you describe your role in education?
How do you describe your work setting and any important circumstances of your work?
(Professional trajectory)
Tell us about your career pathway:
How did you decide to become an early childhood educator?
Tell us about the steps in your journey that have gotten you to where you are now.
How have your friends and family responded to your decision to work in early childhood
education?
What are your beliefs about young children and how they learn and grow? How did you come to
those beliefs?
(ECE work experience)
What are your long-term plans for your career?
Does your worksite support these plans/goals?
If so, how?
If not can you describe what an employer could do to support the growth of your career?
Has there ever been a time that you were moved to work with a new classroom/age group/role?
If so, can you tell us the story of what happened? (e.g. Why was this change made? How was
it explained to you? How did you feel about the change? What impact do you think this change had
on you, the children, the classroom?)
(Professional Development supports)
Can you describe one key learning experience (a training, a PD, etc…) that has impacted how you
work with children? What about this learning experience was most memorable/impactful?
Can you describe a time in your work where a PD experience changed your beliefs and thinking (e.
g. about children, teaching, curriculum, etc.)?
OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP (Especially if participant followed a non-traditional or alternative
pathway) Can you describe any skills or perspectives you take from your prior work experiences
that you draw on in your teaching?
If you have experienced PD that has not contributed positively to your growth as an educator,
what needs to change about those PDs? In your opinion, what could be done differently to make PD
more meaningful for you?
OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP (Depending on role) As a [para/assistant teacher/other] are you
included in PD at your site? Why or why not? How does this impact the way you think about your
work and your role at the school/site? Can you describe any particular types of PD that would be
especially helpful for you in your particular role?
(Mentoring supports)
Who do you turn to for advice or support in your work as an early childhood educator? What role
do they play at your site (e.g. administrator, head teacher, coach, P.D. trainer, union rep, etc…)?
Why did you seek out this person(s) for support?
Describe one instance when the mentoring you received from this person(s) had an impact on
your work.
When you have questions about your career trajectory where do you go for answers? (If
prompting is needed offer: e.g. other teachers, administrators, union, etc.)
(In-depth questions about current work circumstances)
What strengths and skills do you personally bring to your work?
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION
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Specifically as a male educator, what strengths and skills do you bring to your work?
Can you describe a time when you felt that being a male in the field of ECE shaped how people
thought about you and your work?
What aspects of your current work situation are most satisfying?
What aspects of your current work situation are most challenging?
How do you think being a male educator influences these satisfying and challenging aspects of your
work?
What could your program do differently to support you and your growth as a teacher?
If you are a member of a union, what role do you feel your union plays in supporting your work?
(Implications for the field)
(setting context) Because men are so under-represented in the field of ECE we are doing this research
in part to understand how more men can be encouraged to enter and remain in the field. It will help
us to understand how you think about your role as a male educator. We know that the following
questions may feel very personal, and we appreciate your responding to them to the best of your
abilities:
● What does it mean to you to be a man working in the field of ECE?
● What does it mean to you to be a man in the world/society?
● Thinking about how you understand your role as a man in society and your role as a man in
the field of ECE, how do you think these identities impact your work? (e.g. your own choices
as a teacher, the children, the classroom, your co-workers, the families of children in the
classroom)
FOLLOW UPS, if answer to above is brief:
● In your own words, can you talk about how your relationships with children are shaped by
you being a male educator?
● In your own words, can you talk about how your relationships with families are shaped by
you being a male educator?
● In your own words, can you talk about how your relationships with colleagues are shaped
by you being a male educator?
● What impact do you think that having male educators in the classroom has on young children’s
growth and learning?
○ FOLLOW-UP: What impact do male educators have specifically on young boys’
development?
If you could influence or change the field of early childhood education for male educators, what
would you recommend?
Is there anything else you think we should have asked you or anything else you’d like to share with
us as a male early childhood educator?