Coulter and McNay, of the University of Western Ontario, help tease out the intimate details of "various issues these men confronted as they attempted to create for themselves in a work world traditional thought more suited for women" (Coulter and McNay, 1993). Through these male's personal accounts, as supplied in a primary source in the article, the "assumptions and stereotypes" about men are brought to the surface and discussed (Coulter and McNay, 1993). The individual nuances that these teachers discuss helps shed light on the problems at hand and how to overcome these gender stereotypes and public perception of who should be an elementary or primary school teacher.
Finally, given the definition and issues surrounding masculinity and it's perception in society, as well as examining the perception on a national scale and hearing the issues from the male teachers themselves, it is imperative to round out the exploration into this issue by determining how and why the "attraction, recruitment and retention of male teachers in the government education system" is so difficult (Mills, Martino, and Lingard, 2004). By examining the previously mentioned component in harmony with one another, this article strives to provide the culmination of all these different factors- the lack of retaining male teachers. By taking "into account complex matters of gender raised by feminism and the sociology of masculinities," these scholars address the barriers that limit male teachers in a given place.
By individually examining each of these sources, the underlying issues that help one answer the question of how public perceptions and gender issues discourage males from becoming primary and elementary school teachers....
These authors and researchers in the field help one establish the fundamental definitions of masculinity and femininity. Other sources help explore the power of the public perceptions on these terms and the consequences of them, in this case the lack of males wanting to become primary and elementary school teachers. Research, on a national scale, help provide a comprehensive "umbrella" overview of the situation at hand and some dominating ideologies that emerge from the research. This overview helps to understand the daily lives of those that battle these perceptions, assumptions and stereotypes on a daily basis- the male teachers themselves. Finally, scholars bring together this information to understand the issue of why the retention of male teachers in this particular field is an uphill battle so to speak. Each of these sources provide a different perspective and information- when they converge together, they help flush out the issue and assist in building a comprehensive, accurate and complete answer to the question at hand.
Bibliography
Coulter, Rebecca P., & McNay, Margaret. (1993). Exploring men's experiences as elementary school teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 18(4), 398-412.
Mills, Martin, Martino, Wayne, & Lingard, Bob. (2004). Attracting, recruiting, and retaining male teachers: policy issues in the male teacher debate. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 25(3), 355-369.
Montecinos, Carmen, & Nielsen, Lynn. (2004). Male elementary preservice teachers' gendering of teaching. Multicultural Perspective, 6(2), 3-9.
Skelton, Christine. (2003). Male primary teachers and perception of masculinity. Educational Review,…
