Paedophile hysteria preventing men applying to work in primary schools
- From: Webmanager_CritEst <webmanager@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:24:51 -0700 (PDT)
Paedophile hysteria preventing men applying to work in primary schools
Paranoia about paedophiles is stopping men working in primary schools,
a Government advisor has said.
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
Last Updated: 9:12PM BST 29 Sep 2008
According to official figures, fewer than one in eight primary school
teachers are male
The lack of male teachers may be having a serious effect on boys'
performance in the classroom as many miss out on strong role models at
a young age, according to Tanya Byron, the child psychologist.
She said the shortage particularly hit children from single-parent
families who often went without father figures in the home.
The comments came as a campaign was launched by the Government's
Training and Development Agency for Schools to recruit more men into
the primary sector.
According to official figures, fewer than one in eight primary school
teachers are male, and numbers plummet to just one in 50 among those
working in reception and nursery classes.
Dr Byron is the presenter of a television show on problem children
called Little Angels, as well as a Government advisor on internet
safety.
She said paranoia about child abuse was driving many men out of the
classroom.
"There is this paranoid, over-the-top concern about paedophilia and
child molestation - that it is not safe to leave children with men,"
she said. "These themes are running through society to such an extent
that attitudes have become skewed and our anxiety does ultimately
discriminate against men. This puts men off from working in primary
schools because they are concerned about how they will be viewed and
what parents will think of them. We have to challenge these negative
and unhelpful belief systems."
Research by the TDA showed almost half of men believed male primary
school teachers helped them develop at a young age.
In a survey of 800 adults, it was revealed a third were challenged to
work harder because of men in the primary years, while 50 per cent
were more likely to report problems such as bullying to male teachers.
Dr Byron said boys - many of whom struggle to sit still at a young age
- worked better with men.
They also needed more exposure to males in school to show that
learning was not a feminine virtue, she said.
She added that positive male role models were particularly important
for boys from single-parent households.
"The need for strong male role models as constants in the lives of
young children is more apparent than ever in light of the increasing
numbers of children experiencing breakdown of the traditional family
unit, growing up in single-parent families or not having a male figure
at home," she said. "Male primary school teachers can often be stable
and reliable figures in the lives of the children that they teach.
They inspire children to feel more confident, to work harder and to
behave better."
The TDA today urged men to consider applying for teacher training
courses, with students and jobseekers now having less than nine weeks
to apply for courses which start next year.
In 2006-07, fewer than a quarter of primary and secondary school
teaching qualifications were obtained by men - the lowest figure in
five years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/3101958/Paedophile-hysteria-preventing-men-applying-to-work-in-primary-schools.html
*****
Good job Tanya (you may yet be redeemed).
WM
www.critest.com
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