Males a rare breed in teaching world

Goodbye, Mr. Chips?

National statistics show that in recent decades men have been disappearing from the classroom.

Along the Emerald Coast, the percentage of male teachers in some districts is even lower than the national average.

As family dynamics have drastically changed in the past few decades, men are needed in today’s classrooms, maybe now more than ever, education experts say.

Educators say it’s particularly important for men to be in elementary school classrooms. Yet those classrooms now have the fewest men.

For example, in Okaloosa County less than 4 percent of 745 elementary school teachers less are men. Of the 496 teachers in the county in kindergarten through third grade, just four are men.

At the same time, about 10 percent of the student population in the county comes from single-parent homes headed by the mother.

“Male teachers are important as role models for young men, especially those who may be coming from single-parent households,” said Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Alexis Tibbetts.

“I think we need more males in the teaching profession by far,” agreed Don Daniels, advance placement psychology teacher at Choctawhatchee High School. “We need more non-coaching males.”

A national issue

The number of male teachers recently hit a 40-year low nationally, according to the National Education Association.

Men comprise about 24 percent of the teacher population in the country, according to the NEA.

Regionally, the South has the fewest male teachers in the country. Florida ranks 39th among states, said NEA President Reg Weaver.

In Okaloosa County, out of 1,636 K-12 designated classroom teachers, men account for about 21 percent of the teachers.

In Santa Rosa County the numbers are lower. Out of 1,716 K-12 teachers, men account for 18 percent.

In Walton County numbers are higher. Out of 435 K-12 classroom teachers, about 20 percent are men.

Low salaries, lack of respect and certain social stigmas may deter young men from entering the profession, educators say.

“Historically, teaching has been low paying and for many, many years looked on as a female occupation,” said Fort Walton Beach High School Principal Charlene Couvillon.

Such notions are counterproductive, the NEA’s Weaver said.

“Teaching is for males and females. They think that it’s a woman’s job. And that is not nice,” he said.

Santa Rosa County Superintendent of Schools John Rogers agrees.

“They (men) do provide a very positive role model for our students,” he said.

Coming back to teach

Entering the classroom was a lifelong dream for Bret Latham. But he didn’t do it until he was financially solvent.

The former certified public accountant worked 30 years for companies such as Limited Brands Inc., before returning to teach.

Now he’s in his third year of teaching math at Fort Walton Beach High School.

“I felt like I had enough money to survive,” he said. “I could pursue my dream. It’s (teaching) a noble profession.”

Although there are a number of reasons that deter men from teaching, financial security is repeatedly cited as the No. 1 issue.

“They don’t see teaching as a lucrative way to provide for their families,” Weaver said.

“A young man going into the school to get a degree looks at the teaching profession and realizes he cannot raise a family on a teacher’s income,” Daniels said. “There are far more lucrative jobs out there to get a degree in.”

Teaching was also a second career for Daniels, who was a monk in India before finishing his psychology degree and teaching certification.

Because of the salary concerns, Couvillon said she sees a higher turnover rate at her school among new, young male teachers.

One young male teacher left Fort Walton Beach last year because he could make more money bartending at McGuire’s Irish Pub in Destin, she said.

The average starting teaching salary in Florida is $30,997, according to the NEA.  In Okaloosa County the starting annual salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree is $32,428. The starting salary is $34,700 in Walton County and $32,092 in Santa Rosa County.

A teacher with a Master’s degree in Okaloosa County starts at $34,212. In Walton it’s $36,400 and in Santa Rosa it’s $34,575.

The number of men in the classroom is generally higher in parts of the country where salaries are higher, such as in Pennsylvania and California, according to NEA data.

Valparaiso Elementary School fourth-grade teacher David Magnotti said it may be related to union leverage. Florida is a no-strike state, which means it’s illegal for teachers to strike.

“Bottom line, you need more incentive to be there,” he said.

Besides the financial aspect, there is also a stigma, an unspoken prejudice, particularly when men want to work in the elementary grades, Daniels said.

Some men are afraid the public would view the choice to work with children as abnormal.

Daniels said some may be afraid for fear of being sued or people asking, “Why is he teaching little children?”

“It’s a sad situation that little kids don’t get exposed to men until older grades,” he said.

Rogers said there are probably some potential teachers who do not pursue teaching younger children for those reasons.

The lack of male teachers only continues to perpetuate the stereotypes that teaching is a female profession, Daniels said.

“It’s a difficult job, it doesn’t get the respect it deserves,” he said.

Among the few

Tony Wallace is a rare breed.

The second-grade teacher at Shalimar Elementary School is only one of four male teachers in the Okaloosa who teach kindergarten through third grade.

 Out of the 338 male teachers from K-12, there are only 27 men who teach from first through sixth grade.

After attending a countywide second-grade teachers meeting last month, he said he was really surprised.

“I showed up and I was the only guy teacher. I was really surprised. I honestly thought every school had at least a couple of guys,” he said.

When men do enter the classroom, they are primarily heading to the secondary grades.

 Rogers, Santa Rosa’s superintendent, said he’s noticed a decline in his district over the years in elementary and middle school. More men gravitate to the high school because there are a lot of coaches and sponsors needed there, he said.

“We need more at the middle school and elementary schools, as well,” he said.

Marc Tisza, Choctaw’s boys basketball coach, also teaches AP Human Geography.
Tisza believes that it’s only natural that more women teach the younger grades because they have a motherly instinct.

But the number of female-headed single-parent households continues to rise along the Emerald Coast; some children’s fathers are deployed in the military for months a time.

“I think that for a number of students the male image is important. In many cases the male may be absent from many homes,” Weaver said. “So, if in fact you can have the men participating in the education of kids, it gives the kids a good model.”

Valparaiso Elementary School Principal Van Crigger has found that boys at his school from the single-parent homes often migrate to any afternoon activities being conducted by a male teacher.
Crigger has two male teachers at his school. “We’re just fortunate to have two,” he said.

P.J. Sims, who’s in Magnotti’s class, said he enjoys having a male teacher for change.

“I enjoy male teachers because there aren’t very many left in our country or in our state. Sometimes you can know more from some other people than just one kind of person,” he said.

Weaver said the only way to correct the problem is to give more respect and support, and allow teachers to participate in the decision-making process. It’s also important to provide safe and orderly schools, and above all, to raise salaries.

Teachers say they are committed to the profession for more than monetary reasons.

Wallace said you might not rake in the money, “but I’m pretty sure this beats sitting in an office all day.”

Daily News Staff Writer Rachel Kyler can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 1440.