Management/ Pedagogical implications

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21st April 2018.

“Men cross gender boundaries by choosing to work with children, and thus challenge societal norms as well as their masculine identity” (Brody, 2015 p.351). These perceived boundaries create risks such as sexism and discrimination for both the employer and employee when dealing with parents and whānau.

From a management perspective there is a requirement to provide good working conditions for teachers, whether they be male or female. All staff deserve to be treated the same and a lack of equality between male and female teachers opens the door for discrimination.  Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017) advocates for the rights of children to receive quality education in the early years that empowers their learning abilities to carry through life. For children to be nurtured and encouraged in a healthy way, teachers need to feel comfortable and supported in their environment, free from the worries of outside gender bias (Williams, 2012). Therefore, it is the managements role to provide appropriate support and responsibly address any concerns from parents and whānau over men working with children. This is particularly difficult when faced with many discourses from positive and embracing, to negative and mistrust (Tennhoff, Nentwich, & Vogt, 2015). Teachers also hold great responsibility when working with young children (Ministry of Education, 2017). To best protect themselves from stereotypes and discrimination male teachers need to be as professional as possible. Brody (2015) suggests the need for men working with children to be always in defence mode as they are more vulnerable to accusations of sexual misconduct. It is critical for all teachers, especially men to build and maintain healthy relationships with others that offer transparency and collaboration of all areas of teaching practice (Ministry of Education, 2017).

Male teachers in particular need to be mindful to adhere to centre policies, for example nappy changing policy to protect themselves against allegations. Early childhood education in New Zealand is guided by professional standards documented in the Code of Ethics. This places the rolerole of teachers in high esteem as they have the responsibility of holding children’s lives in their hands and being able to mould and create their future. Teachers must be very careful to adhere to the Code and always practice in a professional manner that protects both children and themselves. Teachers are in a position of immense power and must be careful not to, or allow colleagues to abuse it (Loveridge & McLachlan, 2014).

References

Brody, D. L. (2015). The construction of masculine identity among men who work with young children, an international perspective. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(3), 351-361. doi:10.1080/1350293X.2015.1043809

Loveridge, J., & McLachlan, C. (2014). Regulations, accountability and compliance vs. participation, diversity and democracy in early childhood education. In A. St. George, s. Brown, & J. O'Neill, Facing the big questions in teaching: Purpose, power and learning (2nd ed., pp. 19-26). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Ministry of Education. (2017). Te Whāriki: He Whᾱriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa/early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Tennhoff, W., Nentwich, J. C., & Vogt, F. (2015). Doing gender and professionalism: Exploring the intersectionalities of gender and professionalization in early childhood education. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(3), 340-350.

Williams, A. (2012). Accentuating the positive. Men in early childhood education . Early Education, 51, 22-26.