U.S. Rarity Of Male Elementary Teacher

Press, Volume C, Issue 29588, 10 August 1961, Page 18

U.S. Rarity Of Male Elementary Teacher

Mr Wallaes L. Egan, who has arrived from Lios Angeles to take np a Fulbright exchange position under the Canterbury Education Board, describes himself as one of a rare species in the United States—the male elementary school teacher. “With the same salary schedule for men and women, the male teacher who marries early just can’t support a wife and family unless he has private means. The result is that most men teachers prefer to obtain higher qualifications for better jobs,” Mr Egan said. “Yet all teachers must have a full bachelor's degree before they can practice in any school from kindergarten level upward and most have a graduate year studying education.’’ Personally, Mr Egan thinks the United States ought to encourage more male elementary school teachers. "At least they will have some understanding of the male pupil," he said. "I don’t

think that boys should be continually under the charge of women, many of whom have had no experience in raising a family and some of whom will have had little to do with the male sex. A big majority of our failures in the first grade (six-year-olds) are boys and I wonder whether this is the cause.” It was also arguable whether the lack of male teachers affected discipline in schools, said Mr Egan. There were many women achieving excellent results and most recent retiring principals in Los Angeles, at any rate, were women. Women also filled the upper echelons of the elementary schools. Leaving Teaching Mr Egan said that what concerned him most was the number of men entering elementary schools and then leaving for other more lucrative work. This was not economic as their professional training was often wasted and substitutes had to be trained. Only in the cities, which offered higher salaries and more rapid advancement, did a man have good prospects. Mr Egan comes from the Brentwood Elementary School. (Although he did not say so, New Zealanders who know the suburb call it the most ‘‘luscious’’ in Los Angeles). There are 1100 pupils with sufficient teachers to give classes of 35, compared with 40 or more in New Zealand. Mr Egan said the only handicap of the big total roll was restricted playground space. He said he had taught in large and small schools over the last 10 years and found little difference, provided individual classes were held at 35. However, classes of 25 were the aim of | Californian teachers.

Even on present class limits. Mr Egan finds the sheer burden of numbers exacting. "I don't know what I would do without my wife, Nancy," he said. “She often corrects a lot of the routine work at home and enters up the records while I concentrate on preparation for future lessons.”

Mr Egan was told that complaints about uneorrected school work are increasing in this country. "I don’t wonder with classes of 40 or more.” he said, "I defy any teacher here or in the United States to mark personally every exercise in every subject every day. We teach 14 subjects at elementary level —the usual things, plus some science and a little foreign language, and even the dangers of narcotics and tobacco are included in the syllabus. Criticism of Education Los Angeles teachers smile about criticism of education. “We started courses for gifted children, which were criticised as undemocratic and unrealistic,” Mr Egan said. “When Sputnik I went the whole country claimed that our education was not up to snuff. Analysis boiled down to the fact that the best was not being made of gifted children. Things have been very quiet in LA. since then.”

Mr Egan has brought to Canterbury his wife and three boys. Mark (9), Robbie (4) and David (1J) and in exchange Mr R, F. Armstrong of the Ouruhia School, with his wife and son will soon leave for California’