I have a boy! As a teacher! And he’s tall!

Those were the first sentences out of Anna’s mouth when she read her teacher assignment for this year. Out of 20 classroom teachers at our school, there’s exactly one male teacher. He teaches first grade, and Anna got him!

She’s thrilled, of course. All the kids know Mr. B. All the parents love him. “Gentle giant,” they say. “A real calm presence.” Sounds good to me. I’ll let you know as the year goes along.

Male teachers, particularly at the elementary level, are a rare breed! I looked around to find any recent data on the numbers, but I didn’t find much. I did read a 2004 NEA news release Are Male Teachers on the Road to Extinction? (opens in a new window) and a few blog posts (here (opens in a new window) and here (opens in a new window)) on the topic.

What’s your experience? Are you a male teacher? Have you (or your child) ever had one? I’d love to hear about it!