The Male Teacher - A Vanishing Breed?

All across America school districts continue to have difficulty finding qualified teacher applicants. The primary challenge comes from the waves of educators reaching their fifties and sixties, veterans who are choosing to retire in greater numbers every year. Just as those established teachers are retiring, more young teachers are reportedly becoming disenchanted with the profession early on in their careers. Those who become disillusioned generally leave teaching in just a few years creating a void for schools.

Teacher shortages do not exist in all curriculum areas nor are the shortfalls spread evenly across all grade levels, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Each year, colleges and universities turn out numerous elementary teacher candidates, many highly qualified and trained in the latest teaching methodologies and exposed to current theories regarding curriculum and assessment design. Superintendent's report that elementary teacher opening within a larger school district will still draw 50 qualified applicants.

At the middle and high school levels, more than enough qualified candidates in social studies or English graduate each year to fill school district openings in those subject areas. In addition, schools of higher education still turn out numerous physical education majors who compete for just a few K-12 openings each year.

The major teacher shortage areas have been well-documented. Superintendents report that math and science openings in a school district seldom garner anymore than a few applicants. Even more problematic for schools, many of those applying lacking full certification in that subject area. When a foreign language, guidance or special education opening is posted, school districts may fail to get even one certified applicant, with the shortage occurring almost equally from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Whereas the subject and grade specific shortages have been clearly documented, another development has seen far less
publicity. The shortage, neither subject nor grade specific, is the decreasing number of men in the teaching profession.