Daily BrewToronto school board memo underlines need for male, minority teachers
A hiring memo from the Toronto school board that suggests men and minorities were preferred hiring candidates has been panned as inappropriate, but it doesn’t really expose anything new.
Male teachers have long been considered a rarity in Canada’s education system, specifically in Toronto, and the goal should be equal representation of all genders and cultural backgrounds.
The Globe and Mail reports that the memo was sent by Toronto District School Board to principals and teachers suggesting preferred candidates would be male or a member of a visible minority.
The first round of TDSB interviews will be granted to teachers candidates that meet one or more of the following criteria in addition to being an outstanding teacher: Male, racial minority, French, Music, Aboriginal.
Not surprisingly, the memo was not received well by all recipients. Female teachers in particular were said to be “shocked” that a preferred gender and race would be a consideration in the hiring process.
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A spokesperson told the Globe that the memo was pointing out a specific shortage and did not mean other groups would be rejected without consideration.
Shoot the messenger if you like, but the problem it underlines shouldn't be ignored.
Men have always been underrepresented in the teaching community. In the early 2000s, men attributed for 35 per cent of Canadian teachers. And the number was lower in elementary schools.
The latest Toronto District School Board census, released in 2007, showed 25.4 per cent of its staff members were male. For the largest school board in the country, that could be seen as a concern.
For years the lack of male teachers has been a concern to be addressed. In 2004, Ontario educators recommended launching a marketing campaign to lure men into the profession.
In 2010, the Globe and Mail published a series on how the education system was failing male students. One theory that led the pack was the lack of male role models.
Boys increasingly grow up without fathers at home, male high school teachers have slipped into the minority, and at the primary level, where children gain their first impressions of schooling, the numbers look bleaker by the year.
The shortage of male and minority teachers isn’t just about equality for those seeking employment. It is about creating a culture of learning for the students. On top of that is the very real need to have both men and women available to lead extracurricular activities, sports and field trips.
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Shortages of male teachers have also been spotted in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and England. In Australia, they have considered exempting male teachers from equal opportunity laws in order to improve the ratio. Exemptions have already been implemented in specific cases, where male teachers were direly needed to ensure mixed gender supervision.
In essence, isn't this what the Toronto District School Board memo recommends? Consider the need for male teachers, and minority teachers for that matter.
It does not seem to be an affront to equal opportunity to ensure males have some representation on school staff.
Especially since males are a minority in the education system.
