|
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
|
Men are avoiding
primary school teaching because they fear contact with children exposes them
to allegations of sexual abuse, new research suggests. Men make up only 13.6
per cent of classroom teachers in primary schools. Educators say more are
needed to combat boys' under- achievement, and have called for targeted
scholarships to boost their numbers. But Christchurch
College of Education research shows scholarships may not be enough to
override men's anxiety about physical contact with children -- and thereby
suspicion of sexual abuse. Lecturer Penni Cushman
conducted focus groups with 17 male primary teachers last year after a survey
of 1000 Year 13 students found physical contact with children was their
greatest concern about primary teaching. She found male
teachers' anxiety about avoiding contact with children, which was exacerbated
by the view that men who taught at junior levels were, at best,
"unusual" and at worst potential threats to children, led to
pressure and stress. "It is little
wonder that men choose not to teach," Ms Cushman said. Ministry of Education
figures show men are taking up primary teaching at a much slower rate than
women. From 2002 to 2003, the intake rate for men was 12.5 per cent, compared
with 17 per cent for women. Ms Cushman said
touching -- along with issues around status, salary, and working in a
predominantly female environment -- was a major deterrent for men. "It was the one
thing I really thought about most when I decided to go teaching," one
said. "I don't act naturally when someone's crying or they want to sit next
to me on the couch. I just say `well, you can't'." Another teacher
described male teachers putting cameras in their classrooms for their own
security because they were so paranoid about the issue. Most of the teachers
spoken to in Ms Cushman's research avoided contact with children even when
they needed help, and were distressed about not being able to act naturally
around children. Canterbury Primary
Principals' Association spokeswoman and Paparoa Street School principal Sue
Ashworth said the issue of touching was a "real problem" if it was
putting men off teaching, and wider debate was needed. More men were needed in
primary schools to achieve a balance with female teachers and provide role
models for children raised in solo mother households. David Bycroft,
principal of Heaton Intermediate School, said parents should be concerned
that men avoided contact with children because it was "unnatural". "There is a spring
reflex. You do jump back instantly if you accidentally bump into a child.
That does give a message that it is a complete no-no." On his first teaching
practice, trainee teacher Simon Burke felt uneasy about touching children and
dissuaded them from hugging him. "Five-year-olds
and six-year-olds just wrap themselves around you, but I didn't feel
confident reciprocating," he said. In Auckland University
research none of the 25 male teachers interviewed were comfortable about
physical contact with schoolchildren. That research is being used by the
primary teachers' union, the New Zealand Educational Institute, as it reviews
its physical conduct code of practice. The code, which says any physical
contact with pupils presents a risk of being viewed as assault, has been
criticised as too restrictive. -------------------- Photo: David Hallett -
Wary: male teacher trainees Isaac Russell, left, and Simon Burke.
|
