Sometimes synchronicity brings together stories that, on first glance, appear to be totally unrelated. But looking closer reveals there are some connections, though tenuous, where one story reinforces another.
In this case two stories about teachers, one in Massachusetts and the other in Tennessee.
The first deals with the paucity of male teachers in the Commonwealth, particularly at the elementary school level, where the ratio of female to male teachers in Massachusetts can be 4 to 1 or worse. There are questions about whether such an imbalance is causing problems, particularly when it comes to male students and how male and female teachers teach them and handle discipline.
And don't think it can't happen.
That brings us to the second story, that of a high school teacher in Knox County, Tennessee accused of statutory rape and sexual battery, suspended without pay for over a year, under suspicion and under a microscope. But recently all charges were dropped when the prosecutor's case against the teacher fell apart.
Assuming the teacher is truly innocent, where does he go to get his reputation back? Even though he has tenure, there's absolutely no guarantee he'll be able to get his job back. The school administration "was checking...into whether [he] remains an employee." Sounds iffy to me.
For all intents and purposes, his career as a teacher is over. No matter where he goes, the accusation follows. No school system in the country will want to take the chance on hiring him, knowing it could leave them liable to lawsuits by parents if there's even a hint of trouble, regardless of whether the teacher in question has done anything wrong or not.
Is it any wonder men would shy away from teaching as a profession? I know I would. Who needs that kind of BS? It seems to me it would be less stressful to be in combat rather than teaching under circumstances of perpetual suspicion.
(H/T Erik the Viking and Instapundit)
In this case two stories about teachers, one in Massachusetts and the other in Tennessee.
The first deals with the paucity of male teachers in the Commonwealth, particularly at the elementary school level, where the ratio of female to male teachers in Massachusetts can be 4 to 1 or worse. There are questions about whether such an imbalance is causing problems, particularly when it comes to male students and how male and female teachers teach them and handle discipline.
At a time of increased emphasis on improving student achievement, especially in inner-city schools, education specialists are raising serious concerns that male flight from classrooms could be hindering boys' ability to learn.While low pay has been cited as a cause for the decline in male teachers, there are other factors that many see as an even greater incentive for male teachers to leave the profession. The biggest one, particularly when it comes to elementary schools, is suspicion.
A study by an associate professor of economics at Swarthmore College, which has been gaining national attention in the debate over single-gender classes, found that boys learned better in reading - a subject in which they typically struggle - when teamed with a male teacher. Similarly, girls did better in math and science with a female teacher.
Even more eyebrow-raising, the research questioned whether a predominantly female teaching force is causing more boys to be labeled as behavior problems because women may struggle in handling the sometimes rambunctious nature of boys. It also questioned whether boys may respond better to a coachlike sternness found in some male teachers.
...[T]eaching, especially in the lower grades, is still largely perceived as a woman's job, requiring a nurturing personality that supposedly is not common among men. In other words, something must be wrong with the guy who likes working with children.Is it any wonder why men are staying away from teaching? To be looked upon as a potential pedophile because they like to teach young kids has got to be wearing. It's also got to be frightening to male teachers, knowing all it takes is an accusation by a parent or student to end one's career even if the accusation is false.
And don't think it can't happen.
That brings us to the second story, that of a high school teacher in Knox County, Tennessee accused of statutory rape and sexual battery, suspended without pay for over a year, under suspicion and under a microscope. But recently all charges were dropped when the prosecutor's case against the teacher fell apart.
"Basically our case evaporated," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols.Was it a false accusation? No evidence was found to back up the accuser's claim. Does it really matter?
Defense attorney Mike Nassios had unearthed evidence that called into question the account of [the teacher's] accuser and developed his own evidence that Gill said "explained away" what prosecutors had thought was evidence backing up the student's claim.
Assuming the teacher is truly innocent, where does he go to get his reputation back? Even though he has tenure, there's absolutely no guarantee he'll be able to get his job back. The school administration "was checking...into whether [he] remains an employee." Sounds iffy to me.
For all intents and purposes, his career as a teacher is over. No matter where he goes, the accusation follows. No school system in the country will want to take the chance on hiring him, knowing it could leave them liable to lawsuits by parents if there's even a hint of trouble, regardless of whether the teacher in question has done anything wrong or not.
Is it any wonder men would shy away from teaching as a profession? I know I would. Who needs that kind of BS? It seems to me it would be less stressful to be in combat rather than teaching under circumstances of perpetual suspicion.
(H/T Erik the Viking and Instapundit)
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