TO THE EDITOR:
As a male in the UNC-BEST program and a member of the last class of NC Teaching Fellows, I know first hand that our culture regards education as women’s work. Many consider it as ‘less important’ or ‘easier,’ since sadly, our culture believes that women are not as capable as men. Men feel these pressures of gender expectations, especially that of being the “breadwinners,” and therefore avoid the field of education. Unfortunately, our culture pressures men to be “manly,” which traditionally never involves working with children.
Some of my best teachers have been men. The fact that a teacher was a man or a woman made no difference in their ability to teach and to be passionate about their subject and students.
To all men, if you care about making lasting impacts on young lives and molding a bright future, then please consider teaching as a career. Children need to see more positive male role models in their lives. This will challenge gender roles and over time, lead to a society where men are not expected to be dominant and can express themselves freely.
Garrett Pedersen
Class of ’15
Mathematics
N.C. Teaching Fellowsdir
