Manning the classroom
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By Beth Young
Standard-Examiner staff
Utah bucks national trend with male teachers as role models
WEST BOUNTIFUL -- Dave Bullock loves it when people ask what he does for a living.
"I like to see the shock on their face, followed up by, 'Wow, that's really cool,' "he said.
As far as jobs go, Bullock's is not that unusual. It's his gender that is different. He is the only male kindergarten teacher in Davis County.
Out of the 56 elementary schools in the county, 10 have no male teachers and 24 have only one. Of those elementary schools with male teachers, the men teach in the upper grades.
The number of male teachers rises as grade levels rise.
In Davis County, 10 percent of elementary teachers and 43 percent of secondary teachers are male.
According to a 2004 National Education Association study, the number of male teachers has been steadily declining since 1981.
However, Utah doesn't follow that trend. Since 2003, the number of male teachers has increased by 17 percent in elementary schools and 7 percent in secondary schools.
Those who educate Utah's future teachers have also not seen a decline.
"The average number of male students in our secondary licensure programs is between35 (percent) and 40 percent each year," said Mary Burbank, University of Utah secondary education director.
"This number has remained consistent during the past 13 years."
One of the reasons there may not be more male teachers is low wages.
"It's pretty hard to raise a family on teachers' salaries if you are the only breadwinner," said Tamara Lowe, Davis County School Board vice president and a former principal.
"There are so many people who would make great teachers, but just can't afford to."
In Utah, the starting salary for teachers of any grade is about $30,000.
Bullock, who has been a teacher for four years, said his family doesn't struggle with financial issues because both he and his wife work.
"Yes, money is always an issue as an educator," he said. "I would be more comfortable financially as an administrator, but right now, I am happy teaching."
Being a man in a career dominated by women has not been an obstacle for Bullock. In fact, it has been just the opposite.
"Being a man has only opened doors for me because I stand out," he said.
Parents have actually requested Bullock to be their children's teacher because he is a man.
"I actually signed him up to be in with Mr. Dave because my son doesn't have a male role model at home right now and thought it would be good for him," Michelle Millican said of her kindergartner.
"I was just thinking it was great that there was a male teacher because we don't have many male teachers in the elementary environment."
Teaching younger students does require more nurturing and patience, traits normally associated with women. While Bullock agrees these are things that come more naturally to women, he said they are skills that men can hone.
"A lot of people think that it is more of a woman's job to nurture," Bullock said. "But I think men can be nurturing. It's a nurturing job. You are providing a lot of things that a parent provides."
However, giving kindergarten students the affection they need can pose a problem for male teachers.
"I have to be more aware that there may be people who are watching if a child comes up and hugs me," Bullock said, "whereas they would think, if it were a woman, it would be more natural."
Bullock said if a child needs comforting, he limits it to a pat on the back or a high-five, but kindergartners are naturally loving and often greet him with hugs.
"I am not going to push them away and say, 'You can't touch me,' " he said.
Even with having to help his students -- who affectionately call him Mr. Dave -- with things like skinned knees and tying shoes, Bullock said there is no other grade he would teach.
"As a kindergarten teacher, I get to be their first public-school experience," he said. "And if I can get them excited right now, that can carry on to the other grades."
Having male teachers can be a good experience for students in any grade.
"Women relate to certain kinds of kids and men relate to certain kinds of kids, and you need both on a staff," Lowe said.
"I wouldn't want all of either. A good teacher is a good teacher -- being male or female doesn't have anything to do with it."
Burbank said most Utah students have historically had white women as teachers and she wants to see that change.
"The more opportunities we have to expand that pool of role models, the better."
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