Male teachers fight odds, stereotypes

Story here. Excerpt:

'The number of male teachers in the United States is at a 40-year low. Out of 3 million teachers, only 25 percent are men, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

So what’s keeping men out of school?

Brian Nelson founder of MenTeach, a Minneapolis-based organization that seeks to encourage more men to become teachers, cites three reasons:

-- Stereotypes that men aren’t nurturing and can’t take care of little kids.
“Obviously, that’s not true. Men can be great fathers and can be nurturing.”

-- Fear of accusation of abuse.
“There’s a belief that men are going to harm children in school,” Nelson said. “The facts don’t bear this out. A child is more likely to be harmed in their own home than they are in school.

“Some men I’ve talked to who were falsely accused said it really destroys their reputation, even if it’s a false allegation. There’s something that hovers over them. ‘Maybe he did it but just got off.’ That keeps men away. Why would you want to go through that?”

-- Low status/low pay.'