|
The gender of the teachers is a somewhat touchy subject, in part because modern women do not like to be told that there are somethings that men can do better as well as all kinds of legal complications. Most prep schools were founded as boys' schools and the number of boys school outnumberd girl' schools because many parents were hesitant to send their girls to boarding school. The teachers at the Public (private boarding) and prep schools who were mostly men werre and still are called masters. While as a general rule we would not take issue with equal rights arguments, we do think that many teen-age boys do respond better to the often more asertive male teachers. Here we suspect that it is the younger teens where this is most likely an issue. This would be an interesting subject for academic research. This is not to say that women teachers can not successfully teach older boys or that all men teachers or better at it than all women teachers. We found mny women teachers who do quite well with the older boys. It is to say that men becuse of their size and generally more asertive personalities have an advantage in working with the older boys. Traditionally masters or teachers at boys' schools have been mostly men and teachers at girls' schools have been mostly women. This has never been absolute and most boys' schools had some women teachers, usually to teach the younger courses or specialty course like art and music. By the same token there were often men teachers at girls' schools, often to teach specialty courses like science and math. These major differences are disappeaing, in part because of coeducation and in part because of legislation on gender descrimination. Another factor is salaries. A man can not support a family on a teacher's salary. Most men teachers are married to women who also work to support the family. Women teachers are often young unmarried women or older women married to a man with a higher sallary. The major shift is that there are many more women involved in teaching at these schools than there were in earlier years. Most head masters when speaking off the record will admit that they prefer to hire men to work with the oder boys. The boys when they finish at the school are just becoming teenagers and often respond better to male teachers. The importance of sport here is another factor.
The gender of the teachers is today a somewhat touchy subject, in part because modern women do not like to be told that there are somethings that men can do better as well as all kinds of legal complications. But as those whose thought is not clouded by politically correct ideology know, there are differences between boys and girls as well as adult men and women. This includes noth physical and pschological differences. And these differences affect both how children learn andcthe effectiveness of teachers.
Most prep schools were founded as boys' schools and the number of boys school outnumberd girl' schools because many parents were hesitant to send their girls to boarding school. The teachers at the Public (private boarding) and prep schools who were mostly men were and still are called masters. This has never been absolute and most boys' schools had some women teachers, usually to teach the younger children. In thecearly years this was mostly for the very young boys. Now itvis increaingly the mid-level forms as ell. Women often taught specialty course like art and music and modern language. Imported French mistresses wefe common. Latin was, however, almost always taught by male masters..
While as a general rule we would not take issue with equal rights arguments, we do think that gender is a factor in a teacher's effectuveness. Younger boys may do better with female teachers who tend to be more emphetetic than male teachers. By the same token many teen-age boys may do better to the often more asertive male teachers. Here we suspect that it is the younger teens where this is most likely an issue. This would be an interesting subject for academic research. This is of course not to say that women teachers can not successfully teach older boys or that all men teachers or always better at it than all women teachers. And women teachers have an a valuable support in prep schools because of the generally high discipline standards. There is aide degree of variation among individuals. We found many women teachers who do quite well with the older boys. It is to say that men becuse of their size and generally more asertive personalities,male teachers have an advantage in working with the older boys. They proviode useful role models. This is one reason that parents send boys' to boys chools, although for economic reasons, many formel boys' schools have shifted to coeducation. Most head masters when speaking to us off the record admitted that they prefer to hire men to work with the older boys. The boys when they finish at the school are just becoming teenagers and often respond better to male teachers. The importance of sport here is another factor.
Traditionally masters or teachers at boys' schools have been mostly men and teachers at girls' schools have been mostly women. This has never been absolute as we have discussed in the historical background. Most boys' schools had sat least some women teachers, usually to teach the younger courses or specialty course like art, music, and modrn lannuages. And now that there are often teachers to help students having acfemic problems, they are mostly women. By the same token there were often men teachers at girls' schools, often to teach specialty courses like science and math as well as games (sports). This was especially the case in the late-19th and early-20th century when girls' eduction was a relatively new phenomenon. These major differences are declining, but certainly have not disappeared, in part because of coeducation and in part because of legislation on gender descrimination.
A major factor in the gendr of teacher is slaries. A man can not support a family on a teacher's salary. Most men teachers are married to women who also work to support the family. Women teachers are often young unmarried women or older women married to a man with a higher sallary. The major shift is that there are many more women involved in teaching at these schools than there were in earlier years.
