Men in Early Childhood Education | Alex Straus | TEDxWWU
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2024
- Alex Straus is a senior at Western Washington University. He is studying early childhood education and at the end of March will be the second male in the history of the program to graduate. Alex started his career in early childhood education working under two incredible male preschool teachers, who inspired him to continue his education to become a teacher. For the last six and a half years, Alex has been involved in early childhood education through a variety of positions. Currently he is student teaching in a kindergarten classroom in Bellingham. On the weekends, he is working as a Play Host at Perch and Play, a café with an indoor playground in downtown Bellingham. Between his student teaching, perch and play, and taking care of his 10 month old daughter, childcare isn’t a job but a lifestyle. Through all this experience, Alex noticed there aren’t many men working with children, and there can be a significant impact if more men joined the field. Alex Straus is a senior at Western Washington University. He is studying early childhood education and at the end of March will be the second male in the history of the program to graduate. Alex started his career in early childhood education working under two incredible male preschool teachers, who inspired him to continue his education to become a teacher. For the last six and a half years, Alex has been involved in early childhood education through a variety of positions. Currently he is student teaching in a kindergarten classroom in Bellingham. On the weekends, he is working as a Play Host at Perch and Play, a café with an indoor playground in downtown Bellingham. Between his student teaching, perch and play, and taking care of his 10 month old daughter, childcare isn’t a job but a lifestyle. Through all this experience, Alex noticed there aren’t many men working with children, and there can be a significant impact if more men joined the field. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
I am a male preschool teacher, and I face a lot of discrimination and prejudice from both parents and coworkers. By being a man at my job I'm immediately less valuable because more than half of the things I can't do because it involves things that parents are uncomfortable with men doing. One of the hardest things about it is feeling alone and trying to push through it. But there is one thing that keeps me going, knowing my very presence is teaching kids that men can work with young kids, can be compassionate, all of it, and that keeps me going through all the hardest moments!
Shout out to to all the male early education teachers!!! You guys are the real deal!
In Finland 🇫🇮 being a teacher is highly sort after from early childhood to High school. It's highly sort after, deemed a very prestigious and Nobel profession. Educators get paid as much as Doctors, lawyers, and engineers etc... rightfully as professionals!
I'm Australian and honestly I hope one day it's seen like this globally!
Thank you 🙏🏿
I think it is wonderful. We need more kind loving men helping us form our future leaders. I’m 40 and I start early childhood education in January.
the only way to keep them is to support them especially when false accusations come up.
Yea, I love working with kids, really want to become a Montessori teacher when move to Canada, but I am not sure if parents are gonna trust me...
@@ps.6023 Yep, I'd bet that is the main reason why many men avoid it. There is usually no support for men at all.
i love it. i work in child development/ early childhood education
Bless you!!
This is what early childhood education is about ! As an early childhood professional I appreciate this talk!
I am a MALE teacher, with facial hair and more hair on top than I have control of, instructing Pre-K Students. Loved this Video! Unfortunately, male teachers in early childhood are "frowned" upon, as I have personally experienced. But what I have ALSO experienced, is the gratitude and thankfulness of single mothers, who have their sons in my class. I have also realized that having facial hair can be very controversial. I have no idea why, but it is. When I spoke with parents of different ethnicities as myself as well as different co-workers, I understood that having facial hair meant different things. Being an Educator is such a rewarding position. However, as an educator, one must put aside their own personalities/characteristics and become absolved into a melting pot of different identities in order to be an objective confidant to those Students in your class.
Honestly it's because those jobs don't pay enough. Most men feel pressure to get a job that can provide for a family, and the salaries don't cut it. It's a fixable problem.
well the wife can be the doctor and the dad the ECE worker. We need to stop the notion of males as breadwinners as we ended the notion that women should do all the domestic household chores, cook, clean .and raise the children.
This is amazing I am currently studying my final year in Early Education. I'm loving every part of my journey so far.
I needed to hear this. I’m working on my degree for early childhood.
Alex, your story resonated with me personally. I have been an early childhood educator since the 1980s, first as a preschool teacher and later as a director and professor at a university. I have seen very little movement toward gender balance in the 35 years I have been an Early Childhood Educator. This is an amazing profession and we need to get the message out. I will be sharing your TEDx talk with my students and with others.
Charles Bleiker
I graduated with a bachelor degree in social studies education, but started working in childcare. I love it.
Wonderful!! A standing ovation is needed 👏👏
I am a male and I'm a Junior in high school and I just enrolled in an early childhood education class at a career center/Trade school. This class expects us to fully operate a preschool and work as preschool teachers and at the end of my Senior year I get my CDA Credential. I have always naturally been great at working with kids and they have always enjoyed my company. So I looked at my options for a career/trade and Early Childhood was what my gut was telling me. I was one of only 2 guys in the class but the other guy just left last week. As soon as I enrolled I thought if people are going to judge me or not. I wondered why its not common for a male to work in an Early Childhood setting. Then I was worried that I would be judged for something that I am very passionate about. As you would imagine this class has childhood development as part of it and I find it fascinating to study children's development and get excited to learn more and more. This video is very inspirational thank you
In year 15 of my elementary teaching career. I've taught 3rd grade for 12 of those years.
Excellent video! I am a man in Early Childhood Education. It is great to see men in this field!
Okay so what are the odds of this? I'm also a WWU student and I just happened to find this video as a source for a paper, without knowing it was hosted was hosted at WWU. I'm an Anthropology major, BUT I've been a preschool TA for almost 6 years now, ranging from preschool and after school programs to summer programs and tutoring. Everything you said here was so on point, I even get made fun of by small children for my beard also! In about 6 years of working with young children I've NEVER met another male teacher or teacher's assistant. It really shows that we need to change the narrative.
So good.
My short term goal is to return back to one of the CT community colleges this Fall 2021 semester to obtain my Early Childhood Education. My long term goal is to become an Early Childhood Teacher. First to work in early childhood. Then, to go back to college to work in the high school teacher. All in all, their is a shortage of male teachers. To conclude, I believe male teachers no matter who grade level they teach, can really be excellent role models. So, in conclusion, what classes should I take to go back to community college this fall in CT to pursue my dream job to becoming a teacher.
That’s just exactly what I’ve been looking for!
Love this! I've been teaching for 10 years with 5 being in Pre-K & kindergarten. It's definitely my favorite! I am proud to be part of that 2.5%.
Working in a childcare for a year already, tiring but rewarding!
Well done. I'm a male ECE. In Canada, we're 1% of the industry. I've faced adversity more than a few times. We need to destigmatize male influence in the childcare sector.
Love it
"Dads do not baby sit" 🤣🤣💯
I guess I'm related to this guy through a marriage, its nice to see my family growing mentally
ECCE means Pre Primary Education training for Anganwadi Pre School 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 very nice video 👌 thanks
Way to go Bones :)
Um...our family owned a Child Development Center for infants, toddlers, and pre-K. My mom founded it. I worked for the Center of course...in records. I wrote parent and staff handbooks, reported attendance, took calls, managed parent, staff, and child documents, ran the facebook page, etc. My brother worked...in finance. He did budgeting, accounts, and payroll. My mom and sister, and an army of women, did everything related to actually interacting with children. I stayed in the office. Now when hiring came up, and the applications from men were invariably ignored, I asked about that. My mom told me in her daycare and others, parents, especially mothers, objected to men in the centers. Work as an assistant teacher might include something like changing a child's diaper, and they weren't keen on trusting a man to do that. Men make the parents nervous I was told. Parents wouldn't trust them. I pointed out that that was gender discrimination and I was told that centers have lost business trying to be gender neutral. This begs the question of whether people will hire men at all
Man’s role is leadership in front of the children like Jesus Christ.
Sorry can you expound on that?
The only early education I got was video games.
I'm an ECE in Canada, in my centre we're also just about 5% men.
Hey hi! I am a high school student from india, wanting to do a diploma in canada this fall. what do you say about the ECE? I mean I think I will really love it but I'm not sure on how I can be sure of that
Inspiring.. but the paycheck says no
Basically the soccer mom's Biznatch
Studies show that elementary school age kids tend to respect a male authority figure
This is hilarious given that education used to be dominated by men
Especially in times when education was specifically paid, by the family, for their children
If you watch this and think it's a good idea to enter early childhood education, don't. The pay is abysmal and the joy/light isn't worth questioning your masculinity/your ability to provide for your own family. You better believe that joy and light only occurs when you are the right educational setting as well. I grew up without a strong male precense to tell me this, so heed the warning.
I men get to the field so we can get paid more LoL.
Why does he moan after every sentence?
Are you watching the same video? I hear no moaning.
@@beccapeterson7218 maybehh you talk like thathhh too
To be an early childhood education, you need to speak like a female and he became like that
I noticed the same thing. Creepy!
@@Joshua_ChoNY I mean not really, the sample for males in child development is small and they demonstrate traditionally "feminine traits" but this is mostly limited to being more gentle and receptive in communication and team-building. Plenty of the men I've worked with "talk like men" as in deeply or gruff. Being in child-development doesn't remake someone from the ground up; however, their values will change.
If you are curious about the values that the field entails I welcome your interests, but it requires a lot of community-related projects in the long run to understand the stakeholders of the community. Meaning assumptions about community members are discouraged, while engagement with community members is essentially a norm.