Teaching has historically been “women’s work,” and men have statistically stayed out of the classroom. Research has shown that the lack of male educators in early childhood education is greatly influenced by the associations of early education with mothering and being “natural” for women, while men interested in the field were “unnatural” or deviants. However, having men in the classroom can create positive male role models for children, and redefine the idea of masculinity.
There are many barriers that discourage men from becoming teachers though, with pay being one of them. And in the teaching field, early childhood education pays even less. A 2011 study found that low salaries associated with teaching in early childhood education were a primary reason male teachers choose other professions because they are expected to be the primary breadwinners in their families.
Historically, by relegating teaching to women, pay could remain relatively low, or at least lower than what males would require to move into the field. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that women still only earn 80 cents to their male counterpart’s dollar. The gender pay gap is clearly not only applicable to education, but it is clear that this has inadvertently made it less likely for men to see teaching as a viable career.
When the deck is stacked against men in education—specifically early childhood—it’s important to listen to the men fighting against gender bias by remaining in the field. We talked to three men about these issues: a teacher, the Executive Director at Pacific Oaks Children’s School, and an alumnus who graduated from Pacific Oaks. They discuss what drew them to the field, what it’s like entering a classroom that they’re not always welcome in, and how they see the classroom evolving.
Andy Smallman, M.A., works to promote ordinary activities that awaken kindness, helping people connect to their true nature and increase peace in the world. Andy is also the founding director of the Puget Sound Community School, an independent school in Seattle designed to help children build on their strengths and nurture their intrinsic motivation.
Victor Soto, M.A., is a Master Teacher for The Outdoor Classroom at Pacific Oaks Children’s School and new adjunct professor for Pacific Oaks College School of Education. He has worked in the field of education for the last 22 years including early childhood education and elementary school years. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Pacific Oaks College in Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood Education (B.A.) and Leadership in Education (M.A.).
Robert Boyman, M.A., has worked in education for the past 25 years, serving as an early childhood educator, overseeing classroom teachers, helping start four schools in lower socio-economic areas, and facilitating training for teachers and families. Boyman joined Pacific Oaks Children’s School in 2014 and in 2017, he became the executive director for the Children’s School. Boyman graduated from the University of La Verne with his Masters in Advanced Studies of Child Development, and is currently working on his Doctorate in Organization Leadership at The Chicago School, and his second master’s degree in Advocacy and Social Justice at Pacific Oaks College.
Q: Why did you choose education?
Andy Smallman: I felt drawn to it; in fact, I’ve often referred to it as answering a call.
Robert Boyman: My path was a bit different, I came into early childhood education almost by accident. I was asked if I would like to be in a classroom teaching young children for one month because a teacher was going on maternity leave. I figured I would give it a try, and after my first day, I knew that I would be doing this for the rest of my life.
Victor Soto: My path here was a bit more unexpected, as well. I did not have much success in college after high school. Several years—and an array of various physically demanding jobs—later, my niece, Yadira, was born. It was the first time that I was around an actual baby knowing she would eventually become an adult person. I was drawn to the idea of development.
I had gone back to community college and after taking two courses in child development, I began to see what Piaget and Erikson described as their stages of life and cognitive development. I was amazed watching my niece walk and talk, be curious, explore, experiment, and try new things.
I was hooked on this idea of helping children to grow and develop. I continued my own education, specifically in child development with an emphasis in early childhood education.
Q: Did you feel like you were bucking the system as a male entering early childhood education?
Soto: The entire time I worked in school, I was surrounded by mostly women, with only a few male teachers. In college, there were mostly female students, even in my general education classes. So, it did not surprise me that I was one of few, if not the only male in the room.
Boyman: I didn’t really feel as if I was bucking the system when I first started, probably because I didn’t know enough at the time, but the longer I worked in the field it became very clear to me that men had a different set of standards and rules that they needed to follow.
Q: Did you experience any bias when choosing education—from friends, family, colleagues, mentors?
Smallman: There were standard kinds of comments from people about education not being lucrative, and that old joke about people going into teaching because they can’t do anything else. But those bounced off of me quite easily, because of how sure I was in teaching being my calling.
Soto: For me, it’s the subtlety in their tone and comments that make me uncomfortable. It’s also very similar when anyone asks:
Anyone: What do you do?
Me: I am a teacher.
Anyone: Oh what grade do you teach?
Me: 2 through 5-year-olds.
Anyone: Oh (insert crickets).
Me: I also teach college students.
Anyone: That’s amazing!
Boyman: Parents also have their biases. I’ve had children pulled out of my program because parents didn’t want their child taught by a male. Not to mention that all interactions I had with the children were carefully monitored by everyone else. To the point that it made me feel like I was doing something wrong.
Consequently, I only know about seven males in early childhood education. I have been doing a great many conferences and in a room of 50, if there are any men present, it is normally no more than two or three.
Q: How have you seen a change in perception, representation, or interactions throughout your career?
Boyman: I have seen a change in people engaging in the conversation of men being in the field. I feel that we are at the beginning of this road and within the next five to 10 years we might see a difference in regards to the number of men working in the classroom.
There is still a great deal of work to do. For example, I went to a leadership conference and during lunch the women at my table asked me what it was like to be a male in early childhood education, so I shared my story. When I was done they shared why they do not want men working at their schools, and most of the reasoning was very much in line with social stigmas.
Soto: Wow, yes, I agree: there has been a small change but clearly not big enough. More times than not, I hear from other teachers and administrators how lucky we are at the Children’s School because there are four male teachers where they do not have a single one.
Q: Did you find it difficult to find employment because of your gender or did you find this to be a selling point?
Smallman: Even before starting at Pacific Oaks, I think being male actually benefitted me in getting a job. There just weren’t a lot of men applying for after school and teaching assistant jobs, especially men with empathy for children.
Soto: I agree. I had a similar experience and, in retrospect, I think the fact that I am a guy working in early childhood has always helped me get a job. At a much younger age, not fully knowing how unbalanced gender in this field was, it wasn’t on my radar. But now I can see it.
Q: One of the reasons that research suggests that men don’t go into ECE is because of the low salaries associated and the belief that men are expected to be the primary breadwinner in their families. I know some of you work in administration, was that a conscious decision or a natural progression?
Boyman: I used to lay awake at night, wondering if I had made the correct life choice. I love what I do, and I understand the importance of the work early childhood educators do, but I felt like I was failing. I made a mental note that I needed to be out of the classroom by the time I was 30, then 35, then 40, and finally 45.
The reality is the whole field is underpaid. When you add societal expectations that money is very important and you need to provide for your family—otherwise you are not successful—it is very difficult to keep focus and stay in the field.
Soto: Being a parent of two boys and a husband to a wife, it is unsaid that I need to be a provider. But can you imagine trying to do that on $12-$15 an hour, which is often what teachers—especially without a graduate degree—are making?
I think the low pay reflects the low value that society has placed on early childhood education and the people who work in this field because they’ve traditionally been women. But, now that men are joining the field, can you imagine what message it would send if suddenly teachers in early childhood education were to get paid more just to attract more male figures? What would that say to all these women who have dedicated their careers to this field?
Q: What unique benefits do children encounter by having male role models in the classroom?
Smallman: Generally speaking, the more diversity children have access to, the better. Specifically speaking to having male role models, the first thing that comes to mind is at a young age children don’t see the standard gender stereotype of teachers/nurturers being female.
Boyman: I agree, through exposure to men in the early childhood education classroom, societal stereotypes can begin to change. This diversity is very important for children and families to be exposed to. I also feel one of the other benefits is that males tend to relate to developmentally appropriate boy behavior instead of looking at it as “behavioral issues.”
Soto: I so believe that there is something about being around a male adult in a classroom of young children that changes the traditional dynamic. There is a noticeable difference in the child who does not have a father figure, as well. I have experienced this from both boys and girls. They long for the attention and affection, and I can give that in a constructive way.
It’s also just about breaking down stereotypes. It’s like watching a dad come to volunteer in the classroom, suddenly, the majority of the children want to be that person: his career and everything. One of the main benefits is simply visibility.
Early child education programs
Our selection of early childhood education programs includes both B.A. and M.A. programs that are available on campus and online:
- B.A. in Early Childhood Education (Pasadena, Online)
- B.A. in Early Childhood Education: Trauma Studies (Pasadena, Online)
- B.A. in Early Childhood Education: STEAM (Pasadena, Online)
- B.A. Early Childhood Education: Elementary Education and Special Education (Pasadena, Online)
- B.A. Early Childhood Education: Elementary Education (Pasadena, Online)
- M.A. in Early Childhood Education (Pasadena, Online)
- M.A. in Early Childhood Education: Organizational Leadership and Management (Pasadena, Online)
- M.A. in Early Childhood Education: Trauma Studies (Pasadena, Online)
- Early Childhood Education Certificate in STEAM (Pasadena)
Learn more about Pacific Oaks College
If you would like to learn more about the early childhood education programs available at Pacific Oaks, fill out the form below to request more information, or you can apply today through our application portal.
