Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Arts & Crafts Music for Learning Recommended Reading Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education Job Sharing Board State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! Each month we'll send you an email filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now Date: 5/12/2000 7:24:00 PM Author: Brian (Wanderingdragon1@Hotmail.Com) Subject: Hi, everybody; my name is Brian, other... Hi, everybody; my name is Brian, otherwise known periodically as "Mommy". I'm an Infant/Toddler teacher ... a 51-year-old male Infant/Toddler teacher ... the only male Infant/Toddler teacher I know of (but I sure would appreciate hearing from others!) This nuturing thing ... I have found that I nurture differently from my female colleagues. I don't have as much trouble with the "Oh what a cute little baby" syndrome that interfers with seeing infants as individuals rather than some form of super doll. As far as being treated differently because I'm a male, it happens all the time. When I was still in college, I went to work as a substitute TA in the child development centers of San Diego Unified School District. My first day I was told I couldn't monitor bathrooms, change toddlers, or diaper babies, and that there had to be a female teacher in the room at all times. California's Fair Employment and Housing Department took care of that, though, and that school district has changed its discriminatory policies. After college, the first place I worked my supervisor told me my voice was too loud and booming to work with babies. (That stopped when I pointed out to her that the timber of my voice was deeper than the other teachers, who were females, and so stood out more.) The point is, if a policy would be discriminatory if it applies to female teachers, it is discriminatory if it applies to males. Yeah, I've been used as the Mr. Fixit, and periodic attempts have been made to make me The Enforcer ... but that only happens if I let it happen ... and I don't. Today I was out on the playground, and some kids came up to me with a piece of chalk. They wanted me to draw beards and mustaches just like mine on their faces. That's the kind of thing I love about my work. Hang in there, Craig, and if I ever meet you I'll shout you a pint, mate! Name: Email: Subject

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