Narrowing the Gender Gap

The statistics are alarming. Among Ontario teachers under the age of 20, one in five is male; one in 10 elementary school teachers is male; and one in three high school teachers is male. The average age of teachers in Ontario is 45 -- and it's projected that Ontario needs to hire between 8,000 - 9,000 teachers per year for the next five years to replace retiring teachers. Can we do it? Probably not. Let's face it -- society already undervalues educating our future generations that will take care of us when we get old. You can see that in the inaction from parents and the action of governments that the public elect. The teachers are broken. The education system takes whatever they can get, and it is mostly mediocrity. There is no spending to sustain good education and good skills in those that teach our children. Want to know why men don't teach? They don't take the profession seriously. They can make more money elsewhere, be valued for the skills they bring and get further in live. If Ontario wants to reverse the gender gap -- or fix it -- it'll take money, lots of hard work, and time. Unfortunately, governments can't think beyond the next election and will only spend on tactical problems that can show an immediate return. So we're screwed. Check out the Ontario College of Teachers report: Narrowing the Gender Gap: Attracting Men to Teaching.