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A New Perspective on the Lack of Men in Education

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Book cover Go Where You Belong

Part of the book series: Transgressions:Cultural Studies and Education ((TRANS,volume 67))

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Abstract

Three elementary teachers walk into a bar–two men and one woman–to enjoy some happy hour libations after a long day in professional development meetings. The teachers in question are relatively young in contrast to their colleagues. Duties of family and marriage are barely on the horizon, so they try to maintain a few youthful rituals of their lives prior to teaching. That is, cheaper drinks at a local watering hole after a long day at work still have some cachet. The conversation is fairly typical for teachers who have been unleashed. There is talk of the most annoying children or perhaps a diatribe against the soporific slog of full staff meetings.One of the guys, a fourth grade teacher, begins a long and familiar soliloquy about not being able to find the perfect woman in his life. His two companions commenced reassurances as soon as this cry for help was completed. There were many laughs to be had, until the one female in the group interjected, “Well, you guys are screwed no matter what.” To this statement, the other male, who has been a silent and sympathetic listener up to this point, replied with a very cautious, “Why?” She reasoned, “You’re teachers. There is no way you could afford a woman.”

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Johnson, S. (2011). A New Perspective on the Lack of Men in Education. In: Watson, L.W., Woods, C.S. (eds) Go Where You Belong. Transgressions:Cultural Studies and Education, vol 67. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-406-5_3

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