Multiculturalism 101 - The Feminization of Our Districts Elementary Schools

If life and text teach us anything, men and women differ like night and day. And, despite politically correct rhetoric to the contrary and statistics on single parent families, the "traditional" two parent family provides a child with the upfront opportunity to experience the more than one face of life's realities. The advantage is not found in parental numbers but in differing world views, how they interact and resolve problems together and how their children relate and adjust to parental dichotomy. Exposure to these often vastly different male v. female perspectives is invaluable to a child's development. And, it's lacking in our elementary schools.

Educrats fret over their perceived need for the "diversity sensitivity inherent in multicultural curricula" and providing racially-balanced-and-non-sexuality-biased hiring practices, while the first several years of our children's educational experience is furnished predominantly by, however qualified, women. Of the 289 full-time teachers recently found to work in the district's five elementary schools, during the 1999-2000 school year, only 46 -- a mere 16% -- were men! So much for cultural diversity. According to the results of a fall 1999 inquiry made of Dr. Joyce Flynn, TVCSD Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services: Arrowhead had but 11%, Minnesauke 21%, Mount 15%, Nassakeag 18% and Setauket 13% male instructional staffings.

Percentage of Male Instructors

Elementary	1995/1996	1999/2000	%Change
Arrowhead	11	11	0
Minnesauke	26	21	-19
Mount	24	16	-33
Nassakeag	25	18	-28
Setauket	15	13	-13
Middle School
Gelinas	NA	39	NA
Murphy	NA	44	NA
High School
Ward Melville	NA	49	NA

We get a lot of talk at school board meetings. We hear and read much about anticipated change, of administrative openness and willingness to show responsiveness to community interests and input, and of the search for consensus. Well, some of the revelations provided by this presumed new "beginning" are unsettling to a great many people, whether or not they have children in the schools.

In the meantime, putting aside district administrators' rationalizations for failing to address this omission, isn't it about time that we got a few more good men, whatever their culture, in those classrooms?