Don’t put them on the endangered species list yet, but the male teacher in Missouri’s public schools is becoming less and less visible. For each male teacher in Missouri’s public schools, there are four women. In elementary schools, it’s 12 female teachers for each male. The situation has worsened in the last decade. The head of the state’s biggest teacher’s group, Kent King of the Missouri State Teachers Association, says it’s a concern for the profession, but it’s a bigger concern for those it serves.King says the situation is especially a problem for children from single parent families, because most of those children live with their mothers, leaving a gap in their lives that a male teacher can fill. State educaiton deparment figures show men are much more likely to teach in higher grades or fill adminsitrative positions. But in elementary grades, on eight percent of the teachers are male. Why don’t more men enter the field? King says money, not motivation, is a big factor.
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