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There is a perceived shortage of male teachers in education, particularly at the primary/junior (P/J) level where male teachers in Canada account for a dwindling minority. Included among the many factors inhibiting males from becoming P/J teachers are perceptions that males might be unduly vulnerable to false accusations of inappropriate conduct with pupils, frequently of a sexual nature. This paper highlights findings of research exploring the experiences of male P/J teachers in Ontario. Results of an online survey completed by 223 male P/J teachers are discussed; 28 of these teachers reported they had been suspected of having had inappropriate contact with pupils and wrote online comments outlining their experience. The findings are discussed in the context of what it means to be a male assuming a non-traditional role of working with young children in today's milieu. (Contains 3 notes.)

There is a perceived shortage of males in education provincially and nationally in Canada, particularly at the elementary level. My theoretical framework derives from queer theory, questioning the fluidity of discourse and identities, and troubling accepted, commonplace beliefs, knowledge, and practices. To this end, I interpret data from an online survey of 223 male primary/junior schoolteachers in Ontario. In this paper, I address male primary-junior teachers as role models in relation to race, sexual orientation, and culture, regarding two popular ideologies. The first is that of good teachers who can supposedly teach all pupils regardless of their own identity markers and sense of agency, or those of their pupils and larger communities. The second reflects notions of diversity to offset hegemonic male gender expectations, and to better reflect diversity in the broader school and social populations, while counterbalancing the overwhelming numbers of female role models in school, and at home, for children. Keywords: primary--junior education, role model, intersectional identity, androgenophobia, Pygmalion Effect, The cry for more male teachers is not new. At various times over the past century, there have been peaks in professional and public discourse around the waning or disparity [...]

This arts-informed narrative inquiry will delve into the experiences of male B.Ed. teacher candidates in Northern Ontario who did not complete their education degree. Their intersectional voices will, hopefully, fuel dialogue around issues of power dynamics and intersectional identity (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, geographical location, and language and culture) applicable to education, men's studies, social justice, arts-informed and arts-based educational research, and affiliated disciplines. This paper begins with a brief review of the literature on male primary teachers, then research methodology, next a look at theory, followed by a composite narrative in the voice of a former teacher candidate, and culminates in the researchers' impressions and questions. Keywords: men's studies, education, expectations, gender, symbolic violence, A common goal in teacher education, as with education in general, is that we aim to give voice to all of our students and to help them to succeed in [...]

Stubborn societal prejudices persist that inhibit this enlargement of gender roles for boys and men. Portrayals of men in popular culture tend to be brutish, ignorant, and violent--often in sexual and predatory ways. Boys in school are subjected to homophobia, racism, classism, and shame, as a means of policing their burgeoning identities and stifling anything that may be construed as "feminine", so that being studious becomes considered "gay" or "sissy" or even "white". Such narrow social expectations and a lack of options for enacting socially acceptable masculinities are at the root of contemporary struggles for boys and men, and risk becoming negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Increasingly, researchers in the growing field of boys' and men's studies are challenging traditions that perpetuate a patriarchal perception of boys and men, and instead subscribe to "masculinities", or validating varied ways of being "male". (Contains 10 endnotes.)

THE DEMONS OF AQUILONIA Lina Medaglia Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education Inc., 2009 Lina Medaglia is a modern Italian-Canadian Scheherazade, telling yarns that magically intersect, to keep the reader wondering [...]

The Heat stars Sandra Bullock as uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn, who is paired with a coarse Boston detective, Shannon Mullins, played by Melissa McCarthy, to capture a drug lord. This quintessential odd couple, forced to work together in Boston, display character traits that exemplify narcissism, racism, ablebodism, and sexism (both misandry and misogyny). I pinpoint and destabilize The Heat's superficial appropriation of feminism via critique of Ashburn and Mullin's outrageous behaviours and actions. Their narcissism, entailing self-interest, ruthless competition, and scorn of those marginalized--eventually binds the crime fighters together. Stemming from a long line of films that purport to repudiate the patriarchy, The Heat actually reinstates capitalist and hegemonic principles. Under a shallow feminist veneer, The Heat further reflects a North America pop cultural trend of upholding a modern version of professional womanhood that disdains men, while paradoxically elevating women who embrace uncivilized and narcissistic behaviors as heroic sisters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early 2000s, the cries for male primary teachers grew louder in the Province of Ontario. The issue has many dimensions. This pilot study will examine some of these issues through the analysis of an oral history interview of a successful and retired male primary teacher. It intends to lay the groundwork and examine some of the issues that would arise in a bigger cross-generational analysis comparing retired male teachers life experiences with those of male pre-service teachers in their Faculty of Education programs. It also builds on the authors' previous research into pre-service teachers. In particular the issues of isolation, role expectations and retention will be looked at. The paper will conclude by examining with some benefits of a future cross-generational research project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Matrix (Wachowski & Wachowski, 1999) combines elements of traditional and evolving masculinities that merit scrutiny anew in an era of increased inquiry into men's studies, experiences, and identities, including popular cultural representations. Taking The Matrix as an analytic frame, the present critique queers interpretations of men's power and identities in popular culture and society with evolving concepts of masculinities and male sexualities. Specifically, the film's chief protagonist, Thomas Anderson (or Neo, as he becomes known), is studied with reference to a four-fold analytic scope: the warrior icon and nerdism; racism and sexism; misandry; and homoeroticism and male rape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]