Attitudes of Principals About Early Childhood Teachers.

In this study researchers wanted to discover school principals' attitudes about reported increases in the proportion of men teaching very young children. Elementary school principals in southern Manitoba were interviewed about their attitudes toward beginning teachers in early childhood (nursery-kindergarten) education. At the time of writing, about 50 principals had been intereviewed concerning their opinions and attitudes about new teachers, generally, and men in early childhood education, specifically. Principals seemed less concerned with teachers' specific skills or training and more concerned with teachers' personal qualities, such as warmth, kindness, love of children, and ability to create a happy creative atmosphere in the classroom. Most principals seemed to feel isolated from their peers and different from or more radical than them in their practices and educational philosophy. Almost all expressed a wish that more men could be found who were qualified and willing to teach very young children. None stated that the gender of a person directly determined whether or not he/she was hired. Principals were quick to point out, however, that a man had to be unusual to work in early childhood education, since he would be contradicting social expectations about what men do for livelihood. (Author/RH)