Needed in class: a few good men

Yaeger acknowledges that the fear of being accused of improper conduct is something that most male teachers think about. "As a male teacher, especially in this day and age, you have to be a lot more conscious of your behavior," he says. "It is not something I necessarily worry about all the time, but I am aware of it."

Through MenTeach, Nelson is also working to eliminate the gender bias in education. "There are people who still say, 'It's so nice to have a man in the classroom,' " Nelson says. "But think about it: You wouldn't say, 'It's so nice to have an African-American in the classroom,' or 'It's great to have a Jew in the classroom.' It should be no different for men. We want teachers to be teachers and for gender not to be a factor, but until we get to that point, we have to do something about it."

Liberty Jones, a fourth-grade teacher at Maplewood Elementary in Portland, Ore., supports efforts to draw more men into the teaching profession. "It's important for the same reason it's important to see women in science and engineering," she says. "It helps break the societal stereotype."

Male teachers send an important message to students, says Ms. Jones. "In my experience, moms tend to be the ones staying home or helping kids out with their homework. Having a male teacher gives students a different perspective and shows that men care about education and learning too."

Increasing the number of male teachers may seem like the obvious solution, but Mr. Washington says it is not enough to train men to be teachers: The real challenge is keeping them in the classroom. "Fifty percent of all teachers leave the profession within the first five years," he says.

Once they are in the classroom, male teachers must also contend with powerful messages about their roles as educators. "There is a perception that if you are male and in the teaching profession, you should be an administrator," says Washington.

Nelson also believes that men are encouraged to pursue administrative positions instead of remaining in the classroom. "I have heard stories about male teachers getting slips of paper in their mailboxes advertising positions as principals and administrators that were not given to female teachers," he says. "Men are shuttled out of teaching and given the message that they can do bigger things."

Yaeger admits that he has been encouraged to pursue administrative roles but says his true passion is working with children. "I have thought about moving into a higher position but the higher up you get, the less contact you have with children," he says. "I got into this profession because I enjoy teaching children."

Organizations like MenTeach and the NEA say they are making strides in addressing the shortage of male teachers.

"[The] NEA has been examining the issue for more than two decades," says Washington. He notes that initiatives such as Call Me Mister, a program at Clemson University aimed at recruiting African-American men to the teaching profession, and others like it are improving the recruitment and retention of male teachers.

"We are slowly turning the tide," he says. "We are not yet where we want to be, but no one is giving up."

It's a complicated issue with no easy answers, says Washington. "Things are changing and improving, but we are not going to make a difference overnight."

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