The end of summer and my silence

In order to avoid blaming this blog for missed sunsets or evenings grilling in the backyard, I stayed away from "Living to Learn," this summer. Since one of the chief topics of this blog is public education and schools were out for the summer, I thought I would spend the summer listening, reading and thinking, not with my usual purpose to regurgitate it later into something thoughtful- or not so thoughtful - but simply as part of living life.

It was nice.

But now I'm back and today was the first day of school in my district and many around the nation. I was pleasantly surprised to see my son's teacher is a man and a young one at that. My son, like most kids of elementary-school age, is cognizant of the world's preset gender roles. Contrary to my protests, he is certain only girls look good in pink, ballet is for girls and males once they're adults and in need of a fun job. Despite how many times it has happened, he remains pleasantly surprised, and impressed, when a girl disdains baking and expresses an interest in Legos and Bionicles. (Yes, this is a phase that shall pass.)

Meanwhile, I worry that outside of my husband, my son sees too few male role models in arenas he may believe to be the domain of women. That's why I sought out a male pediatrician and point out male classical dancers every time we pass the ballet studio near our house.

School is another area where the only male he sees is the gym teacher and the janitor. Teaching is a female-dominated profession with women accounting for 70 percent of the teachers in Washington state, according to this story. Improved recruiting, coupled with a recession is slowly changing the ratio, primarily in urban centers. Superintendents, the job where the real authority lies, remains largely male. I'm certain gender plays a role in how we view issues in education, from teacher accountability to pay. This piece explores the gender bias and obstacles men going into teaching face.

Its too early for me to think very deeply about what a male teacher will add to my fourth grader's educational experience this year. Certainly it will be different, but how to place a value on that would seem premature. I just know that I'm excited for my son to see this guy, in many ways a 20-year-older version of himself, and understand the many possibilities of his future. Fourth grade is one of the toughest years in school. It is a pivotal point in emotional maturation but also in the coalescing of basic skills now to be refined.

I'm looking forward to the energy, creativity and sense of fearlessness emanating from his classroom. I'm referring to the teacher but I wouldn't mind if my son takes on a swashbuckling attitude as well.