Since I am not a male, I always tried to do the things that a male teacher would. Take the kids camping, long hikes, fun time, football time ( I am not an expert) and time to do games.
I have worked from time to time with men. Rare occurrence in some schools, where the
male is the custodian, or the coach , and those guys were too busy.

I learned to invite fathers, and men and older boys to be a part of what we were doing as mentors and as student guides. Going to the outdoor lab with six policemen, who were volunteers was a lot easier than trying to do it myself. They really came in handy when it ws time to put up the tents. I can do it but please... help is great.

Gene Posati, who was a wrestling coach, sat in on some of my classes and helped me with a few students who pretended not to like learning. We used food , trips, Friday Football and games , which you had to earn to get their attention. I could tell you funny stories, but this is not a book.

The guys on trails, were hard , I had to practice and get conditioned to walk the trails with a bunch of kids who never got tired, but we found ways to have them stop and look at things and actually see things in nature. The guys from a digital camera club, and a mother helped us take pictures of patterns in nature.

I also had some hardcore environmentalists who were women. Taking tree core samples in the middle of winter was not my idea of fun, but we adopted a section of a creek called Four Mile Run , and we had our quadrats to survey, our streams to test, and our trees to take care of.

I just tried to do the things that both groups of kids would react to and I never glued them in their seats for a very long time, that is I did not disrespect the fact that some of them were used to being very active. I used it to involve them, in lots of ways.

At the end of a day, I was tired and so were the kids. But we enjoyed our days which were packed with multiple ways of learning , and we loved being together. I still get notes from kids who are repeating some of the things I did with them , with their children. It makes a teacher proud.

Bonnie Bracey Sutton

Gender has a little effect on how students relate to their teacher. This is my 29th year of teaching and I have taught in a team of 2 women and 1 man for five years. I saw some of my girls cling to my male teammate but I saw little difference in the teaching delivered or the outcomes of the class. Having a male teacher can be as much a comfort for some students as having a woman is for others. It is in the end the teachers ability to really know her students and reach out to each that determines student outcomes. It is also how a child relates to a man or a woman that can be a factor. Bottom line - any good teacher should be able to reach all children.

When I taught, I noticed that a good teacher was the most influential input in the classroom, no matter what gender. There are situations where students don't have male role models at home. That might enhance their interest in a class with a male teacher. But I've known some petite ladies who managed classes of rowdy boys and girls and everyone learned. It can be the same with any good teacher. You have to know the kids and their lives, and you have to know your subject. If you really love what you're teaching, that also shows. Kids admire someone who has talent and shares it.

I tend to agree with the 'somewhat' option as stated, but then going on to make a connection between student and teacher in terms of earned respect and ability to make the subject meaningful to the student by involving the student in the learning process as much as possible. In some cases, M2M or F2F may help but only in cases where the opposite gender relationship may be deemed to not be working to the student's advantage. I guess I am also biased in that I feel we need many many more male teachers in the lower grades from Pre-school on up. Many of our young people are starved for a significantly important male role model and/or relationship.

Most teachers don't know they are biased until they see the data. The bias is not often just to the students that they teach, but the way in which they may accidentally treat those who are minority teachers. I had one to tell me that prejudice no longer exists , this was in a workshop. I had another one to tell me, well I am different ( mearning I was ok, but the others?) I had a parent to try to rationalize slavery to me. Sometimes it is a co-teacher, or a new immigrant who does not know American history. I try to take it in stride.

Sometimes people tell me, well there is no digital divide, and that poor people deserve their status. At a recent NASA workshop a teacher jumped in front of me to explain why students only needed reading and math skills she was loud, wrong and insistent. I just ignored her. I have lived through Brown vs the Board of Education, nothing much happened in my neck of the woods. Virginia is real south sometimes. I experienced separate but unequal, and I experienced being shut out of the best schools and the best program. I don't carry hate in my heart but I really get upset when these remarks are made.

More than that teacher preparation for understanding those of other cultures is very lacking.
Bonnie Bracey Sutton

I am a 61 year old white female Career and Technical Education teacher (aka Vocational Education) and I have been teaching for over twenty years in the School District of Philadelphia.

But one thing I know is that most of my students don't look at me and see the person I have described in the above statement.

They know I'm smart, funny and crazy at times. They know I really care about them and will do anything to help them find their place in this world.

I know them…I know who likes to rap, who can draw, who likes anime, who listens to music and who can play music, who skateboards, who plays sports and who is just a spectator. I know who is good in academic subjects and who needs help.

Because I know all these things about each and every student of mine, I know how to make the technology available in my Digital Media Arts class work for them. I want them to see the big picture! I want them to have dreams and a backup plan.

It doesn't really matter what a teacher is (male, female, old, young, white, black, green, blue) what does matter is the ability of the teacher to connect with each and every student.

I will never be as good at what I do as they deserve, but it won't be because I didn't try.

These are the things I think are important if you plan on a career in education.

I have done a number of teacher observations over the years using a seating chart with race and gender labled on the seats and arrows tracking eye contact as well as numbers to track teacher contact with students (calling on them) and students with their hands raised to answer questions. Bias can be evidenced in race, gender, location, or teacher expection of particular students. The best way to eliminate bias is to make the teacher aware of it. Let them see it from objective data and decide what they want to do about it. Most teachers don't know they are biased until they see the data.

I have taught for many years with both male and female teachers, the one most evident difference was not gender, but expectations and enthusiasm of the teacher. To a great extent my experience has been with inner city students where no one expects them to achieve anything, much less excel. When students are challenged they usually live up to the expectations of the teacher, because this is the source of the most influence in their lives. I have seen teachers who do not care other than students are to be quiet. That is about all that the students give, silence is a poor teacher. Excited kids spread enthusiasm and it becomes the norm be eager to come to class to learn.

As a principal I have always tried to staff a male teacher in each grade level. I know from my own experience that I didn't have a male teacher until 5th grade. I was petrified by him and thought that he was mean like my dad and my uncles. I really did learn from him but it was out of fear. He taught me to count; and do math and science with enthusiasm.
I think children need an equal balance of male and female teachers in their lives. It really makes for a healthy outlook on life. The reason I decided to become a teacher was due to my adoration for my 3rd grade teacher. The reason I wanted to be an administrator was due to my relationship with my God Father (the Late Fred Crockette Of Quitman County Mississippi). He was the elementary principal in my grandmother's home town of Sledge,Mississippi. He demonstrated good work ethics and a love for a job you love.
Larry J. thomas, Principal. Edward Coles Language Academy

i think the gender greatly affects the the teacher learning because if have a specife feature thall be funny