Male teachers are a dying breed in primary and secondary schools

DESPITE strategy upon strategy, there are ever fewer male teachers in NSW classrooms — the downward trend is no surprise to Casula’s ‘novelty’ male teacher Nathan Vanderwey.

Nathan Vanderwey is one of six male teachers at Casula Public School. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

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Nathan Vanderwey is part of a dying breed — male teachers.

The Casula Primary School year 6 teacher is among the 26 per cent of men making up the teaching workforce.

The decline has dwindled from 28.4 per cent in 2011, to its current 26 per cent across all NSW public schools — both primary and high school.

Ever fewer male teachers are in our classrooms.

When you break it down, high schools are faring better, with a 41.9 per cent male to 58.1 per cent female split. In primary schools only 18.3 per cent are male teachers.

Mr Vanderway is among six male teachers at the 841-student Casula school.

He said teaching was a natural progression.

“As I was growing up, I had a knack for helping others — I have the patience and sense of humour too,” he said.

Mr Vanderwey said he wasn’t surprised at the decline in male teachers after being one of only a handful of men studying teaching at the University of Wollongong.

Male teachers have become a novelty in schools.

His advice to guys considering a career in teaching: “Give it a go. It’s so much fun and there are equal opportunities for both males and females.”

“As a male teacher I’m a novelty to the students — they love it.”

While the proportion of male teachers in NSW primary and secondary schools is lower than that of females, the figures in NSW are reflective of national and international trends.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Schools Australia 2014 report indicates male teaching staff in Australia has been declining in the last decade.

In NSW, the figures are still better than those published for the English, US and New Zealand systems.

The NSW Department of Education has implemented a number of strategies to attract high quality high school and university graduates to teaching as a career, with both men and women positively depicted in a variety of teaching contexts.