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IMPORTANT! - MEMBERSHIP of EC-MENz November 2008

EC-MENz is now officially an Incorporated Society. We are still awaiting the slow process for Charitable Status.
As a result, it is vital that you become members.

Click on the "membership" tab of the navigation bar to enroll.

We are offering a free Foundation Membership for members registering before 14th Feb 2009

Advantages of membership:

Reduced Registration Fees for the next ECMENz Summit

Access to the ECMENz Members Forum which will only be visible and accessible to Members

Inclusion on the EC-MENz Mailing List to inform you of new developments.

Enrolment fees:
Foundation Members (enrolled before 14 Feb 2009) - Free

After 14th Feb 2009:
In full-time employment - $20.00 p.a.
In Part-time employment, unwaged or in training - $5.00 p.a.

Meeting announcement:
Wellington Region

Next Meeting: 26 Nov 2008

Kia ora koutou
It is with great pleasure that we invite you all to the next EC Menz Wellington Area Chapter meeting to share stories, exchange ideas, have an update from the National Executive and talk about the upcoming National Summit in Dunedin next February 14th.
Thanks to the kind support of Sue Cherrington and the team at Victoria University's Karori Campus we will meet on the evening of the 26th of November at their professional development house "27C" at 7:30 pm.. As always, men and women are equally welcome!
27C is located down the lane behind Campbell Kindergarten (off Cambell St, Karori). It is between the Kindergarten and the RSA building, and is a charming pale mint colour.
Please feel free to invite any friends to join us.

Kind regards

The Wellington EC Menz representatives

Meeting announcement:
Auckland Region

Auckland Region Meeting

Next meeting Thursday 13 November 2008. Bring a pot luck dinner to
share, meet new members, and begin post election and conference
planning. The next conference will be held in Dunedin 14/15 Feb 2009.
More details of speakers and topics as they come to hand.

Welcome to the Forum
EC-MENz has now opened its forum to the world.
Follow the link on the top navigation toolbar.
It is open for anyone to read.
If you wish to post a reply or a new topic you will need to register with the Forum

Our first topic:
"MMEET-The Mizzou Men for Excellence in Elementary Education program, founded at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is dedicated to helping highly-motivated, articulate, skilled, compassionate men teachers succeed in the teaching of elementary school students. This is especially important, because only 9% of all of America’s elementary teachers are male."
visit the MMEET Webpage and evaluate:
http://education.missouri.edu/LTC/mmeet/

How could this intiative be replicated in other ECE training institutions?
What changes would be necessary to make it more effective for the ECE sector?
How could such a program be funded?

Auckland Region Meeting

September 18, 2008 at the Eden Epsom Campus in Room T2. If you think you might have difficulty finding it email <b.mawson(AT)auckland.ac.nz>. He might be persuaded to post everyone a map. The meeting will be from 7pm - 9pm (approximately) and each of the last few have been interesting.

Welcome Cyril, Mark Daniel and Patrick to our 'official list'. If any body on the list knows somebody who would be interested in being part of the group or whose name has been accidently dropped off the list please let me know <mailmenz(AT)paradise.net.nz>.

Working Forum on Men in Early Childhood Education - May 2008

The First World Forum for Men in ECE took place in Hawaii in May 2008.
It was attended by interested parties from all over the world, including New Zealand.
Some of the Men's own stories can be found online at:
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/projects/men_ece/stories.php

Photos from the EC-MENz Summit - February 2008
click on the image below

Attitudes to men in early childhood education

A good positive approach to Men In ECE in New Zealand in NEON (National Equal Opportunities Network) New Zealand.
Interviews with Male Teachers and summary or research.

Come Back, Mr Chips

Stereotyping, low pay, lack of role models. Why the number of men teaching in schools is at a 40-year low.

<>By Julie Scelfo, Newsweek, Sept. 17, 2007 issue

Meeting announcement:
Auckland Region
Men in Early Childhood Education Network
Come meet and talk with other men working in (including parent-educators and professionals)
or studying early childhood education and care.
Hear about the recent Men’s Summit from men who participated.
Discuss and help determine the direction of our regional and national network.

Next Meeting:

Potluck Dinner and Meeting
 February 28, 2008,  6pm
 Takarunga Playcentre in Devonport
 
 All men working in early childhood education, including students,
 professional teachers, and parent educators, are warmly invited.
 
This will be the first meeting following our national conference in Porirua.
 Also, our first potluck dinner.
 
 Takarunga Playcentre is situated on the slopes of Mt. Victoria (Takarunga)
 in Devonport, 3 Kerr Street.  Take the road to the top of Mt. Victoria and
 park in the first parking lot (almost immediately).  Walk directly up from
 there and enjoy the excellent views of the city.

For future announcements (Auckland Region): send name and e-mail address to Lance Cablik,

(12th August 2007)
Proceedings of the First Men's Summit
Sarah Farquar has published a report on the Men in Early Child Care and Teaching Summit, 29th March 2007 Christchurch, New Zealand

This is a fantastic document; nearly 100 pages complete with links, photos, charts and bibliography.
Read online or download a pdf version from Childforum
http://www.childforum.com/publication_details.asp?REF_NO=27

Thanks for the hard and meticulous work, Sarah!

Next Men's Conference!

Kia ora koutou,

Adam, Russell, David and myself with the support of Sarah Farquar and the Ministry have been meeting and liasoning to organise the next ECE mens conference. Whitirea Polytechnic in Porirua have offered the use of their rooms and site and we are looking at 2008, February 9 and 10. I have attached the minutes of our last meeting which details some of the detailed points of the organisation of this conference. David, Adam, Russell and I are meeting in Wellington again on the 16 August. Any feed back is much appreciated.

regards

Peter Visser

(Minutes of our last meeting can be accessed HERE )

EC-MENz at the next Early Childhood Convention
Energy Events Centre, Queens Drive, Rotorua
Monday, 24 September 2007 4.45 pm

An update on whats going on with men in ece. For men and interested  delegates who want to network with peers and be with like minded people.
Convention details can be found HERE

21st June 2007
Winnipeg Men in ECE

Yesterday marked our second gathering of the MECE group in Winnipeg Canada. Thought I'd send you a picture. We has a BBQ, played the game that I brought to Malaysia and never used, and had a great time of sharing and reporting on all the happenings since Malaysia.
Picture of the Wiinipeg Men in ECE group

14th June 2007
MATES

MATES (Men Advocating teaching in Early childhood Sector) was initiated after the Christchurch Summit 2007. Our aims are to establish contact with men in ECE in Dunedin/ Otago, To develop contacts within the ECE Dunedin scene and to promote the profile of men in early childhood.

We meet every six weeks at Early Childhood on Stafford.
Next meeting 5th July at 6pm.
For further information or inquires please email Dale on email address

5th Biennial Working with Boys, Building Fine Men Conference Newcastle, Australia

<>You have only a few short weeks left to register for the 5th biennial Working with Boys, Building Fine Men Conference in Newcastle, held on the 4th, 5th and 6th of July. <>
Don't miss out on hearing about the latest research in gender based brain differences from keynote speaker Michael Gurian of the Gurian Institute in the USA. Michael will explore how teachers can adapt their teaching practices to take account of the 'lighthouse' of brain differences between boys and girls to ensure that the 'ship' - boys social being - stays on a steady course. He gives examples from over 10 years of successful school practice. (Keynote address pre-recorded exclusively for conference participants) <>
Melvyn Davis from the UK will inspire us with stories of mentoring boys from the most difficult circumstances to ensure good outcomes for them. And the ever effusive and informative Andrew Fuller will take us on a journey of the developmental tasks on the path from boyhood to manhood. <>
As usual the conference program is packed with fabulous breakout sessions and forums lead by boys and teachers from primary and secondary schools achieving great results with boys. Hear from teachers working with quality teaching frameworks, with ITC innovations, with outdoor programs and with great classroom materials to create the dynamic, exciting learning environments that bring out the best in boys. You'll be enlightened, entertained and inspired by boys' performances, reflections and multi-media presentations. <>
Register now to be part of the celebration of "Stories of Success" at the 5th biennial Working with Boys, Building Fine Men Conference. We'd hate you to miss out. <>
Go to www.pco.com.au/boys2007<> to register and to download the full program or call 02 4984 2554 <>
Deborah Hartman

Boys in Schools program,

Manager, Research and Dissemination,

Family Action Centre,

University of Newcastle

Ph 02 4921 6749

email: deborah.hartman@newcastle.edu.au

website: www.newcastle.edu.au/centre/fac

Woman MP goes in to bat for the blokes
NZPA | Wednesday, 23 May 2007

Men need an advocate in government and the current set up is "inherently sexist whatever way you look at it," says United Future MP Judy Turner.
"This Government is so blinkered by its socialist-feminist ideology that it either hasn't noticed or doesn't care about the myriad of issues challenging New Zealand blokes," she said yesterday.
"Men need an advocate in government as well as women. The Government should start advocating for either gender wherever barriers exist."
Ms Turner said it was high time Parliament recognised the inherent injustice of having a Ministry of Women's Affairs, which looked at issues solely from a female perspective, when there was no equivalent for men.
"Boys are falling further behind in education. Men die years earlier, and commit suicide in far greater numbers.
"Far more men turn to drug abuse. They are more often the perpetrators and also the victims of violent crime."
Ms Turner said fathers were continually failed by the Family Court and alienated from their children.
She quoted remarks by Massey University Pro Vice-Chancellor in education, James Chapman, who suggested the drive to find equal opportunities for women had gone too far and there was a need to restore a balance.
His remarks followed a graduation ceremony in which only 15 of the 158 graduates were men.
"The Ministry of Women's Affairs is horrified by the lack of women sitting on company boards," she said.
"It demands far more women in modern apprenticeships. But when more than 99 per cent of preschool teachers are women, and more than 80 per cent of primary school teachers are female, everyone is silent."

More men line up for early childhood teaching jobs
The Press | Monday, 21 May 2007 Christchurch, New Zealand

The number of men applying for early childhood teaching scholarships is increasing.
Figures from the Education Ministry show 37 applications have been received from men this year, compared with 22 in 2005.
TeachNZ manager Irene Lynch said the increase was partly a result of face-to-face recruitment.
"Recruiters visit schools, career expos, community meetings and so on," she said.
"This is being done in addition to radio and television advertising, print material and information on the internet."The number of men featured on the TeachNZ website and in promotional literature has been increased.
National's early childhood spokeswoman, Paula Bennett, said the increase was encouraging but more needed to be done."I think there is an attitude change going on and we need to keep on to that," she said.
Early Childhood Council chief executive Sue Thorne said it was a promising sign.
"I hope that is the beginning of a real trend but I think it is probably too early to say at the moment," she said.
"It is still a small proportion, though, so New Zealand has a long way to go.
"What is encouraging is that other countries also seem to be addressing this issue, so we can work together."

Men: Scarce Resource Worldwide ( May 15, 2007)
From "EED Feedback" <exchangeeveryday@childcareexchange.com>

ExchangeEveryDay

Success means that we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others.
Marianne Williamson
According to statistics published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the feminization of the early years in education appears to be a worldwide trend. Based on 2003 statistics published inEducation at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2005 (Paris: OECD, 2005; ISBN 9264011919; www.oecd.org), the percentage of female teachers in different grade levels in 25 OECD member countries (the more industrialized countries of the world) is as follows:

Pre-Primary = 96%
Primary = 80%
Lower Secondary = 65%
Upper Secondary = 52%

Clearly, male participation in pre-primary and primary education is a challenge wor ldwide. The range of participation by female teachers at the pre-primary level varies from 99.9% in Slovak Republic, 99.7% in Czeck Republic, and 99.5% in Italy to 90.6% in Ireland, 87.7% in Spain, and 80.6% in France.

At the World Forum on Early Care and Education, which is currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, individuals interested in increasing male participation in the early years of education are gathering to discuss strategies for change as well as to plan a Working Forum on Men in Early Childhood Education which will take place in Hawaii in mid-2008. For details on the work of this group, on how you might participate, and on the upcoming Working Forum, check in on the World Forumweb site in the coming weeks.

Men in Early Child Care and Teaching Summit, 29th March 2007 Christchurch, New Zealand
This was a fantastic opportunity for men teaching in Early Childhood in New Zealand to get together on a national basis. Thet majority of us work in areas where we have no contact with other men in the field, and many of us met for the first time.
Apart from a wonderful opportunity to meet each other, the Summit provided us inspiration and information from the speakers and panel, stimulating a lot of discussion and providing food for thought.
At the end of the Summit it was resolved that we would all attempt to form regional networks, feeding into a National Network which could co-ordinate and inform us all.

I will provide links to the proceedings of the Summit as soon as they become available.

Meanwhile, many thanks to Sarah Farquar, Adam Buckingham and Russell Ballantyne for getting the Summit of the ground and for their valuable contributions to it. Also to Craig D'Arcy (Males in Early Childhood Network, Group, NSW, Aus.) who travelled from Australia to attend, and all the other speakers.

Kia kaha, e tane toa ma!

The very first

Men in Early Child Care and Teaching Summit - March 2007

On 29^th March an extraordinary event in education – a Summit on Men in Early Child Care and Teaching - was held in Christchurch. It was probably the first time that men outnumbered women at an early childhood meeting – and what a different atmosphere it was. Above is a photo from the event – a guys only shot.

Did you know that men now represent just less than 1% of the staff in teacher-staffed services? (Including kindergartens, childcare centres and home-based education coordinators). Parent-staffed services, like playcentres and kohanga reo are not so gendered.

The scarcity of males was highlighted by one male teacher from Gisborne who discovered at the Summit that there weren’t other males working in centres in his region.

If you are a woman in teaching, remember that kiwi men can nurture and care for young children and encourage the men you know to consider early childhood teaching as a career. Gender diversity is needed in our profession. Unfortunately men only see women working in early childhood services, and think there is no place for men. But men as well as women should have the wonderful opportunity to work with young children. Children need to have contact with men in their lives, especially in the early years. We can be telling men that:

“It is cool to be a man in early child care and teaching”.

Teacher-staffed early childhood services need to catch up with social change. Today more fathers engage in active parenting and almost all traditionally gendered occupations have changed or are changing to become more gender inclusive (with the exception of early childhood teaching and midwifery perhaps).

The downward trend in male participation rates in early childhood work has been known for at least a decade now, since research on male teacher’s experiences and views by Dr Sarah Farquhar was first published, and subsequent writings on practices of no-touch and sexism (go to www.childforum.com publications page for details of papers/reports). Support for the participation of men in early childhood care and teaching has not been shown in the language of education policy, education policy itself, and practices within teacher education and the sector (but wonderfully this all now looks set to change – let’s hope. See the end of this article).

The Childforum Research Network organised Men’s Summit served an important political purpose to generate interest in, and support for, getting more men into teaching and to provide a forum for male teachers and students from across the country to meet.

A package of materials including papers from the Summit will be put together and made available online at www.childforum.com by late May. If you would like to contribute a letter, message, article or your thoughts on the topic of male participation and representation in parent-staffed and teacher-staffed services please email your piece as soon as possible to sarah@childforum.com

As a result of the Summit, regional networks are being formed for male students and teachers working within early childhood services to stay-in-touch and provide support. If you are a male teacher working in a centre or home-based setting, email your contact details to the coordinator, Peter Visser p.visser@paradise.net.nz

The Summit received support from across the Sector. Principal sponsor was the Early Childhood Council, along with the NZ Kindergartens Inc. PORSE, and the Father and Child Society.

Many politicians were invited and nearly all declined or did not reply to their personal invite, including education and opposition education spokespeople. We were thrilled to receive support from Judy Turner M.P. (deputy leader of United Future) who attended. It was heartening to have Dr. Judy McGregor (Human Rights Commission), Lynley Hood (author), and Nicola Atwool (office of the Children’s Commissioner) participate in the Summit along with representatives from the Ministry of Education and TeachNZ, Barnardos, University of Canterbury, University of Victoria in Wellington, Open Polytechnic of NZ, Te Tari Puna ora o Aotearoa, AUT, University of Auckland, ERO, NZEI Te Riu Roa and Vision College.

Planning for the Summit came on the back of a report released last year on Sexism in Early Childhood Teaching and a TVNZ Sunday documentary. The Early Childhood Council picked up on the urgent need to open early childhood teaching to men and made “men in early childhood” the theme of their national conference. The Summit was held the day prior to the ECC conference to enable the issues, concerns and the voices of male teachers to be heard before the conference and before a top-level meeting of sector leaders. At the Conference the Minister of Education gave a clear signal that he supported the idea of men working in the sector. The ECC hosted the top-level meeting to discuss developing a national strategy for getting more men into the sector.

“Those attending the workshop came from the three main parts of the early childhood sector: Government including the Ministry of Education and Chair of Parliament’s Education and Science Select Committee Hon Brian Donnelly; senior teacher educators including those from the universities of Auckland and Canterbury; and leaders from service delivery organizations such as the Kindergartens, Kohanga Reo, the New Zealand Childcare Association and the Early Childhood Council. The workshop devised an outline plan for getting more men working in the early childhood education sector and committed to developing a more detailed plan in the coming months” (ECC Council press release).

Exciting!

<> Dr S E Farquhar
ChildForum Research Network
PO Box 58-078
Whitby, Porirua 5245

NEW ZEALAND

Email: sarah@childforum.com
http://www.childforum.com

TV Documentry on Men in ECE in NZ
A "must see" while it is still available on the TVNZ Website!
Men in early childhood education - TVNZ Sunday Sept 24, 2006
Sarah Farquhar, Adam Buckingham, and Russell Ballantyne _ documentary on Men in ECE, New Zealand

Men at Work:
Sexism in Early Childhood Education
Dr Sarah Farquhar (researcher)
Lance Cablk (teacher trainee)
Adam Buckingham (teacher)
David Butler (centre manager and teacher)
Russell Ballantyne (centre co-owner and teacher)