Wanted: Men

The number of male teachers is at 40-year time low, according to this article in Newsweek.

Only one quarter of the country's 3 million teachers are men. In elementary schools, the problem is even worse, only 9 percent are men, down from 18 percent in 1981. "If kids do not see males in the classroom, they begin to believe teaching is only for females," says Reg Weaver, president of the NEA.

The article outlines some interesting rationales behind the shortage of men entering the profession: the stereotype that men lack nurturing skills, being incorrectly labeled as homosexual , and fear of being thought of as a pedophile.

The article also highlights some state and local initiatives to increase the number of male teachers.