Written for EDUC 610- Qualitative Analysis in Education with Professor Gretchen Vogelsang, ‘Can I Get Directions to the High School?’ is a developing investigation into the role, and subsequent absence, of male educators in B.C.’s Fraser Valley in elementary school settings. Expanding upon previous iterations in this portfolio surrounding the presence, or lack thereof, of male educators and leaders, it continued the process of shaping my overall guiding question, this time by attempting to highlight how teacher influence and impact with students can be evaluated through balanced research.
It continues to move forward towards measurable findings, surrounding the absence of male educators working with younger students, and investigates potential approaches to rectifying this imbalance. Utilizing statistical data from the Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack school districts, this research intended to take place in the form of narrative inquiry with male teachers already in the field of primary education, and subsequently show why there is such a hesitancy in male educators to join the world of elementary instruction. Building upon themes of masculinity and normativity, this research represented the “how” of the way that this research could actually be conducted, as opposed to merely just the “why.”
Finally, this paper highlights future considerations that could be built upon and how this line of investigation could potentially develop into long-term longitudinal study to propose suggestions, and possible solutions long-term, regarding the absence of male teachers in the younger grades.
