Education, in the school and in the home, runs on female power     007

Let’s have no argument about this. It’s a simple fact which every mother and female teacher knows perfectly. Any man who disagrees has the brains of a koala, and I remind you that the brains of koalas are so small they do not fill the skull cavities.

Actually I do have evidence and evidence which can be checked. Some time ago, way back when civilisation was struggling out of the stone age and into the bronze age, standards for entry into teacher education were discriminatory.  Standards were lower for males otherwise there would have been insufficient numbers of male teachers.  Additionally, at that time, there were fewer career choices for females, and this further boosted the numbers of capable female teachers.  This sort of thing no longer occurs but many of these super smart female teachers are still teaching.

Now what is happening in the homes?  Mothers are mostly the ones who help their children with homework and recognise educational problems.  When teachers interview parents the silence of fathers about their own children’s education is quite noticeable. Typically the mothers do all the talking and the fathers seem unable to contribute. Now of course we know, and appreciate, that many fathers need to spend long hours at work and so have less time to be involved with their children’s school situation. However fathers ‘need to do better’, even if the time has to be shorter. It’s the quality of the time that counts. Children do then need the different input of their mother and father. Parents need to remember that education is a team game, and play accordingly.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services