<p>What a great post, poetgrl. We ask our teachers to address a host of social ills, but there’s only so much time in a day. And let’s remember that standards of learning and even specific methods of instruction are handed down from on high - from state boards of regents or boards of ed. Teachers do not get to choose what they’ll teach, and sometimes not even how. </p>
<p>This is an era of high-stakes testing, with teacher evaluations tied into student performance. If you’re trying to teach the state-mandated curriculum, prepare 25-30 kids for the annual state assessment, maintain some kind of classroom order, and do the myriad other things we expect of our teachers - it’s only common sense to reward the behaviors that make your life easier. And often those behaviors are considered more feminine than masculine.</p>