[sdiy] Learning electronics now - was Real cause of DIY death

[Robin Whittle]

limor wrote:

> "anti-masculine"? ok, you're going to have to justify that one...

Here in Australia, primary school teaching has become almost a no-go
zone for men.  The shortage of male primary school teachers is so acute
that a special government bounty was offered here in Victoria - but it
didn't attract many men.

The reasons include low pay, low status and an established pattern of
there being very few men in the field.  I - and other people - think a
major reason is alarm over child sex-abuse, and child sex abusers are
usually male.  Such is the alarm over adult abuse of children that
teachers are not allowed to touch students.   So lets consider being a
teacher and a child falls over and hurts themselves - and wants
comforting.  If a female teacher holds their hand or hugs them, no
problem.  If a male teacher does it, there is suspicion of him behaving
inappropriately.  So most men decide to find another field.  I am not
sure what the balance is in high-schools.

Consequently children are spending kindergarten and the first 6 or more
years of school being taught almost exclusively by women.  Boys are less
likely to want to sit still and do book learning on gentle and
conceptual things than girls - so they are more frustrated with school
than they might be in a system which involved men and catered to the
needs and desires of boisterous and adventurous boys.

Arguably the whole academic concept of school is at odds with learning
about practical things like making and breaking things, building huts
and houses, hunting and devouring things, exploring land and disused
brickworks, fighting skirmishes etc.  These are methods of learning
which I think are more likely to appeal to boys then girls.

Electronic education is - or at least was (I worked in a tech college
until 1985) run by males, with the odd female student being very much
the exception.  I wouldn't say that this aspect of education was biased
against males - generally quite the opposite, though not necessarily by
intention.

I am 49 and my eyes are definitely getting worse.

I am glad many folks are noodling with synthesisers from an early age!

 - Robin