I’ve been listening to the Sean Moncrieff show, pretty much since Newstalk started airing so I was a little bit excited to be asked on to the show for my first time. Thanks to the Netflix series, Adolescence, the subject of “toxic masculinity” is on most people’s minds and there are worries about boys being influenced by what they see on social media. (I’m as worried about what girls are seeing on social media but that’s for another social media post.)

Like most social problems, we look to schools to sort it all out, and that’s why I was asked to go on Moncrieff. It seems that in the UK, they now want to attract more men into teaching because male teachers are supposed to be good role models for boys, and in the main that is true. The point of the segment was to see if Ireland should start looking for more men to get in the profession.

The Moncrieff show is different to most radio shows that I’ve been on. It’s not quite a conversation so there’s a little more freedom to speak for a little longer than I’m used to on the radio. Sean has a few questions and the rest is up to the guest. I didn’t realise this was the format and I’d hoped to make a couple of points.

The main one was that it is good that we are talking about role models and their importance to primary school children. However, it isn’t just men that we are lacking in primary schools as teachers. We lack ALL diversity. It is quite possible for a child to go through their entire 8 years of primary school never seeing an adult who is not 1. female 2. white 3. settled 4. middle class 5. Irish, and 6. from a Christian background.

All of these discussions matter and as much as I wasn’t particularly blown away by Adolescence, it’s the conversations that are coming from it that need to continue.

https://www.goloudplayer.com/episodes/are-male-teachers-the-answer-to–NzBkNzAwZjkyZjRiN2I2MzZkNjE0ZWY5NTNiY2EyYjQ= {link in bio}