Teacher wants to see more men in the classroom

Smiling from ear to ear with a sense of pride as he collected his awards yesterday, Sean Fagbola stood among Jamaica's top mathematics educators at the Ministry of Education's Mathematics Teacher of the Year awards.

But as THE STAR looked around the room, out of the dozens of awardees, only two were male, with Fagbola being the male national finalist. Fagbola, 30, a teacher at Esher Primary School and a Region 4 finalist and regional winner, is calling for more men to step up and take their place in the classroom.

"The classrooms need more males in them so that students, especially boys, can see that male figure to look up to. Representation matters, and right now there just aren't enough men in the field," he said. His sentiments were echoed by Honald Donaldson, regional mathematics coordinator for Region 3, who acknowledged the gender imbalance in the profession.

"There are not many males in the discipline, but I want to encourage them to stay at the front line," he said. Fagbola, who has dedicated nine years to shaping young minds, believes that despite the challenges, teaching is one of the most fulfilling careers a man can choose.

"The real reward is seeing the joy on a child's face when they finally get it," he explained. "Especially in math, when they struggle with a concept and then suddenly it clicks; that moment is priceless."

He acknowledged that teaching has traditionally been a female-dominated field, but that wasn't always the case.

"There was a time when the profession was led by men -- principals, senior educators -- but over the years, more and more women have taken up those roles," he said. "That's not a bad thing, but we need to make sure that young boys see teaching as a viable career option, too."

With fewer men entering the profession, Fagbola worries that students, particularly boys, are missing out on strong male role models in the classroom.

"Boys need to see men in leadership roles, men who are passionate about education. It's not just about teaching math, it's about teaching discipline and work ethics. Students latch on to the demeanour and deportment of their teachers, and having more male teachers can make more role models."

Despite the gender gap, Fagbola remains committed to his calling and is urging more young men to consider a career in teaching.

"I would encourage a lot more males to join the profession and stay in it," he said. "The success of the students, seeing them grow and excel, makes it all worth it."