Certain things in life are too beautiful to ignore, too good to forget, too refreshing to leave untasted. One of these life-treasures is having a male teacher, that is, a teacher who is a masculine, strong, virtuous, honourable, competent man whose demeanour oozes out authority. Such a teacher inspires you, uplifts you, enlightens you, disciplines you, and empowers you in ways no other type of teacher can.
Allow me to share some personal and anecdotal experiences: During my high school journey, I only had two male teachers. Two. And I had about fifteen or more female teachers. Well, it turned out, to my great surprise, that the two male teachers were the best in the school – they exhibited more authority, more skill, more patience, more calmness, more relevance, more understanding, and more competence than did the other teachers. I flourished in the male teachers’ classes while struggling in the other classes, and I looked forward to the former while dreading the latter. Of course, my situation doesn’t imply it was/is similar in other schools; perhaps my school just turned out this way by chance.
Then I went to university and, by some humorous coincidence, experienced the same thing: the lessons given by the male lecturers and professors were more helpful and enjoyable (at least to me) than were the other lessons. At that time, about half the academic staff were male and the other half female (today the situation is drastically different; the majority of academic staff at that university are women). Nevertheless, I cannot deny my experience: my male lecturers and professors helped and encouraged me in unique ways, and I’m unsure where I would be today if it weren’t for them.
Around the same time, I was deeply involved in an egalitarian church (a church that encourages, or almost forces, women into pastoral leadership roles), and I had grown up being taught in that church that women are equally, and usually more, competent than men regarding leadership. But then life tossed another huge coincidence at me: I began to realise that I was enjoying and learning more from the male teachers in church than from the females. Frankly, the female pastor’s sermons always left me confused; I usually couldn’t even understand what she was talking about. But the male pastor, and the male home group leaders, and the male course facilitators, taught in ways that were uniquely edifying and authoritative and enticing to follow.
So, why do I share this? Simply to illustrate that male teachers should not be undervalued, that they offer a unique style to teaching, that they are very much needed in schools and universities and churches, that there is something beautiful and inspiring in being taught by a masculine, honourable, competent man.
Thus, if you have a male teacher, then treasure and appreciate him; he is a pearl in a bag of marbles.*
* Unfortunately, I should include this note for the sensitive reader: certain female teachers are also pearls.