MEN in Education Network fosters community among male students, educators
Meeting over pizza dinners, the MEN in Education Network (MEN) gathers Mary Frances Early College of Education students and faculty with teachers and school administrators to share tips, resources, and experiences as men working in education.
Created by Bob Capuozzo, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, the group aims to support an underrepresented group in education by connecting male students and male educators. Capuozzo cited male educator interest groups he is part of as a basis for creating MEN, as well as the stigmas surrounding being a male educator of young children.
“It’s difficult for a guy to choose to become a teacher. For someone to enroll in elementary education, they might get a lot of flack from their buddies on campus or their families, like, ‘why does my son want to be a teacher of kindergarteners?’” Capuozzo said.
The inaugural meeting took place in March 2020, days before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted classes online, and provided an informal environment for students to introduce themselves and share their stories. The group reconvened its dinners in October 2023, meeting twice in the fall semester and three times in the spring 2024 semester at different pizza restaurants across Athens.
The group connected undergraduate students in the College of Education enrolled in different sections of the same classes who may not have crossed paths otherwise.
“As one of the two males in my cohort, this group has provided a supportive and inclusive community,” said Olante Douglas (B.S.Ed. ’24), an elementary education major in the College. “It allows me to connect with others in education who share similar experiences and challenges.”
Graduate students in the College, including international students from Ghana, Pakistan, and South Korea, also found community in the group. For doctoral students with classroom teaching experience, meetings provide an opportunity to share insight into classroom management, teaching strategies, and pursuing graduate school with undergraduate students in the early stages of their teaching careers.
“I participated in this group at the University of Georgia because my life has been closely connected with these groups both in Korea and the U.S. Without these groups, I could not manage my career in early childhood education,” said Shinho Kim (Ph.D. ’24).
Along with students, Capuozzo invites a teacher or administrator to join each gathering to share tips on topics such as working in the summer as a teacher, or the path that led them to becoming a principal. Clarke County School District educators who joined past meetings include Timothy Pritchett, a fifth-grade teacher at Barnett Shoals Elementary, Joseph Ravenell, a fourth-grade teacher at Whitehead Road Elementary, and Matthew Snow, principal of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary.
In the upcoming academic year, MEN will receive $494 funding from the UGA Parents Leadership Council to support the organization’s efforts. Though most attendees are in the elementary education program, Capuozzo said the group welcomes men in any teaching field—it already happened on one occasion, when a student in the special education program came to one of the meetings.
“It just felt like he got something out of it, like he needed to talk and be heard,” Capuozzo said. “So I’m totally open to that in the future.”
More information about the Parents Leadership Council may be found at give.uga.edu/parents/.