Two of my past articles have discussed the various duties of school principals and the advantages of having a female in elementary school administration. While there are several pros to having a woman principal, there are also advantages to having a man in school leadership.
In my past experiences, I have realized that parents, teachers, and students seem to refrain from pushing and pressuring a man as much as they do a woman. When I taught with a male teacher, parents tended to give me more of their complaints and concerns. Even if the two of us carried out similar acts, parents did not question his actions near as quickly as they did mine. I have seen this in other cases when a male and female work together. Coworkers, parents, and students are usually more intimidated by a man.
Men are also often not as emotional as women. Women usually have a harder time working together without getting upset, angry, or letting their feelings interfere. Women are known to hold grudges and stay angrier longer than men.
Men typically work better as disciplinarians with middle school and upper grade students than women. Teenage boys in general do not fear women teachers and administrators as much as they do men.
In most cases it is also better to have a male available for safety reasons. There are not many male teachers in the elementary school area. Sometimes the only males on the faculty are the administration. Men are good to meet the matches of angry fathers, school intruders, gas leaks, and more. Men are also great to have for moving, lifting, and carrying school supplies and furniture.
Men and women both have advantages and disadvantages when carrying out a principal’s career. When a male and a female work as a team to lead a school, a good balance is created.