Men with Class: Part 2

Fourth grade teacher Kyle Sondgeroth left a career in the courtroom for one in the classroom. He says, "You get to be invested in a child's life and you get to connect with children every day." It's a decision he wouldn't change and wishes more men would make. Sondgeroth says, "There's a stereotype out there that men don't belong in education and that can't be farther from the truth." But the Jon White case is reinforcing the stereotype. He's charged with sexually assaulting eleven students in two different school districts. The interim principal at White's school, Thomas Paine Elementary says he believes the case may contribute to men staying away from teaching. Ken Paxton says "There is an unspoken suspicion of any male who would choose to go into elementary school. People tend to wonder why." Besset Sabourin knows the challenges male teachers face. They talk about it in his education classes at the University of Illinois, but the student teacher says that's more reason to stick to it. He says, "That just means there's a high need for well trained teachers in the schools." The U.S. is at a 40 year low for male teachers. Only 9% of all teachers are men. Locally, it's about the same. Sondgeroth says, "A lot of kids are missing out on the chance to have a very strong regular male role model in their lives."