What Male Role Models Bring to Elementary Education

By Lukas Nier (BS 26)

Male role models are critical for young students’ development and education process growing up. However only one out of three boys in America have a male figure to ask for help with schoolwork. 

When you imagine those figures however, do you picture a football player teaching first grade? A man who spends his weekends fishing for science dissections? Zach Hill and Brock Rhodes may not fit the picture most people imagine, but their impact goes beyond the classroom. 

Hill and Rhodes graduated from Grace College and now teach at Claypool Elementary School. Rhodes has taught fifth grade for more than ten years, and Hill has taught fourth grade for three years now. 

Hill and Rhodes have both found that teaching is more than a job. They fully invest themselves in the lives of their students. For them, it’s about more than academics; it’s about the rewarding work of helping students succeed in life. 

From Grace to Teaching

Rhodes, who comes from a family of teachers, has always felt teaching was his calling. He grew up in northwest Ohio before coming to Grace College, where his classes were extremely beneficial. He learned how to manage a classroom and think critically about education, thanks to Dr. Norris and Dr. Burkholder. 

While taking education classes at Grace, Rhodes began student teaching at Claypool Elementary. By the time he graduated, he was offered a full-time teaching position there and has found his home in elementary education. 

Rhodes left to work with an education company in 2023 but came back to Claypool shortly after, as he had missed being in the building, being around other teachers, and being present with students. Despite the doubts that came during this time, after a few years, he knew he was where God wanted him to be. 

Hill is from North Manchester, Indiana, where he originally attended Manchester College to become a gym teacher. A year later, he transferred to Grace, moving to Winona Lake with his wife and three kids, to pursue a major in biblical studies. He graduated from Grace with this degree but came back for an education degree when he first began teaching three to four years ago. He began the transition to teaching program at Grace while simultaneously beginning his career in teaching. 

Hill knows this was a chaotic time in his life, where he described himself as just “hanging on.” He had help from faculty giving credit to Dr. Owens, “she was really helpful with a lot of different things, and it was a really great experience with the teachers during a very busy time of my life.”

More Than a Favorite Teacher

While their journeys to teaching differ, their primary mission in the classroom is the same: pouring into the students. 

Although Rhodes struggled early in his career with trying too hard to be the students’ favorite teacher., he now  focuses more on being their best teacher. “Being a good teacher doesn’t just mean that your students are on the honor roll or have good grades; lots of students can receive honor roll with teachers who never truly cared,” said Rhodes. “On the flip side, many kids won’t be on the honor roll, but they will be extremely successful in life because someone took time to support them. Having a small part in a child’s future success is rewarding.” 

Rhodes encourages all young teachers to read the book, “The Little Prince,” which says, if you want to know the butterflies, you have to put up with the caterpillars.

Hill agrees with this idea; students at this age need guidance, but they also need to be loved and cared for, no matter their strengths and weaknesses. His role requires him to  look beyond where his students are now and help them see the possibilities of who they can become. 

While this often shows up in subtle ways, Hill has found that his experience as a teacher now has made him realize just how much teachers were pouring into him when he was a student. 

“You spend more time with students than you do your own family sometimes,” said Hill.  “I’ve convinced myself, if I’m going to do that, I have to really care for these kids. If I can’t care for them, then what am I doing?”

For Hill and Rhodes, education must be about more than test results, grades, or achievements. While some kids will understand this and others won’t, a teacher’s job stays the same: to invest in all the students equally. 

Men in Education

Children who have fathers or male role models involved in their education are more likely to: get better grades, have better verbal and problem-solving skills, do better on achievement tests, demonstrate a higher tolerance for stress and frustration, and have positive peer relationships (Allen & Daly, 2007). However, not every child gets this opportunity. Only one out of three boys in the U.S. have  male role models they can go to for help with schoolwork. 

“There are a lot of students that don’t have a strong male presence at home, and that’s not just a Claypool thing; it’s not even just a Warsaw thing, it’s a worldwide thing,” Hill acknowledged. 

Teachers are aware of this struggle even if they can’t pinpoint why there are fewer male teachers at the elementary level. Only 20% of elementary and middle school teachers are men. Because of this, parents and students show mixed emotions about having a male teacher for the first time. 

“In my experience, some of them were excited, but for some of them, it’s the opposite,” said Rhodes. 

Hill and Rhodes don’t necessarily think of themselves differently because they’re male elementary teachers. And while many might suspect male teachers to be more laid-back in the classroom, they joked that they were probably a little tougher on the students than others. Nonetheless, they strive to be well-balanced when it comes to nurturing, encouraging, and teaching overall. 

For adolescent Rhodes, the male teacher most boys were excited to have was Mr. Faust, who planned a day where every student would dissect a fish. Everyone looked forward to this slightly gross but eye-opening experience.

“Now looking back, it would have taken him a long time to catch that number of fish,” said Rhodes. “I’m sure he spent a whole weekend making sure everyone had a fish to do that dissection in science class;  the amount of prep and planning is not something you realize when you’re a kid.” 

Hill agreed that, as a younger teacher, he is only starting to scratch the surface of what a great teacher looks like. As you become a teacher, it is shocking to see how much effort it takes.  

Why Should Males Consider Being Teachers?

Overall, every student will have their own perspective of what their favorite teacher looks like. You spend less time trying to be the favorite teacher when you can spend the same amount of time and energy on simply pouring into the classroom and loving the students. 

Hill knows how curious and fun this age group is. “Whether you’re doing a STEM project, class assignment, or playing at recess, they’re just children who like to have fun, and if you treat them well, they respond in that way. They want to be challenged, they want to be cared for, they want to be loved.”

For all aspiring male teachers and those who are on the fence about teaching in elementary, both Hill and Rhodes encourage you to consider it. 

“I’ll still get emails from former students just reaching out and thanking me for something I didn’t even remember,” said Rhodes. “But it stuck with them..”

And while the impact made in the classroom can be profound, the ability to contribute to a community of smart and caring individuals is a high reward.

“I tend to see the benefits of pouring into people as I go further into my career,” said Rhodes. “I am now having former students babysit my children. I see their success in life; they go on to get awards and scholarships. It is so rewarding to know that I have maybe played just a tiny part in helping them get there.” 

If Hill’s and Rhodes’s stories hit home for you, check out our elementary education or reach out to Grace today for more information.