Abstract
Gender division among elementary school teachers was investigated by examining the narratives of male teachers in an
interview survey. 10 male teachers participated in the study. Their experiences and practices when teaching in the
lower grades of elementary schools were analyzed. Main findings were as follows. (1) Many male teachers
considered that teaching in the lower grades of elementary schools to be temporary; they were expected to play the
male role in controlling student’s behavior. (2)Initially, when teaching in the lower grades, male teachers were
surprised and felt uncomfortable with little children and doing "feminine" work. Their narratives indicated that
teaching in the lower grades is shadow work filled with "training" so that children could prepare for the upper grades.
(3) Narratives of male teachers that continued teaching in the lower grades suggest that they develop their own unique
teaching styles and interesting teaching practices. The implicit problem of gender division and its influence on
teaching practices in elementary schools is discussed.
