Bringing Up the Babies: Men Educators in the Municipal Nursery Schools of an Italian Town

Abstract

In this chapter the urban dimension of education is explored through a research among the men educators working in the municipal nursery schools (caring and educational institutions for children from 6 months and 3 years of age) of Hilltown (Italy). The research project was carried out between 2014 and 2015, and dealt with the notion of diversity by focusing on the issue of gender and how it is understood and practically interpreted by men in a traditionally “feminized” context such as the nursery school. The findings from the narratives of six men educators are here presented and discussed against the history of the institution and the debate concerning the intertwining of care and education, as well as the formation and role of care workers. The narratives highlight how each educator constructed a recognizable professional identity by acquiring knowledge and practice through a form of “situated learning” that brought them from apprenticeship to effective educational agency. Furthermore, the narratives emphasize the men’s valorization of personal choices, memories and social experiences they refer to when creatively attending to the children’s needs and promoting their learning and independence.