As top graduates from Erdiston Teachers’ Training College’s 2023-2024 cohort, these two men are challenging stereotypes and demonstrating why gender diversity in education matters now more than ever.
“A child needs a father,” said Doughty, who teaches physical education. “Most children nowadays don’t have that father figure.”
For Doughty, the impact of his role became clear early in his career when a mother approached him in tears, thanking him for the influence he had on her daughter.
Despite never having met the parent before, he discovered his authority had transcended the classroom – his student had begun implementing his classroom guidance at home, from drinking water to other healthy habits.
“Mr Doughty says you have to drink water, Mr Doughty says you have to do this,” the mother recounted, revealing how deeply her daughter had internalised his instructions. This moment crystalised a profound realisation for Doughty: “A teacher means so much to a child. You can make or break these children.”
This gravitational pull towards male educators is something both teachers have witnessed repeatedly. Students often see them as father figures, particularly in communities where positive male role models may be scarce.
Doughty embraces this responsibility wholeheartedly.
“I tend to be that for them, because they may not get it anywhere else,” he said.
For Rollinson Wiggins, the unique authority male teachers bring to the classroom is both intangible and powerful.
“When you walk into a classroom, sometimes a male doesn’t have to say anything, and the class will go quiet . . . There’s just something about a male that allows us to have that impact,” he said.
Wiggins suggested males bring something distinct to the educational environment that resonates deeply with students. He’s careful to emphasise this isn’t about diminishing the crucial role of female educators but recognising the complementary nature of having both genders represented in schools.
He drew on an analogy from nature, comparing the dynamic to that of lion prides, where females hunt but the male’s roar commands immediate attention.
“I’m bringing that analogy not to say that one is better than the next,” he clarified. “It is about both men and women working hand in hand.”
Both educators have witnessed their impact through meaningful interactions with students facing serious challenges. Wiggins recalled a particularly powerful experience with a female student who repeatedly laid her head on her desk during his classroom sessions.
Initially assuming fatigue, his teacher’s instinct prompted him to look closer. During a private conversation, he noticed cutting marks on her wrists – self-harm she was trying to conceal.
The encounter became a turning point. Through consistent validation and encouragement – “You got value, sweetheart. This is not necessary . . . You’re brilliant. You’re excellent” – Wiggins helped change her trajectory.
“When she heard that validation, that just turned her around,” he said.
The student later thanked him for his intervention and no longer engages in self-harm.
These experiences highlight how male teachers often serve multiple roles: educator, mentor, counsellor, and father figure.
In a system where males are underrepresented, Doughty and Wiggins represent a crucial counterbalance. Their presence is a reminder that in education, sometimes the most important lessons come not from textbooks, but from the diverse role models who guide our children forward.
