When first-grade teacher Bill L’Orange invited LIFE into his classroom 45 years ago, he offered the magazine’s readers a glimpse into a world that few would have otherwise had access to — the world of the child, so foreign to many adults, as well as the world of a male elementary-school teacher.
At the time, a male elementary-school teacher (like a female college professor, as one education expert put it) was rare enough to be considered newsworthy. L’Orange, whose profession is feted each Oct. 5 on UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day, taught a group of 28 students in a Chicago suburb. When he had begun teaching in 1967, he had been even more of a rarity. But, since then, American society had seen a small but noticeable uptick in the level of involvement men were expected to have in young children’s lives, at home as well as in the teaching profession.
Oct. 25, 1972 cover of LIFE magazine.Leonard McCombe—LIFE Magazine
“The traditionally sex-typed school system has had its impact on children,” LIFE noted in an Oct. 20, 1972, cover story. “Eighty to 90% of all children who have difficulties in school are boys, and the absence of a male figure is seen by experienced educators as an important factor.”
In light of that idea, one dedicated program called Project Male grew out of a government-funded study of male teachers. It had become an advocacy group that promoted the idea that male and female adults alike should be fully present in the education system, as teachers or at least as parent volunteers. It was important for children to see all different kinds of adults in all different kinds of roles, went the logic, but teachers were particularly important due to their near-constant presence in young children’s lives.
That’s an idea that still holds water today, as experts look for ways to address a continuing shortage of male teachers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a 2011-2012 survey of public school teachers found that 76% were female. As one male educator told USA Today this year, “All students benefit from diverse teaching perspectives, and gender roles are a big part of that.”
Caption from LIFE. All teachers seem large to first graders, but Bill L'Orange, at 6'4" and 220 pounds, is enormous. Especially to small girls like Nancy Thweatt, who clings to his bright shirt sleeve.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. L'Orange talks with Kim Moscato during a coloring project in which children drew pictures of themselves.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Before this year none of the first graders had spent the whole day in school. Some need a great deal of attention, and all need the kind of affection L'Orange provides. He helps Peter Androcopolus print his name.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Lori DeWilkens displays her own mysterious powers of concentration.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Word games and pantomimes are regular events in Room 7. Bill L'Orange whispers in Clinton Smith's ear the name of an animal the rest of the class is supposed to guess. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBill L'Orange holding a baby duck during class with his first graders.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Steve Mercier quizzes L'Orange during a free session.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grader Lori DeWilkens raising her hand in Bill L'Oranges' class.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with one of his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with one of his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. One or two afternoons a week, Bill L'Orange lines up his class and walks the children to a public playground three blocks away. He feels they need the break and the exercise. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesFirst grade teacher Bill L' Orange with his students at Calumet School in the Chicago suburbs.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesBill L'Orange joining in on the fun at the playground with his first grade students.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
