The role of male teachers in early childhood education can be examined from many perspectives, including the need for male teachers, advantages and disadvantages of being a male in the profession, or why there are not more of them. In order to find out what male teachers think about teaching at the early childhood level, a survey consisting of 26 multiple choice and objective questions probing these 3 areas was completed by 20 male educators. Results showed that most reported working in the field because they love working with children. There was no real consensus on whether the image male teachers present is different from that presented by women, but the majority felt they projected a gentle and fatherly image. Nearly all agreed that teachers could be just as, or even more, influential than a child's parents, but for different reasons. Half felt that a teacher's gender has no effect on how much a child learns; about 25 percent said gender was not an issue in their role as early childhood educators, while 25 percent said there were certain trust issues raised because of gender. Forty-five percent agreed that neither males nor females have particular advantages in the field of early childhood education, and 35 percent said that as a male teacher, parents are the hardest to "win over." Eighty percent said students do not treat males differently. Sixty percent felt the gender ratio of teachers should be equal. When asked what can be done to encourage more men to enter the field, 45 percent said to offer more money. (EV)