Strategie reagowania na dziecięcą potrzebę bliskości stosowane przez mężczyzn nauczycieli edukacji wczesnoszkolnej

The empirical material presented in this article is part of a larger research project aimed at analyzing the biographical experiences of men employed as primary school teachers. One of the issues examined within the study’s defined problem areas was how men, working in a predominantly female profession as grades 1−3 educators, shape relationships with their students. This text focuses on the strategies employed by male teachers in response to the children’s need for closeness or in situations that might necessitate physical interaction with a student. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that male teachers believe in the existence of double standards for men and women working in primary school education. Men, fearing accusations related to inappropriate sexual behavior, tend to avoid physical intimacy with students or resort to strategies that substitute for touch. Occasionally, they may allow children to be slightly more familiar, but typically only do so in the presence of witnesses.