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When a lot of people find out, oh, you're a kindergarten teacher, they are shocked.

They would never seem a guy would be teaching kindergarten.

You can't really blame them for being shocked, right? In the United States,

97% of all kindergarten teachers are women, a mere 3% are men. Anywhere else, that kind of gender lopsidedness in the workplace would trigger civil rights complaints or discrimination

investigations. But in education, it's just seen as normal.

Which is why when Olante Douglas graduated from the University of Georgia last December,

he did indeed do a surprising thing when he decided to become a kindergarten teacher.

So my students, my little munchkins, it's about 18 of them, and they're five and six

that's right in the kindergarten age, your first experience with school.

Mr. Douglas teaches in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

So a lot of things I do, it's their first time ever experiencing it. So it's their first

time a leprechaun is coming to it. They like their school and trash in it. We spoke to Mr.

Douglas on St. Patrick's Day. One of his colleagues had dressed up as a leprechaun making

mischief all over the school. Well, one thing about me is that I love joy. I try to make my students joyful and happy.

So that's the energy a lot in kindergarten. The kids are always curious and happy and just joyful.

When I was growing up as a young student, I was the complete opposite of who I am today.

I was a very quiet kid.

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