Can Teachers Have Tattoos in 2021?

In this day and age, having tattoos is becoming more and more accepted in society. However, teachers are still being denied jobs due to their ink today.

The negative stigma that is attached to having tattoos is primarily due to the idea that tattoos are the mark of a criminal. On the contrary, though, tattoos are actually a symbol of creativity and passion for many.

Some teachers even have tattoos that symbolize their spirituality or religion. There are many different forms of body art, and depending on the school, they may have a strong opinion.

Here are a few of the top reasons why teachers should have tattoos. if they want to, and why it’s not a problem if they have to stick to a dress code to cover them up either.

Can Teachers Have Tattoos?

Tattoos Express Creativity 

Kids in school are encouraged to express their creativity freely. This is because being creative boosts self-esteem while reducing stress and anxiety levels. For some students, their creativity is their passion, which leads to successful careers and happy lives following their graduation. When schools ban teachers who have tattoos, it eliminates an essential lesson about having the freedom to express creativity. 

Children are not inherently biased against teachers with tattoos. However, when school systems choose to exclude those who have them from employment, it tells a story to their students. This story is that those with tattoos are not as qualified or professional as their clear-canvased counterparts. The result? A repeated cycle of kids who grow into adults who don’t understand what tattoos stand for.

Rather than denying employment to teachers with tattoos, schools should embrace them as a valid way to express creativity. Teachers with tattoos can teach their students about how getting tattoos is a beautiful way to express their creativity. Rather than characterizing tattoos as marks of criminals, schools should accept teachers with visible tattoos with open arms, and to use them as a learning opportunity for kids who deserve to know more about all ways they can express their creativity. 

Tattoos Symbolize Spirituality and Religion

Even though many people get tattoos to express their creativity or tell a story that is important to them, they also hold more profound meanings to some. Tattoos have long since been a way to represent a person’s religion or spirituality, as well. Since these values are a part of these peoples’ culture, they should be allowed to display them without worrying about their credibility being damaged.

Many religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, make special use of tattoos in their teachings. Tattoos of Buddha exemplify peace and serenity for his followers. Those who practice Hinduism also make use of tattoos to symbolize their faith, such as a lotus flower for purity and enlightenment. Many people also get tattooed with images of Ganesha, an important figure in the Hindu faith, as well.

Teachers with religious and spiritual tattoos can teach kids valuable lessons about respecting another’s culture. Children learn all about the cultures and customs of other ethnicities but rarely get a chance to get up close and personal with them. Using tattoos as a teaching opportunity to show kids about new cultures is just another reason why teachers with tattoos should be celebrated in schools.

Tattoos Teach Equality for All

Equality is an integral part of American society, especially in today’s world. When schools refuse to hire teachers who have tattoos, it tells students that they aren’t equal to the teachers who don’t have them. Although this may seem harmless, it could have several detrimental effects on students as they grow up. 

Not hiring teachers with tattoos teaches kids a lesson about equality from an early age. When they see no teachers with tattoos, they are less apt to associate responsible adults with tattoos. Our schools need the representation of teachers from all different walks of life so that we can empower our children to resist inequality and stand for a better tomorrow.

Ensuring there is a level playing field in schools is the best way to set an example for our kids. Since the children in school now are our future leaders, they must be taught from an early age that the fact the someone has tattoos does not make them less qualified or able to do the same jobs as those who don’t. It’s all about setting the example for the future we want to see – and hiring teachers with tattoos can be a massive part of that if we allow it to.

Tattoos Exemplify Love and Acceptance for All 

Regardless of the content on their skin, every person deserves to feel loved and accepted by their society. When we don’t allow teachers to get jobs because of their tattoos, it shows that we do not love or accept them for who they are. Instead, it shows that we have chosen to define them by the art the inspires them.

Teaching children that teachers with tattoos are less worthy is not the right approach. We should be showing kids that all people deserve love and acceptance, regardless of their decisions. As long as they are not hurting members of our society by their actions, they should be respected and afforded all the same niceties as the members of the community who have not chosen to get tattoos.

Teachers with tattoos don’t deserve to have a target on their backs because of their decision to get inked. Kids can learn an important lesson about showing compassion and acceptance to those who do not match up with the status quo. This is ideal because it fosters students building lasting relationships with not only those who they identify with but also those who are different from them who can enrich their lives by showing them new things.

Allowing Tattoos Condemns Discrimination

Since school represents many kids’ first interactions with adults in authority, it also represents an essential time in their lives to form opinions about how the way someone looks contributes to the kind of person they are. Just as students are taught not to judge another person by their skin color, they should be taught the same about whether or not a person has tattoos.

Introducing teachers who have tattoos into the workplace is a beautiful way to fight off the stereotypes associated with them. This way, kids have a chance to get to know the person behind the tattoos, which leads to more tolerant and well-rounded adults after graduation. This is because one of the most important things we can do to stop discrimination in our society is to promote understanding and acceptance from an early age. 

Teaching kids to respect and see those with tattoos as equals is an essential lesson for them to learn. The climate in today’s workplace is moving more and more towards hiring qualified candidates who don’t necessarily fit the corporate mold. We are seeing an increased number of people with tattoos in careers across the board, so students must be able to accept and understand all people if they want to be successful in life beyond graduation.

Tattoos Don’t Speak Toward Professionalism 

The stereotype surrounding tattoos have so far lead people to believe that those with tattoos are unprofessional. Part of this is because it is a well-known fact in society that having visible tattoos can prevent you from scoring certain jobs due to dress codes and stigmas that prohibit having them.

However, there is no research study showing that having tattoos makes no difference in the professionalism, education, or aptitude of those that have them. In fact, people with tattoos score the same and sometimes even higher in classes when compared to their non-tattoo toting counterparts.

The bottom line is that no valid data is showing that tattoos have any bearing whatsoever on a teacher’s ability to do their job. Schools who opt to hire a less-qualified candidate simply because they don’t have tattoos is ultimately doing a disservice to children. By not allowing teachers with tattoos to be a part of the workforce, students could be missing out on the opportunity to be taught by passionate teachers who care about their specialties.

It’s Time to Break the Mold

The stigmas and discriminations against those with tattoos are rooted in historical facts that are no longer the case. In the past, when tattoos were illegal across the United States, only inmates, military, and criminals would sport them. As a result, it makes sense that today’s hiring managers stick with the sigma they were likely raised with.

However, 2020 should bring a new wave of acceptance for teachers with tattoos. The days of illegal tattooing are long gone, and with more and more people getting tattoos, it’s going to start getting harder to find teachers with credentials who aren’t tattooed. On average, up to 40% of college graduates admit to having tattoos, so the workforce is likely going to be penetrated by these kids at one time or another. 

There is no use in resisting this change in today’s schools. Kids can benefit from interacting with tattooed teachers, especially since having tattoos doesn’t affect their credentials or education. It’s time to break the mold and move forward into a new era where tattoos are normalized in both our schools and our societies.

Conclusion

Teachers in today’s schools should undoubtedly be allowed to sport tattoos. This is especially true because they will let them tell a story about their creativity, spirituality, and religion.

The fact that a teacher has tattoos also has no bearing on their professionalism or capability to lead a classroom to success. Those with tattoos have the same education as those without and, in some cases, are even better qualified to hold certain teaching positions at school.

So, even though young people may be impressionable, this doesn’t mean that teachers shouldn’t have tattoos in high school. It simply won’t affect their ability to teach children; so why should it matter?

About Jessica Phillips
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