Tattoos And Teaching...

Put on a short sleeve shirt, mark where it drops to, build your tattoo around that and don't worry about it. My son's pe teacher has a big tatto on his forearm that shows a little when his sleeve rides up and it's not a problem and my son goes to one o' them snooty schools.

I think as long as it is covered...no harm no foul. If you get one on your forearm and want to wear short sleeved shirts, you might have a problem. But like BVT said, just allow for coverage.

Just don't, like, tattoo NAMBLA on your forehead or something...

Hmmm.
I'm a teacher in Calgary and I've been wanting a tattoo on my forearm, which will eventually evolve into a full sleeve.
I can see the sleeve being an issue, but I don't plan to be teaching by then.
Sadly, the administration would probably take issue with it and I'd probably face reprimand.

Damn those tattoos. The people who have them are just such darned bad people

In addition to NAMBLA, I can think of a few other tattoo concepts that might raise eyebrows in the school setting:

"Born to Raise Hell" springs to mind...

Why don't you work from the top down, candidone, instead of the bottom up.

I work in a pretty conservative part of the financial services world - but it seems tats (particularly on women) are quite accepted. The times they are a-changing.

My neice has had teachers with tattoos at a little private school. They are mostly covered (shoulder, lower back) but they show up sometimes anyway. no one seems to care. Course, we're ridiculously liberal here.

Would there be any kind of regional difference here, folks?

Also, don't have a single tear of blood tattooed below one eye.

while i don't have a tattoo myself - chicken ! - it seems that tattoos have become quite acceptable almost everywhere. quite a few women at the pool have small and not so small tattoos. now a ring through the lip i might not find attractive - at least not yet - but tattoos, no problem. hbg

from a website on tattoos :
"Lady Randolph Spencer Churchill (née Jennie Jerome), the American heiress, society beauty, and mother of Winston Churchill, circulated quite freely among the Wales' social circle sporting a tattoo of a snake around her left wrist. A well-placed bracelet hid the tattoo when it didn't tickle her fancy. Her son Winston followed suit and had an anchor tattooed on his forearm, à la Popeye. Even Alexandra's sister-in-law, Queen Olga of Greece (1851-1926) - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's paternal grandmother - was also reported to have a tattoo"

I'm an old fart who correlates tattoos with sailors and dock workers. I realize that it has become a fashion statement as of late. But think in terms of what the tattoo will look like in a few decades when gravity wreaks havoc on your skin!

For a lot of people it has nothing to do with fashion, and the droop factor only applies to some areas. For example, I'd never do the eyeliner or lipliner tattoos, as eyes and lips change shape so much with errrrrr maturity.

The world is a very peculiar place--and has been for the last 60-odd years.

i am in the finance world as well which tends to be a bit conservative. yet i have a tattoo...yup you guessed it a dragon on my ankle. i got it a sign of my ancestry as my father is chinese and i was born year of the dragon. it is all black, kinda tribal design, and is about 5 inches long total. i find that working among men who all seem to be good old boys of VA & NC, they have no issues, not that they told me at least...

heehee, the other tattoo only mr. d can see...

I have a similar case. I also am thinking of going into teaching. I've been wanting to get a tattoo on my neck, and on my index finger. If anyone's seen The Boondock Saints, you'll know what it is I'm wanting. But for those who haven't, it would be "Veritas" (Latin for truth) on the side my right index finger, and an image of a saint on my neck.

The only thing I could see wrong with the content is that somebody might see the saint as violating separation of church and state.

Just wondering if anyone thinks this could raise problems?

My fiance has a full sleeve tattoo on his left arm which extends to his neck, chest and shoulder and half a sleeve on his right arm, its a thick black Maori tribal tattoo and he works in an award winning hair salon where all the snooty toff's frequent...they just love it!
I dont think tattoos are much of a problem as long as they look professional, but there will always be someone who will perceive it differently

At the high school at which I teach, a number of teachers have visible tats (more women than men). I don't believe it's an issue at all, but it all depends where you are. I believe there are still many prejudices out there.

Hey guys

I am a school teacher in Sydney and i have a tat on my left ankle i wear shorts to work and its no dramas. its a little japanese symbol. about an inch square

the kids often pick it out and ask if it is real.

A friend of mine whom i work with has a huge one on her lower back that is often visable when she moves about and her top lifts a little not and issue

We have a male staff member who has tats all up his arms he just wears long sleve shirts all the time.

And our principal has one on her left ankle as well ... no dramas!

I'm a primary school teacher in France and I have 3 tattoos....and I never had any problems with parents, other teachers or pupils. i think having tatoos doesn't change the way you teach....as for me, parents really appreciate my job "even if i have tatoos " ...anyway, i don't care...I know I do my best everyday for my pupils and it's the most important, isn't it?
just have to be open minded

I got a tatoo (sword and rose) on my forearm in Hong Kong when I was a sailor a long time ago.

Many years later I taught middle school, high school, and community college. Always wore long-sleeved shirts, but sometimes rolled up the sleeves a bit to be more comfortable while working.

The middle schools kids were the most fascinated by the tattoo - thought I was the coolest teacher in the school. Gave me a special going away party when I left.

The high school kids were too interested in themselves to notice much about me.

The best students I had - academically - were postgraduate Chinese engineers studying for an international proficiency certificate in English.
I always wore a shirt and tie and never rolled up my sleeves.

Although most women I've known over the years have found it interesting or attractive, as I grow older I am getting some different reactions.
A young Korean woman who had occasion last year to see the tatoo up close for an extended period (wink) made an interesting observation:
The tatoo (as a proletarian badge) seemed, to her, incongruous with my otherwise urbane self --- she thought it created an "imbalance" (in my chi or something).

So the point is, it might seem like a cool thing to do when you are in your twenties, but do you really want it to be a major identifying symbol thirty years later?

If yes, by all means do it. But do you know now who you are going to be in thirty years? Just a thought.

Probabably if you want to do it now, go ahead and damn the consequences. And that is sort of just what the tatoo will say about you in thirty years.

Cheers and Good luck.