When I think about the teachers I had growing up, I can rarely recall their height, or the color of their hair, rather I remember the way they made me feel and the valuable life lessons they taught me. If my teacher disciplined me, I, nor my parents, blamed it on the color of their skin or the way they dressed. This is because I grew up in a home where we taught not to judge someone based their appearance, but to listen to their words and look at how they carry themselves. However, this concept of knowing someone before you judge them appears to be null if the person has a visible tattoo.

Welcome to 2016, where 76 percent of Americans ranging from 18 to 40 years old have at least one tattoo. Welcome to my life, where I encounter people on a daily basis who look at me like I am a monster when I say I want to teach elementary school: “What are you going to do about your tattoos?” they ask, “are you nervous for your students to see them?” No, I am not nervous for my students to see the ink on my arms and legs because it will not affect them in any way. My tattoos will not stop me from loving my students and wanting what is best for them.

I have worked in a school setting with elementary age children for three years and I have yet to encounter a child who was negatively affected by my tattoos. This could be for a multitude of reasons:

1. My visible tattoos are neither frightening nor offensive

2. I do not reference my tattoos or entertain conversations about them

3. Tattoos are so common that many children today have parents, siblings, or other family members who have at least one tattoo of their own

However, why is it that people are constantly questioning my ability to get a job because of the tattoos I have? How is my ability to teach altered by the designs and symbols I have on my body? My talent and passion for working with children was never a concern until I got my first tattoo. Honestly, I am more frightened to send my own children into a classroom where their teacher is ignorant enough that they would judge another person for something so minuscule. As educators, and adults in general, we are meant to promote open-mindedness and tolerance, not to mention individuality and creativity. It is our job as mentors to stop our youth from judging others before they actually know them. Children are not born with the capacity to judge others based on appearance, this is a learned behavior and can be easily avoided.

I am not urging everyone to go out and get tattoos because they are not for everyone and I understand that. However, I also know the difference between not liking something and not liking someone, two things that are completely unrelated. My tattoos do not take away my ability to teach children math and english, and they certainly do not they deem me incapable of showing compassion and love.

All in all, I guess it’s a good thing I want to teach children how to read so they don’t have to judge books by their cover.