My 6th graders' sub today had a pierced tongue & ears plus a notch

[elehhhhna]

out of the top of one ear.

He subbed in English. He did a good job per my daughter.

Is it me or is that just a bit over the top? (I recall the time when teachers dressed professionally.

[northzax]

1. would you prefer

a guy in a tie who didn't do a good job? of course not. and what was he wearing? were his clothes professional?

[elehhhhna]

2. no but some measure of decorum would be welcome.

pierced tongue? euuuuuuuuuuuw.

Is it really a choice between good but creepy and bad but presentable?

[MadHound]

9. How about the guy take out the metal,

At least while he's teaching? There is such a thing as professional dress, and the multiple pierced look certainly isn't it.

And yes, I say this as a person with multiple piercings.

[Pirate Smile]

26. I agree.

[blondeatlast]

29. Yep--and I have a few extra holes myself (and used to teach).

They need to come out--especially the tongue.

[jmowreader]

56. If he took the tongue stud out, it probably wouldn't go back in

Fun mutilation history for today: A long time ago, back when witch doctors still practiced, these guys "proved" that they had special magical powers by cutting a long-stemmed rose off their rose bush, sharpening the cut end of the stem, then pulling the whole thing through their tongues. They would then tell the people they wanted to serve, "in three days my tongue will have healed perfectly, and that will prove I have magic powers."

In three days, their tongues had healed perfectly.

It's a good thing the people they were demonstrating this for didn't realize the incredible healing powers of the tongue, which makes taking out tongue jewelry problematic: the hole will grow shut in just a couple of hours.

Basically, once it's in there you really can't take it out unless you don't want the piercing anymore.

[progressivebydesign]

67. Maybe the tongue is trying to tell these folks something..

.. like stop poking holes in me! :)

[jmowreader]

68. No, it just heals really well

[NNN0LHI]

70. I learn something new every day around here n/t

[blondeatlast]

79. I had no idea about that. Interesting. Thanks! nt

[progressivebydesign]

66. I'm with you MadHound. Professional dress is totally reasonable.

Under the idea of asking teachers to dress in a manner that the students are expected to dress would be a good guideline.

[kestrel91316]

92. Thank you.

I guess they don't teach the concept of professionalism anymore...........sigh.

[leftchick]

3. it would not bother me in the least

as long as the children learn something it is fine.

[converted_democrat]

17. I agree with you, as long as they're learning it's fine by me.. I was a

kid not all that long ago, and I actually paid more attention in class to the younger teachers that I perceived as cool..

[dddem]

59. DING DING DING DING...I THINK WE HAVE A WINNER!

My daughter's 3rd grade teacher was 23, the same height as half the class, and sported a tattoo & a belly button piercing. My daughter thought she was really great, and got A's for most of the year. I think she was trying to impress the cool teacher.
personally, I wouldn't dress like she did (of course, I'm twice her age, and probably 3 times her size!), and I made sure my daughter understood that 8 year olds can't dress the same as 20-somethings, but then again, that's my job. I try to make sure that my kids understand that although we respect other people's choices, until they are of legal age, they have to abide by their dorky mom's rules.
The only style I would worry about here is the young man's teaching style!

[latebloomer]

65. Umm. . .

And how was it she knew that the teacher had a belly-button piercing?

I'm sorry, but that is WAY over the top.

:eyes:

[riderinthestorm]

87. My 3rd grader's sub for the last week had tats and piercings

And my daughter loved her!!!

Said she was the best teacher ever! And my daughter has the school's notoriously "difficult" class since her regular teacher is the "best" in the school, her regular teacher has the worst problem children in her class daily. So the fact that this sub could step in and handle it all so well, for a week?! She is okay by me.

I spoke with the sub today since I picked my daughter up, and this young woman was polite, friendly and thoroughly professional. She is in a master's program and subbing as a way to make money that works around her dissertation schedule.

I could give a shit what the teacher wears, if they can communicate with the kids and teach effectively, they are okay with me.

[elehhhhna]

110. do the sub a favor ...

write a nice letter to her boss/es. cc: the sub Only takes a sec especially w/ email!

[fishwax]

88. same here. not a problem at all n/t

[Shine]

4. Well, I guess the good thing is the teacher was decent.

but yeah, it seems a bit over the top to me, too.

I've got a sixth grader boy. :hi:

[devilgrrl]

5. No, it isn't over the top - him being good teacher is what matters.

A friend of mine has tattoos and piercings - she's been teaching for over 10 years.

[LeftyMom]

6. I can't see how it matters.

I mean, my mother works in an office setting and has a shitload of tatoos and spiky orange hair (and she's nearly 50.) Body mods really aren't a big deal anymore. :shrug:

[Fredda Weinberg]

7. Don't have a cow, man

Judge the person on their performance, not their appearance. It's you - not the look, that's the issue.

[Ezlivin]

8. I did substitute teaching in a wheelchair

Talk about a body and metal....

The school is happy to get ANY qualified person to substitute teach. It is not an easy job, particularly with today's generation. When I was in school we still said "sir" and "ma'am". (Yeah, and we had dinosaurs as pets... )

The school sets the standards for how substitutes should dress. If they didn't like it, they could have sent him home.

[blondeatlast]

31. Excellent point--good subs are gold.

But I gotta say that I think the tongue stud could have stayed home, myself.

[Rose Siding]

10. It probably wouldn't be one of the battles I'd chose,

but I'd be unimpressed.

[400Years]

11. well, you know, the 1950's were half a century ago

[elehhhhna]

12. SHUT! UP!

god now i feel superold

[Jigarotta]

13. wouldn't bother me at all.

in fact I tend to trust people more who do their own thing expressive wise than be cookie cutter characters.

[annabanana]

14. creeps ME out...

but my teenage son wouldn't blink,
practically mainstream..

who'da thunk?:shrug:

[Massacure]

27. I'm 17 and I'd certainly blink.

Piercings creep me out. Thankfully there are only a few people who have them at my school.

[Ava]

15. who care what they wear as long as they are a good teacher?

:shrug:

all of the worst teachers i ever had(and there's a lot of them here in bama) dressed very conservatively.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. A man with earrings?

Now I've heard everything.

[uppityperson]

77. surely you jest.

?

[dsc]

18. The school I work at would have sent him home

I do think that is a bit over the top. I am not a prude by any means but a pierced toungue is a bit much.

[Blue_Tires]

75. my system would have as well

[etherealtruth]

19. This isn't an issue I can get upset about ...

I've a 7th grader and wouldn't be phased.

We've all got "little" things that bug us.

[MADem]

20. We just have to adapt to the times, I guess

It would make me look twice, too. And there are a few in the younger set in my family with a bit of ink and metal here and there.

But hey, when we think back to our wild youthful days, we wore some pretty foolish stuff that made the older generations look at us, too.

It's all about being acknowledged as an individual, I guess.

As one of my dearly departed relatives would say "At least he's not out stealing hubcaps!!!"

[northofdenali]

41. It tickles me that some of my "foolish stuff"

from my hippie days is back. Hiphugger bell-bottoms, especially. My daughter has a pair that I wore at 17, embroidered all over (I did the embroidery) that she loves to wear now!

I think the teacher could have lost the tongue metal - everyone I know who has that piercing is difficult to understand on occasion (certain words or phrases seem garbled). But aside from that, a good teacher is a good teacher, regardless.

[elehhhhna]

44. funnily enoughm the big scandal is that they decided he's gay

because he lisps (which may be due to the piercing...and maybe not). They don't care about the gay thing but some were weirded out by the tongue stud.

[MADem]

46. That's when you know you've lived!

If the fashion statements of your youth come back again, you're well advised to eschew them the second time around! And if they come back yet again, you are authorized to start sentences with the phrase "When I was a young whippersnapper....!"

[northofdenali]

51. Tee hee hee !

I still wear jeans almost exclusively, though - except when I'm wearing my leathers. The bike comes out this weekend!!!



Yeah, the "gay" speculation thing hit my daughter-in-law's boyfriend, too - he has a lisp, and has had it since childhood, but it'd require surgery to correct it.

That said, I've heard many a lisp caused by the tongue piercing thing.

[MADem]

103. Judging by that photo, you're STILL a young whippersnapper! n/t

[wtmusic]

21. If he makes it through the metal detector

s'okay with me

[hexola]

22. In my area - they wont even let the students wear that stuff...

I dont think you can wear the tougue stuff at school...

And you have to be 18 or have a parent sign a release to get any of those things...

[applegrove]

23. He's just being himself. Less corporate pressure for now on school

employees. For now. Be happy for that. God only knows what will come out of that system!!! Hey - the coolest teacher I ever knew of was drove the bus he was to live in to school when he was packing up and leaving for a cross country trip. A converted schoolbus. He was cool. He could get away with being his own darn self.

If this is a good teacher... chances are the lessons will be much greater and inspire much longer than simply the way he presents himself.

Every child needs to come across one of those inspirationals every once in thier school career.

[KansDem]

24. I haven't heard of "ear notching"

Is this a new trend?

[progressivebydesign]

69. I guess self-mutilation is all the rage.

Can't imagine what would motivate someone to take parts of their body off... better and less painful ways of showing your individuality out there. ouch!!

[lutefisk]

25. Might explain why he's a sub and not full-time

Those doing the hiring might have some reservations- maybe concerned about parent reactions, role model issues, etc.

He might have good teaching abilities, but sometimes a little compromise is wise...

[libnnc]

32. not all subs are rejects...

Maybe he's a sub because he likes the freelance aspect of it? I'm a sub (sans piercing). I don't teach full time because I refuse to partake in NCLB bullshit. I'm starting grad school this fall and have ambitions to teach at the college level. As a sub, I can basically work when and where I want.

[lutefisk]

42. I didn't mean to imply that at all

And I don't think that, either.

I was pointing out that even though there might not be a dress code, there are expectations for appearance in various professional contexts. When one is in the vulnerable position of looking for work as a teacher (as many subs are), it would be good to not stray to far from the expectations for professional appearance of those doing the hiring. It's just common sense.

And of course this particular sub might not be looking for a full time job.

[Swamp Rat]

28. What matters most is the quality of instruction.

When I taught in a private school I had to remove my earring. It was a minor annoyance, but I complied.

I feel differently about tongue rings. One day a student broke the rules and wore a tongue stud (whatever they call it) and nearly choked to death in class (not my class). She had to to be taken to the ER and had a tracheotomy. Now she has a hideous scar on her neck and damaged vocal chords for life.

Someone who is teaching should NOT wear a tongue ring. Period. It interferes with speech and proper pronunciation, which is especially important when teaching English and foreign languages.

[Demobrat]

30. Tongue piercings gross me out

but I'm not a sixth grader. Maybe the way to get them to pay attention is to be a bit over-the-top.

[Spinzonner]

33. In my youthhood

ancient times ...

There was a big deal over excessive hair length and anyone having it was a hippy or coomunist that would lead to the downfall of society.

Well, it turns out they were right but it was actually perpetrated by the then shorthairs but that's another matter ...

It's all about style and the generational changes associated with it. What's really important is character and I don't think that's determined by some piercings or tattoos.

I'd never go for it myself but it's really none of my business and I just can't get all worked up over it with so many important things to think about and work on.

[MADem]

50. Remember that Sign, sign, everywhere a sign? song

About how the long haired freaky people need not apply? So the guy tucks his hair up under his hat and went in to ask him why???

Came to mind when I read your post!! It was by a one hit wonder band, but it was quite popular sometime back....

[Warpy]

34. Honestly, I've found the more outrageous the tats and piercings

the more conventional the person underneath them.

If he did a good job, then recommend him.

There are a lot of conventional looking teachers out there who can't read or write worth a damn and are just hanging on until the pension is vested.

Most teachers are competent, but given the choice between the typical sub (and I've seen a lot of awful ones) and a guy who looks a little outrageous but who knows his stuff and knows how to teach it, I'll take the latter.

In any case, it's a good lesson for your daughter to look below the surface and try to see the person underneath. This isn't the first person she'll meet who looks different on the surface and it won't be the last. I think she learned a very important lesson today that she wouldn't have learned from somebody who looked like a Ken doll.

[progressivebydesign]

61. tho piercing a tongue is not the smartest thing to do in the least.

Ask any doctor or dentist. God.. I read an article about a girl who grew a lump next to the piercing she now calls her "second tongue", I guess some people develop scar tissue and keloids at the area of the injury.. and lots of dentists are begging their clients not to get tongue piercings because of broken teeth, speech problems, and nasty infections. There are better ways to express yourself without mutilating your body..

[Warpy]

78. Oh, I think it's dumb beyond belief

and I saw piercings in places you'd never expect when I was a nurse. However, it's not my choice and the piercings can be removed and eventually the tracts will close, with or without scarring. Even the bifurcated tongues can be sewn back together. Ouch and double ouch. Tats are much more difficult to deal with down the road.

However, my prejudice is more against some conventional items of "beauty" like those high heeled shoes that silly modistes in NYC get foot surgery to try to fit into. Now that is dumb. Not my choice, either, but really!

[readmoreoften]

125. how are tattoos difficult to deal with "down the road"?

They're coloring on skin. There's no medical risk.

[FrannyD]

35. I wouldn't mind

to each his own. Teachers haven't dressed professionally in years. My dad was a teacher and it was my chore to iron his shirts and ties, ugh.

[Sinti]

36. This is all just personal decoration

Like over the ear hair in the '60s, bell bottoms and beads in the '70s, acid washed jeans and mullets in the '80s... it's packaging. There seems to be a kind of "tribal" style going about, no biggie. I'd be more concerned with what's inside the package, content of their character, if you will.

Then again, my son has a couple of piercings (including a tongue ring) and a couple of tats. He doesn't speak irregularly due to the tongue ring, and has spent most of his employable life working in a bank. :shrug:

We all have to get used to the new stuff, just like our parents did. :)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

37. As a frosh...

I had an African-American woman art teacher who wore traditional garb and had her nose and ears pierced -- this was at a Catholic school in the early 70s. :)

I worshipped her, as did most of my other classmates. She was just so damn cool. And she was a heck of a teacher.

She was incredibly popular, as were her classes and we all worked hard and were really excited about learning. There is nothing better than a cool (and good) teacher for students motivation.

[Sinti]

39. Oh to have a teacher who actually wants to teach you something

like how to think, rather than just have you repeat some blather and show that you can be a good cog in the man's machine. :)

[frustrated_lefty]

38. Teachers don't get paid well enough to dress professionally.

I'd be taken aback, too, but really...

be happy if your child's teacher speaks fluent English.

If they happen to also do a good job teaching the material and somehow interest your child in learning, is it really that big a deal if they set off metal detectors in airports?

[elehhhhna]

45. baloney. I didn't say Anne Taylor. I meant tastefully. Plus tight jeans

cost as much or more than decent dresspants.

[frustrated_lefty]

58. Phaloney to your baloney.

Look, I've taught 3 years of biology courses. For two of those years, my hair was down to my ass (I'm a guy), and holes in my jeans verged on hinting at horribly, indescribable images of tight young flesh. Oh, horrors!

During that period of time, I had two students offer sexual favors for grades. I refused, and recommended good tutors. The tutors were people I knew to value education.

Every quarter, my kids walked in wondering what weirdness they would have to endure upon seeing me. By the second class, I had them enjoying the process of learning. I was a good teacher. I had the privilege of seeing comments after the grading was done, and was pleased to see many of the kids thought it was FUN to learn.

Concerns like you express honestly seem trivial to me. I really mean no offense. Teaching anyone is accepting a responsibility, and it shouldn't be taken lightly.

When I taught, I never thought about the gold in my ear or the hair down my back. I thought about finding a way to help the students learn. How does this work, what can you compare it to? What's a real life experiment which makes a point?

I was embarrassed by the pants I wore, but they were what I had at the time. I hope those kids remember the ideas and knowledge I tried to pass along, rather than the name of some designer who probably knows less than jack about biology.

[bettyellen]

72. it's asking thrm to buy a second warbrobe, so yeah, it costs real money...

and techers don't get paid fairly.

[seabeyond]

40. i wouldnt have an issue elehhhhna. i have kinda let all that go

it seems to be an expression. so, instead of my young boys judge, as i see teens, different hair, tatooes, piercing..... i thumbs up the teen to reinforce. then i will say to the boys cool for them expressing themselves. what teenagers do

i also know my kids probably wont go to the extreme if at all. so i can be generous. but with your story, i am glad you liked him. my youngest is 2nd and he had a male substitute and saw the difference in teaching from male and female which we all found interesting. there needs to be more male teachers. but i really dont care about tattoos adn piercings anymore. i am one that doesnt feel the need to go beyond jeans or shorts though.... ever, for anything. lol

[elehhhhna]

47. lol. daughter also has a fulltime teacher, ex-mil, cleancut, who

thought Anne Frank survived WW2. Oy

[seabeyond]

53. ya, i remember. oy is right n/t

[noamnety]

43. not an issue

The founder of my college dressed very professionally. She was in a meeting one day, when a couple of the kids came bursting into her office, all out of breath. She thought there'd been an accident of some sort, but no. The girls had gotten involved in a bet. Somebody bet them that they couldn't convince her to go dive into the pool.

She walked out of the meeting, down the hill to the outdoor pool, took off her heels, and did a perfect swan dive. Then she got out, put her shoes back on, and calmly returned to her meeting, business suit and stockings soaking wet, like nothing had happened.

Over the top? I don't think so.

[elehhhhna]

48. cool lady but did she display jewelery meant to enhance oral sex? THAT'S

the question.

[noamnety]

52. Wow. That's quite a leap.

Where'd you get the idea that's the only reason people pierce their tongues?

People pierce all sorts of body parts - noses, ears, eyebrows, lips, belly buttons ... why do you suppose they do it? Don't you think - just possibly - some people pierce their tongues for the same reasons?

[elehhhhna]

80. i suppose you think nipple piercing is just for visual effect, too

lol

[noamnety]

83. No, really, you're off base here

"While parents shout "Yuck" or "Gross" and teachers ask "Why?", teens continue to gravitate toward body piercing. If you're like many teens who have thought about piercing you probably see them as a personal and fashion statement, a form of body art, and a chance to establish your individuality."

http://www.coolnurse.com/piercing.htm

A lot of people do it to rebel, because they think it looks cool, to be different.

"My first piercings were performed largely under peer pressure or for poseur reasons: I got my eyebrow pierced in Seattle because I wanted a souvenir that would freak people out and be highly visible. Noone in my home city had a non-nostril facial piercing yet, and I wanted to show off. My tongue I got pierced largely because members of the Circus bugged me to. I had originally wanted to get my tongue pierced when in Seattle, but I couldn't afford it, so compromised on the eyebrow. Mr Lifto (who lifts heavy objects with his piercings) made fun of me for getting such a useless piercing, and he and ThEnigma said I should get my tongue pierced."

http://www.ambient.ca/bodmod/why.html

"It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Then about a month after i got my tattoo done, I started to consider piercing....years before I'd seen a few people with tongue piercings, and when ever they would talk i couldn't stop staring at their mouths...it was mesmerizing watching the light reflect off the barbell. At the time this piercing wasn't as popular as it is now, and i found these people intriguing, and that feeling just stuck. Thats why on July 27th I had my tongue pierced."

"I LOVE MY TONGUE PIERCE! ... I'd have to say that my mods help me to see the beauty in ALL of my body, to assert myself as an individual, to help me have control over what happens to my body, to look pretty, and to some degree, help open (and shock)the minds of my very conservative family."

http://www.modernamerican.com/why.html

You've taken ONE reason that you've heard of, and made an assumption that EVERYBODY who does it does it for that reason. That's absurd. Like I said before, people have all kinds of reasons for getting tatoos, piercings, doing all sorts of body mods.

I could argue similarly that female teachers shouldn't wear heels in the classroom. What's the point of that, except to try to make yourself look sexual? It's not like heels serve any other function.

[fishwax]

89. HUGE leap

I agree ...

[elehhhhna]

95. y'all have no idea then

[fishwax]

98. oh, i've plenty of idea, i just know it ain't always necessarily so

[progressivebydesign]

63. That's why a sub like that would creep out older girls..

high school girls are unbelievably uncomfortable with guys with tongue piercings, according to my daughter in high school. She said it creeps them out.. cuz they know what it's for. He should have respect for the position and take out the piercing while teaching.. Kids aren't allowed tongue piercings at the schools here, so the teachers should have the same rules.

[readmoreoften]

127. You can't take out a tongue piercing.

It permanently closes.

If a tongue piercing is done "for sexual gratification purposes" and it's placed in the middle of the tongue, it's not for doing anything to sexually gratify a female.

Frankly, I have lots of friends with tongue piercings and it's hardly even seen.

[aquaman]

49. "He did a good job per my daughter"

If that is what matters, who cares about piercings? Was he naked, did he have shirt on that said "Fuck you?" If not, who gives a damn. If nothing else it could be a great opportunity to approach the issue of diversity with your child.

[TrogL]

54. I dressed professionally

Three-piece suit and the whole bit.

Couldn't teach worth a damn.

Most respected teacher in the school wore stained blue jeans and a denim shirt (that had seen better days).

[MichaelHarris]

55. Hmmmm

I have this book, it's real good reading but the cover art is kinda sucky.

[tammywammy]

57. My tongue is pierced

and has been for almost 8 years now. I wear the metal one at work now, but most people don't notice it. In past jobs I couldn't have it, so I wore one that had peach/tongue colored tops instead of metal balls. No one noticed I had a pierced tongue when I had that one in.

If I was a teacher I'd wear the less noticable tongue stud...it would just remove the extra distraciton.

[progressivebydesign]

64. I honestly have to ask. Why would someone want to pierce their tongue?

Seriously, I ask this because I've always wondered. I'm more the type to express myself through art and words, not through things I do to my body, my ears aren't even pierced. What is the appeal or attraction to it?

[tammywammy]

74. I liked the way it looked

really, that's pretty much it. It wasn't even for the sexual aspect of it. So once I left to go to college, I got it done. I couldn't have it where I was working during high school, so I waited until I knew I wasn't going to be working for a couple of months. So I got it done in Aug '99 and a couple of months later when I went to work at Starbucks I wore the tongue colored stud when I was there.

Now it's become a permanent fixture. It feels weird when I take it out. I work at a car dealership right now, and the owner doesn't seem to mind it. I don't speak with a lisp and it's not noticable at all. I've had salesguys that worked here for a while before the stud will catch the light and they'll see it.

[elehhhhna]

81. it reportedly enhances

the giving of oral sex. (which Bill Clinton ivented, btw.)

[hexola]

112. Exactly why it shoudn't be allowed...

Great - teachers promoting great oral sex...!

How about a teacher coming to school with a dildo haging out of their ass...no problem...right.

[noamnety]

117. Now if we could just fire all those pregnant single teachers ...

:sarcasm:

[hexola]

118. Dont get it...

huh?

[noamnety]

119. What I got from your post

was:

1) That you refuse to accept the possibility that someone might have a tongue piercing for a reason other than oral sex (which frankly I find a little odd, I guess I don't spend enough time pondering other people's sexual lives), and

2) Teachers must hide all evidence that they've ever had sex, because it encourages kids to have sex. That was the basis for a school firing a single woman who was pregnant last November. She was encouraging students to have premarital sex, by having a visible pregnancy.

Do you really want to go there? Because if it applies to men (must NEVER have any evidence of previous sexual encounters) it surely applies to women as well. And there's no better evidence than a filled out maternity shirt.

[hexola]

122. Keep making stuff up...

Getting tired of these..."So you are saying..." replies.

1 - Teenagers spend plenty of time podnering other people's sex lives...I've overheard plenty of blowjob/tounge-ring stories...very common. Do refuse to accept the possiblity that the orign of the tounge ring is from S&M sex? Do you refuse to accept the possiblity that someone might have tougue-ring for sexual reasons?

2 - Very creative attempt - but clearly you are being absurd. Pregancy is part of life and necessary to further the speices. Tounge-rings and oral sex are not. Dont try to align me with some right-wing nut jobs...

[noamnety]

126. I accept BOTH possibilities

Possibility One: it could be something a person did because they heard it would enhance oral sex
Possibility Two: it could be something a person did for a number of other documented reasons.

Do you accept both possibilities?



I don't see the difference between trying to keep someone out of the classroom because they might have oral sex on their own time with nonstudents, vs. trying to keep someone out of the classroom because they definitely had premarital sex outside the classroom with nonstudents. In both cases, the issue becomes whether a person's outside sexual activities are grounds for dismissal. Are they? Or are they not?

I also don't buy the "necessity to further the species" argument. I don't buy that sex without birth control is an acceptable concept to expose school children to, but oral sex is not an acceptable concept to expose children to (IF you even buy into the argument that having a tongue ring necessarily equates to oral sex). I don't believe that traditional intercourse is inherently more or less moral than oral sex, I guess, so I'm not following your whole line of argument.

[readmoreoften]

128. what about a rainbow bracelet?

that might mean he's GAY and everyone knows that GAYS have SEX with other GAYS! EWWWW! :sarcasm:

[progressivebydesign]

60. My freshman daughter and friends find that kind of piercing gross..

it totally grosses them out. They don't find it cool in the least for some reason. I know that people think high school kids are looking up to overly pierced folks, but the tongue thing grosses them out because they know the real reason people started getting pierced tongues (sexual reasons). For girls of a certain age, the idea of a teacher with a pierced tongue would make them very uncomfortable. As far as little kids go? Well.. I think it would be funny, cuz kids as the most direct questions to the sub about why in the world they'd take a piece of their own ear out? or stick something in their tongue (most little kids would think it was stupid, not cool). A guy working at the pizza joint the other night had the most disgusting earrings on.. it featured a HUGE dime sized chunck out of each ear lobe. It was not exciting, it just sort of made me nauseaous (which is not good in a pizz joint). I asked him point blank, but politely in conversation, what would motivate someone to take a giant hole out of their ear lobe, and what will happen when he decides to go into the work world after school? (cuz the holes don't grow back together after being that large). He laughed and said he didn't see himself doing anything, like running for Senate or being in business where he couldn't have giant holes in his ears (he was all of 18). Love to chat with him in 15 years and see how that's working for him!

[noamnety]

85. I work in a high school

It's no big deal where we are, and I forget how uptight other schools are, I guess. One of my students just got her tongue pierced a few weeks ago, and it wasn't a big scandal. I asked her about her tongue swelling up, because I'd heard that happens right after it gets pierced. And she had to use the restroom each day during class to rinse with mouthwash to avoid infection til it heals, so we laughed about that a bit. It's just a giant non-issue.

We also have kids with the large earrings - they don't take out a dime sized chunk, by the way. They start with a small piercing, then use studs of an increasing diameter over time to stretch it out. Again, a big non-issue, though I've had some cool discussions with the kids about where they find the larger earrings, and the design of them. I'm surprised people would actually feel nauseous over that - y'all need to seriously lighten up. Tribal customs all over the world throughout history have done much more dramatic things. Do you get a sick feeling looking at National Geographic?

Of course, we also have guys and girls who are gay who hold hands in the hallway, and it's not a big deal, and kids with mohawks, and kids with goth makeup, and guys who wear skirts, and kids that show up in kimonos or chain maille. They're all just people. I hope you aren't teaching your kids to be grossed out by people who look or act different than they do - it's something they should learn to appreciate and cherish.

[readmoreoften]

129. I'd love to work in your school

I'd love to teach high school instead of college, but I don't want to deal with small-minded parents and students. Most of my high school teachers were abysmal. If one had had a piercing and actually TAUGHT me, I'd've really preferred it.

[baby_mouse]

62. What is your question, elehhhhna?

Please break it down for me. I don't understand it.

[mondo joe]

71. Non issue for me. -eom-

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

73. Wisdom And Inspiration Comes Not From One's Appearance. n/t

[NNN0LHI]

76. "He did a good job per my daughter." That would be good enough for me

I have no tattoos, piercings, etc., but they don't bother me on someone else. I am 51.

Don

[FlaGranny]

82. I'm all for

freedom on choice in jewelry and clothing, but I've got to wonder what some of you with absolutely perfect, beautiful 11 and 12 year olds are going to say, when they say "Ma, Dad, I want to pierce my nose." :rofl:

[noamnety]

86. My kid wanted to pierce her ears when she was 4

I wasn't in favor of it, so we talked it out. Then I explained that since I wasn't in favor of it, she would have to earn the money herself. She raked leaves for me until she earned enough to pay for it.

She's 19 now, so it's hard to answer your hypothetical. I might have said "wait til you're an adult." But even if she did it behind my back, I'd like to think I'd still have considered her as much "absolutely perfect and beautiful" as she was before. It's not like her value as a person goes down with a piercing. Actually, if I remember right, that was the age when she was getting biopsies and being ordered to the regional infectious disease center.

Sometimes as a parent, you have to figure out what's important, and what's not. Nose-ring? Not important.

[elehhhhna]

96. at least peircings CLOSE. not so, tattoos.-

[FlaGranny]

101. My youngest son, now in his 30s,

got his tongue and his ear pierced while he was away at college. I got used to it, but it was shocking. Here you have this perfectly beautiful kid who wants to put holes in his body.

He also wanted to go sky diving. I told him I'm not going to stop you, but I'm not paying for it. So he earned the money for the skydive. I'm glad he didn't tell me about the dive until after it was over.

[noamnety]

102. and I bet he's still perfectly beautiful

It's funny how parents are. My mom is still angry, angry, angry at the doctor who delivered me. Apparently they did something with the forceps, I don't know what happened, but there is some little mark behind my ear from the delivery, or shortly after the delivery. Every time she saw it when I was growing up, she'd tense up a bit and get mad because the doctors had taken her sweet perfect baby and "damaged it." Me, I could never even find the mark she is so angry about. I've looked for it.

I've got other flaws. I had to wear orthopedic shoes as a kid, had to have speech therapy, have a hip that used to pop in and out of socket every step I took when I was growing up, making a disturbing cracking sound as I walked. I have moles right smack in the middle of my face. I don't know why she is upset about that one tiny scar that's hidden behind my hair. She accepts everything that came with the package that's me up until the moment of birth, and then vehemently rejects that one thing, that modification that happened right after birth.

Parents have a hard time letting go; understanding that the bodies they created aren't fully under their control anymore - that they don't have ownership of them, if you will. And our kids have a most frustrating way of treating their own bodies like they're in charge. They stake out their ownership claims in all kinds of ways, like animals marking their territory.

[FlaGranny]

109. I understand your mom.

Kids are perfect in the minds of their mothers. They don't need any holes in them or scars. It hurts the mom more than the kid if there is a scar from some mishap. It's just part of being a parent. When they are sick or hurt, you want so badly to take their place. It's okay, though - they begin to understand when they become parents.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

84. I don't know, you didn't say how he was dressed. -nt

[Warren DeMontague]

90. It's you.

Can the guy teach, that's what matters. I suspect where I live, folks wouldn't bat an eye.

[orleans]

91. it would've bugged me too

i just asked my daughter about the kids & teachers in her high school & got her opinion on these things:

according to her:
a couple kids have their tongues pierced
no teachers that she has noticed
one kid has eyebrow pierced
ear notch--she never heard of it (she's a senior)

i asked her what she would have thought if she was in 6th grade & she said she probably would have been very distracted by the ear notch; "i'd keep thinking dude, there's a piece of your ear missing."

i asked what she would think now: "i'd think it was weird that some of his ear was missing"

it's a distraction. and a form of self-mutilation and it's not as widely accepted as long hair on guys, fun colored streaked hair, or even tattoos.

and first impressions count.

i have a business (in the performing arts) and the majority of clients are kids. i would lose clients if i hired people who looked freaky with ear notches & tongue piercings or eyebrow piercings (and the oral sex thing you mentioned was the initial reason people were tongue piercing when it first hit the scene) hell, i was getting "looks" when i hired a couple guys--college students--to work with the kids--the mothers tended to trust the female college students but not the males. if the boys had shown up with a pierced tongue or an ear notch that would have been the end of it--i would have lost a lot of business

[noamnety]

94. "It's a distraction"

Are you opposed to teachers who are in wheelchairs? Who've lost their hair to chemo? People who look like this?


Parents need to be doing a better job of teaching acceptance, if the kids are that freaked out about a pierced tongue, or an ear. The world's got a heap more serious problems to deal with.

[elehhhhna]

111. YES but only if said teachers did so for kicks. like tongue piercing.

[noamnety]

120. So it's not really a matter of distractions at all

You believe kids can learn with a teacher who's distracting, and it shouldn't prevent a school district from hiring a qualified candidate who's distracting. In other words, a distracting looking teacher does not substantially harm the educational process, right?

So let's be blunt - this is about passing moral judgment on people, it's not about distractions.

[elehhhhna]

130. THAT"S why I posted. Never objected to the distraction per se,

'though now that you mention it...

My experience is that t-piercing, like nipple piercing and lordy knows what-else-piercing, started as a gaysex enhancement that's crossed into the hetero population (sorta like poppers! lol).

I'm going to go out on a fat limb here and say that it's creepy and has a sleazy connotation. A pierced tongue on a professional role model is is not, in my view, appropriate.

[noamnety]

131. More questions

Does it matter in some way if it started as a GAYsex thing that crossed into the hetero population?

[elehhhhna]

135. no but i'm surprised at the number of young women who have or want

pierced nips and are ignorant of its s&m history.

Barbell in the tongue? What's next? Implanted chin dildo?

[Cleita]

93. There was a time a suit with pants for a woman teacher would

have been shocking. I think you need to look at the contents of the package, not how it's wrapped.

[elehhhhna]

97. thank you all. your insights are appreciated, as always.

[nonconformist]

99. Wouldn't bother me at all. I'm tattooed myself.

I'm not into body piercings, personally, but I don't see anything wrong with them. All that would matter to me is that he was a good teacher.

I'd also like to note that as a mother of two sons, what they do with their body and appearance when they are grown is their decision. My only advice to them is to wait until they are grown, consider that altering your appearance dramatically could hamper their career chances and expose them to ridicule by some, and to think long and hard about tattoos because they're permanent. I can't say that I would be happy if they came home as teens with a piercing, but I'd be far more upset about a tattoo - at least with piercings, it's not permanent.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

100. I could care less.

My 10 year wants a green mohawk and I'll probably let him this Summer. He's a great kid who's really smart. External stuff is just that. People experiment with their looks. Not a huge deal to me. Plenty of other things matter more.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

104. What matters is how good of a teacher he is. Personally I find multiple

piercings a bit painful to look at, but I have for a couple of years known a wonderful man who has multiple rings in his eyebrows. I have stopped seeing them though because of who he is. BTW..he teaches flash programming to kids in an after school center.

[LWolf]

105. As a teacher who has had this conversation ad nauseum:

Clothing is not professional. People are professional. It is the education, and how it is used, that makes a person a professional.

Incompetence occurs just as often, (or more often, depending on where you are looking,) in a suit and tie as it does in jeans and a sweat shirt. The obsession with "professional dress" panders to one of the lower common denominators in our culture, in my opinion; the shallow insistence that surface appearance rather than what's underneath determines worth or quality.

Of course, all of that "ornamentation" is also pandering to that same denominator.

"Professional dress" for a teacher means dress appropriate for the job done. That includes clothing that fits well, is clean and in good repair, covers the body of the professional well, and remains neutral. Teachers, in order to maintain professional behavior, remain neutral. "Professional dress" should reflect this, with minimal personal expression. My students don't need to know all of my opinions and preferences, and my clothing is not a statement to anyone; it's just a tool. I don't have to wear a dress or a suit to prove my professional credentials, and I won't.

What is the purpose of all that piercing and cutting? Is it ornamental, or is it making some other statement? Is it a cultural thing? I have pierced ears. It was a cultural thing; everyone had them. I rarely wear earrings; then again, I don't really do jewelry. I find it gets in my way . If I had it to do again, I wouldn't pierce my ears. Why bother, when I don't really enjoy wearing the earrings, and am not impressed by looking at others' earrings, either?

While I find excessive piercing to be distasteful, that's because I equate it with self-mutilation and lack of respect for self. I'm sure that's not the way the "piercees" view it. Where do we draw the line between respect for cultural differences and what is appropriate for classroom display? Is there a clearcut answer to that question?

[elehhhhna]

113. re clothing. Do you think flipflops, stretch-knee pants, baggy tee shirts

are appropriate wear for teachers in general?

[noamnety]

138. absolutely

of course, I'm across the hall from the dance studio, where the teachers and kids are often barefoot, bra straps show out the backs of their leotards in the co-ed classes *gasp* and the teachers (male and female) often wear skin-tight leggings and a skin-tight tank top.

You'd probably hate our school. Sometimes kids rollerblade through the hallway. Sometimes they swing dance in history class - sometimes the history teacher is their partner. She wears baggy teeshirts those days. This week was spring break, and two of the kids called me at 9am (woke me up, dang it) on Tuesday to say they were coming to my house for help with a project. Stayed so long one of them announced they were hungry, ended up making lunch for them, on their way out they asked if they could have a doggy bag. The girl gave me a giant hug on the way out.

You'd probably hate me. I've worn patched jeans to work. Mostly I wear khakis that are too big and have cargo pockets. On occasion I've even worn a bandanna. During one of my two observation/evaluations this year, I taught a class on dadaism. Did the whole thing with a colander on my head.

They never mentioned colanders in our dress code. :)

[LWolf]

140. I love this.

I'll have to mention the colander on the head to one of my boys; he wants a helmet to go with his shield and spear.

:7

[LWolf]

139. It depends.

What are "stretch knee pants?" Like bicycle shorts? I guess I'd be fine with that if I were a PE teacher. I wear shorts in hot weather; usually cotten or linen shorts that rest 4-6 inches above the knee and have pockets.

Tee shirts might be more appropriate baggy than tight, in some cases, but I think I said that clothing should fit well. I don't think a polo shirt, dress shirt, blouse, etc. is somehow more "professional" than a tee shirt. A collar does not make a profession. If the shirt fits well, is clean and in good repair, and does not sport writing or pictures that are less than "neutral," sure. I frequently wear tee shirts to work. They are comfortable, absorb sweat and spills well, and clean up easily in the washing machine without needing special care. They are also inexpensive, and easy to replace if I happen to get ink, paint, glue, mud, grass stains, etc. on them. Clothes that transition well between the classroom and the field are essential, imo. I spend time with my students in both places. I have both long-sleeved and short-sleeved school tee shirts, with school colors and logo, that I wear much of the time.

Flip-flops? It depends. I think teachers should have the same dress code as students. If students can wear them, then teachers should be able to wear them as well. If students can't wear tongue studs, then neither should teachers. Whatever the school or district dress code, it should apply to all. Just my take, after having taught K-8 over my career. I'm wearing flip-flops every day to school next week; my 6th graders have carefully informed me that it's no longer appropriate to refer to them as "thongs," as that term now refers to something else. Why are we wearing them? We are completing a simulation on Ancient Greece, and wearing chitons and sandals...homemade so that there is no cost involved. My flipflops stand in for "sandals." I don't wear them regularly; neither do I wear dress shoes. I usually wear clean canvas sneakers (they can be washed in the washing machine), even under a rare dress. I have been known to wear flat pumps, hiking boots, riding boots, and snow boots as well. It depends on the season, weather conditions, and what I expect to be doing.

[DrunkenMaster]

106. what does your prejudice have to do with

the talent and passion of the substitute?

[TheBaldyMan]

107. It's a fashion thing, I advise young folks that if they must get a

body-mod to get someplace where it won't show. I am in my forties and over past decades have come in for a surprising amount of prejudice for having a single piercing in my left earlobe. It's the only thing I've ever had done, not even a tattoo.

Please try to understand that the younger generation won't think those piercings are outrageous at all.

[cynatnite]

108. As long as he's not saying 'you should do it, too'...

I'm okay with it if he's good at what he does.

It got her attention and I bet she remembers what he taught, too. Not a bad thing, IMO.

[hexola]

116. I always thought it was a sex, SM, thing...

Arent theses tounge things just low-key sex toys...?

[noamnety]

121. Are you really comfortable deciding other people's motivations?

I've posted a number of links upthread talking about VARIOUS reasons people get tongue piercings.

Yet some folks here have decided that their personal opinion concerning people's motivation overrides the direct statements of the people themselves.

Why is that?

[hexola]

123. personal motivations vs cultural origins...

apples and oranges...

[Maddy McCall]

114. Don't those tongue barbells cause speech problems?

Just can't see how they wouldn't get in the way in a class in which any sort of lecture is given. My friends who have tongue piercings admit that it affects their speech--and it's easy to hear when you talk to them.

I teach, and I'm no prude. I'm talking about it from the aspect of speaking to the kids. The ear notch bothers me none.

[elehhhhna]

115. she said he had a lisp, but "they" wrote that off as a sign of gayness...

which didn't seem to bother them --


Cool.

[noamnety]

124. depends in part on the location

If it's too far forward, it can interfere with the vocal sounds that use the tongue against the teeth. The farther back it is, the less that's an issue (and the less it messes up tooth enamel).

[Kerrytravelers]

132. I'm a teacher. I have several earrings in my ears. Never had a parent

tell me suddenly their kids wanted a ton of earrings. However, because I also am a damn great elementary math and reading teacher and I force kids to take responsibility in their learning, I've had a ton of parents tell me their kid is doing better than they ever had before. I am very unorthodox in my teaching approach, and perhaps my jewelry and car window covered in Democratic and liberal stickers is a different approach than others would take, but it has never deterred my ability to do my job.

This guy may not look as you picture a teacher to look, but if the kids are responding to him, and he knows what the hell he's doing, sub or not, I think it's great. Subs need to be qualified and knowledgeable so the classroom continues in an ordinary fashion and not become a chaotic madhouse while the regular teacher is away.

[readmoreoften]

133. Thanks for reminding me why I don't teach high school.

Lately, people have been encouraging me to teach high school because the pay is better. By the end of the year, I'll have a Ph.D. and two master's degrees. I currently teach college freshman. I would never teach in a high school because I would never base my career in a field where parents routinely gather with torches to root out decent teachers whose fashion sense differs from their own, or who happen to be sexual minorities, or who teach them "devil worshipping" by making them watch an opera based on Faust.

Maybe you should just be happy that your kid had a substitute who actually taught her something and focus your attention on more important things.

Keep complaining about nothing and you'll get the school that you deserve.

[libnnc]

137. *sound of raucous applause*

Bully well done!

::applause:

[WindRavenX]

134. I will be a teacher soon and I have tats and piercings

I am a biology teacher. Should I just not teach?

Yeesh some of the attitudes on this thread made me sad :(

[Ilsa]

136. This person might identify with the students a little better, though. eom

[davidinalameda]

141. one of my ex-partners is a school teacher in West Virgina

and he has multiple earrings, shaved head and lots of tats but those aren't visible.

I don't think that he removes his earrings when he teaches

he's always one of the top teachers in his school and he's openly gay as well