At A Glance Author Erynn-Elisabeth M. Contact [email protected] IAM erynnelisabeth When N/A To be Young, Gifted and Modified
- An Examination of the Public Education System's Values.
By: Erynn-Elisabeth M.
As a small child I grew up in an upper-middle-class family. I was adept in school, had perfect attendance, and was involved in student council and chorus. I attended dance classes, music lessons, and art classes. I was a girl scout. I rode my bike in the street and played with Barbie Dolls. I was a happy kid. I achieved excellent grades in high school, volunteered my time to teaching second graders the French language, and helped children who couldn't speak English begin to learn in an English-speaking school. I scored above average on my SATs, and went to college for a B.A. in fine arts. I am active in my religion, and have dedicated time to help others through charity and volunteer work, through my temple. Sounds respectable to you, no?
I began modifying my body at the age of sixteen. Since then I've become quite accustomed to stares, rude comments, and people not taking me seriously because of the fact that I do not look like them. I cannot tell you how many job interviews I've gone to, and upon walking out of the door, knew they wouldn't call me back, despite my credentials, my impeccable personal skills, and my dedication. Granted, I may have chosen to look like this, but if it is the only way I feel comfortable, myself, why is it so wrong to appear this way? I am not hurting people or pushing my values in their faces; I am simply a product of my own self-expression. If it is perfectly acceptable to put rings in your ears, why not in your nose, or anywhere else for that matter?
When I was sixteen years old I ventured into the world of body piercing. I had my navel and my tongue pierced. I never made a conscious effort to show my classmates or to 'look cool' because of it, it simply wasn't my nature. One morning I was called into the office of our headmistress who told me that someone had seen I had a tongue piercing, and this was strictly against school rules (of which there were none- no policy regarding body jewelry was ever in effect). I would have to remove it or leave. At sixteen I didn't understand the concept that this woman was telling me was: I had no right to a public education because of the simple fact that there was something different about me. All the years of perfect attendance, of volunteering, of attaining grades that were above average meant nothing: in short, my entire future rested on a tiny 14 gauge tongue bar. A piece of metal she claimed was so distracting that I would have to remove it or leave the school for good o r else nobody would be able to learn. She threatened to make me come into her office before school every day to make sure the offending piece of metal was not in my mouth. I had the choice: remove the tongue bar- which, at the time seemed to be my only control over my body at the time, or to conform and take it out- and feel incomplete. What did I do? I left that particular school and never looked back. I finished high school elsewhere.
The education system is a joke, it would seem. We overpay our 'entertainers' who instill nothing in our children (besides insecurities about themselves), and do not shape our future in any significant way, and yet our teachers teach our children everything, prepare them for their entire life, yet are receiving a wage which is substandard. The public school systems of the West, despite what anyone says, focus purely on discipline rather than education. 'As long as little Johnny looks like everyone else, it doesn't matter if he can't read'. We focus so much on making everyone the same for reasons like: it prevents bullying, and poor kids don't feel worse off than the rich (which still happens, just in different ways that are equally detrimental to self-esteem), that we forget to embrace the differences which make us unique. Children are going to face the real world eventually: where there are rich and poor, where there are bullies in many forms. Why are we not concerned about addressing these issues in a way which is not restrictive of people's personal expression? Because it's simply not the way we do things. We could address the real issue- actually working with bullies and the bullied to sort out the real reasons behind it- but it's just easier to restrict people and then say: 'we're doing everything we can'.
We condemn stereotyping in America. Non-Semitic children in Nazi Germany were taught in schools that lack of resemblance to the social norm of the time- the so-called 'Aryan race', was wrong. Are we any better for telling our children they can't look a certain way because it isn't socially acceptable? Why are we spending our time and money on instituting disciplinary policies in schools that don't work? Why don't we take that money and effort and put it towards our children's minds rather than their appearances? Society teaches us that what's on the outside counts, and what's inside is secondary to that. It comes as no surprise that our teenage girls are more interested in looking like Britney or Christina so that they will receive attention from boys, than doing well in school or going to university. Schools are for learning. Not teaching children what is considered normal in terms of appearance. If children are truly distracted by another pupil's new nose ring or b lue hair, then what will they do when they encounter the real world where everyone isn't the same? Why aren't we helping this 'distracted' child work towards ignoring distractions and getting on with their work? Because it's easier to find a scapegoat and blame them rather than looking at the real reasons, that's why.
People are people. Whether you have twenty piercings or none, full sleeves or an ink-free body, blue hair or brown, the person you are inside is one hundred times more important than any outward appearance you project. The education system needs to focus on what's inside of our children, rather than what's painted, pierced, dyed, or tattooed on the outside. Despite the education system's attempts to oust me, I have succeeded against the odds and become an intelligent, successful, and open minded individual. To the young adults who are modified and wish simply to learn without hindrance, good luck to you. Remember, by letting them force you into conformity, they're winning. By being yourself and proving that you are just as intelligent, worthwhile, and wonderful as everyone else, you can help change things for the better. Despite what society thinks, it's okay to be young, gifted and modified.