I've just recently gotten my nose pierced. A tiny little stud in my right nostril. A subtle modification, by no means shocking save for the fact that I am a seventh grade teacher. In Indiana. Not exactly the ideal work setting for a modified person.
At A Glance Author Moon-Fairy Contact [email protected] IAM moon-fairy When N/A My modifications are not extreme. A partially finished back piece and a splash of other random tattoos on the ankles, feet and stomach, my pierced tragus and now my nose. Rather benign when using BME as a reference point, but nonetheless quite striking in this small Midwestern community. This is a place where the modified are stereotyped as belonging to the under educated and lower class. Sure, our numbers are growing, but we are still a minority, something to stop and stare at. People still move out of our way when we walk down the street. Acceptance of my mods has been minimal and I have been called a "tattoo freak" more than once.
As a teacher, I find it prudent to keep most of my tattoos under wraps. Of course my ankles still peek out under skirts and an occasional flash of my lower back makes an appearance when I reach to write on the chalkboard, and for this I make no apologies. I still manage to appear quite conservative, which has its benefits when dealing with students, parents and administration. However, conservatism is subjective and not surprisingly, I have acquired the status of a bit of a cult hero amongst my students. I am the closest thing that they see of youth culture. Youth being the time to rebel, try on new identities and form the foundations of at least a transient sense of self. In a field still dominated by older, hip heavy, bespeckled, gray haired women, I shine in my difference. But it is not for the modifications alone. Great verbiage is given in education classes to fostering students independence, creativity and their desire to learn. The truth is far more stark . What is important is standardized test scores. Can you teach to the test? Of course I can. Yet, despite the administrative belief that my job is to teach mathematics and grammar, I concentrate far more than my school board would like on creative thinking and individuality. And I am the prime example. I do not fit in with the other teachers. Combine my youth with my mods and sometimes less-than-ordinary classroom tactics and what you get, in this field, is an outcast.
I chose this career because I liked school. I liked teachers that made me think. I hoped I could return the gifts that those few important teachers gave to me by being someone that students could turn to. An advocate of individualtiy and acceptance. Of course, I am no character from "Dead Poet's Society," "Lean on Me" or "Dangerous Minds." My flaws are numerous and I continue to learn and improve each year that passes. I wonder, perhaps, if even my staunch stance on individuality is, at times, a hindrance as well. Nevertheless, my goal is to create a classroom atmosphere that embraces each student's own particular brand of wierdness and releases back into society human beings that look past stereotypes towards the personalities they find within the shells. I am the first step for them. They come to me with many of the same preconceived notions that their parents have about tattoos and piercings. I can state with great assurance and plenty of pride that when thei r time with me is through, I know that they have learned that at least one person was more than met the eye.
Though my rebellion remains within "the system," I have carved my own path. That is why the students like me. They have a nonconformist in their midst in the years that conformity is so important. I show them that being different is alright. Even fun. I try to help them take the edge off of adolescence and their own search for self by inviting them with me on my journey. Together we learn to learn and still manage to shake things up a bit. So we have drumming circles during our unit on Africa and we learn to sing Silent Night in Swahili. We take breath breaks, practice positive affirmations and dance from time to time. We write creatively everyday. Sure we add and subtract and make sure we understand our prepositional phrases, I want to send my students away prepared for high school and ultimately, college, we just do it a little differently than the rest of the school. Suddenly individuality becomes important.
I enter this next school year with a little trepidation. What will the principal think of my pierced nose? Will any parents complain? Will it be a huge distraction to the students? Regardless, I will walk through the doors of one of the largest organized establishments of conformity in America, maybe the world, with my head held high. Through example, help trench a path of independence for each child that passes through my doors.