Henrico considers dress code for teachers

“If someone wants a job in the corporate world they need to look the part”

Not necessarily true (I’m living Proof), but in slight support of your statement, it may help you to get a job, but certainly will not help you keep one.

Like I said, If you are good enough at what you do, your looks no longer matter

Jack,
That all started with your simpleminded views of how the perfect world should be. You singled out tattooed and pierced individuals a repulsive and non capable of raising children, and your failure to realize that your own statements contradicted themselves ( i.e. “Just because you went to high school, college and are a self-proclaimed professional has nothing at all to do with your moral makeup, ethics or any other attributes needed to live in a civilized society.“)

I was simply stating the relevance of your opinions to historical events and figures. Yo see things went a little beyond the “Dress Code Issue” when you made statements like “There are many who haven’t evolved still practicing their voodoo, inserting rings in their lower lip to stretch it to the size of a plate, carve rows in their skin to create scars, hang weights from their penis to stretch it, cut out female genitals. The list of mutilations goes on and on. If people want to mutilate themselves fine just don’t force the rest of us to have to look at it. Employers are right when they refuse to hire them or make them cover them out of sight. After all they are the employers and can make the rules their employees have to follow. Simple for a “professional” to understand I would think.“ Although tattooing lacks a racial boundary, your apparent dislike of “tattooed” people is quite similar, your “keep them out of sight” method would be similar to the view that Hitler had of the Jewish people. Perhaps you should refer to us who have chosen to be tattooed as “Colored Folks”, I certainly wouldn’t mind, it would be quite an accurate description of me anyway, much more accurate than your prior description of unfit to raise and teach children (by the way my wife and myself have 4 honor students). You see Jack, your a typical crotchety bigot who solely bases their opinion on appearence.

Buy hey if it make you feel superior here is my description moderately tattooed (former tattooist (15 years ago), with slightly graying hair half way down my back, with one pierced ear which (oh you’ll love this) was done on the school bus with a sewing needle about 25 years ago, but if that fails make you feel all warm and fuzzy, I did get drunk one night and tattoo “Your Name” on the side of my penis, but hey I least I won the bet and went on to be a successful professional in the construction industry, and I’ve never lost track of my roots… You see Jack, If you forget where you came from, you will likely never make it where you are headed…
But anyway, just why were you looking down your grandson’s teachers shirt in the first place? That’s a bit perverted from listening to you I would think that someone that would take part in those types of activities would most certainly have a tattoo and a few piercings…. Would you like me to suggest a good parlor for you?

Jack,
With all due respect, I wholeheartedly disagree with any form of dress code. Our children need to learn from the experiences and surroundings in which they encounter. Teachers should be aware of this and should be intelligent enough to understand that they are dealing with a very diverse group when they walk into their classroom, just as the children need to learn that teachers are people as well and that they all have different qualities and personalities. Asking teachers to dress a little on the conservative side is one thing, but an outright ban on blue jeans, sneakers, tattoos or an occasional piercing is quite another. Our kids need to learn that in the future when they make the choices that they choose to make their are consequences that can be both positive and negative. You are correct about one issue, that being that if you look a bit different or out of the mainstream that people will look at you differently, well jack this is human nature, human nature is a cruel thing at times, just think it was human nature that lead to slavery (i.e. laziness was covered by a large group of people directing a smaller group of people that looked a bit different to do their work for them), Nazism (i.e. on a promise of prosperity from an insane leader, an entire country was brainwashed into believing that the elimination of a race/religion would make the world a better place to be) and the list goes back throughout recorded history. The natural tendency for humans to “want to fit in” or “be like one another” has caused chaos in parallel with religious arguments since the beginning of time. So I praise anyone who has the guts to stand out in a crowd, even if its a small butterfly tattoo hidden beneath a bikini line, people should have the guts to be their own person, and yes the more you stand out the harder it tends to be to succeed, and I’ll grant you that many fail, but those that take the long road to get there understand what it took to get there and tend to have a better appreciation of themselves and their achievements, along with those that their constituents have achieved. You see Jack, clothes or lack of tattoos do not make the person, the person makes it and their are the good, the bad and the ugly out there some have tattoos, some wear suits, heck, some have bones stuck through their noses. but the appearance has no more to do with the actual person than their religion, or their skin color, or the type of car or motorcycle they drive. Because if you are good enough at what you do, it doesn’t matter what you look like.

“Just because you went to high school, college and are a self-proclaimed professional has nothing at all to do with your moral makeup, ethics or any other attributes needed to live in a civilized society.“

OK Jack, with that being said and coming from your mouth / keyboard, then would it not also be fair to say…

Just because you went wear jeans, have a tongue piercing and a fully tattooed sleeve has nothing at all to do with your moral makeup, ethics or any other attributes needed to live in a civilized society.

you see Jack, your asinine bigotry prevents you from contemplating the reality of life. If you don’t wish to see what surrounds you its simple, don’t look. Its called the freedom of expression and choice. For example some folks like a certain genre of movie while others cant stand them, and there is a simple solution they do not watch them. You should give that a try. you would likely be much less troubled.

Posted by ( 123456 ) on July 17, 2009 at 11:26 am

Jack…No offense, but your remarks suggest that you were in high school many, many years ago.  Since when does tattoos and piercings show what type of raising I had?  Lets see, I went to high school, college, and have a great job.  I’m mature, professional, own a home, a car…you’re absolutely correct, I must not have had ANY guidance as a child

Just because you went to high school, college and are a self-proclaimed professional has nothing at all to do with your moral makeup, ethics or any other attributes needed to live in a civilized society.

There are many who haven’t evolved still practicing their voodoo, inserting rings in their lower lip to stretch it to the size of a plate, carve rows in their skin to create scars, hang weights from their penis to stretch it, cut out female genitals. The list of mutilations goes on and on. If people want to mutilate themselves fine just don’t force the rest of us to have to look at it. Employers are right when they refuse to hire them or make them cover them out of sight. After all they are the employers and can make the rules their employees have to follow. Simple for a “professional” to understand I would think.

This fad has no place in the professional world including schools.