Recently, Timberland High's first year principal Winston Rogers censored an informative school newspaper article about tattoos. Principal Rogers' decision interests me for many reasons, primarily, because I believe that high school censorship will lead to many unanticipated consequences. I am also interested in tattoos, freedom of expression and student media. This week in Washington DC, one of my workshops at the national JEA (Journalism Educators Association) conference will discuss how visual journalists can use new technology to tell interesting stories. I wonder how students will tell stories when their student newspapers are no longer places to practice free speech.
Before I discuss my concerns further, I want to empathize with Principal Rogers. Being a principal is difficult, especially being a first year principal. He didn't realize censoring a school publication would cause controversy, and to be fair, if he had not stopped the story, a small group of parents might have caused just as much controversy. I also want to acknowledge that most people avoid controversy, even people who have tattoos. Most people with tattoos conceal them, and only a spouse, doctor or mortician will see a person's tattoo.
I imagine Principal Rogers feels lonely too. Since he became a principal, he probably has fewer friends, and the friends that he gained this week could turn on him quickly. Some of these new friends mistakenly believe that he is the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper. Other new supporters believe that he creates school policies. With new friends like this....
Because he is a principal, I judged him before he took the job; I rarely consider the difficulty involved in being a principal. Principals must avoid controversies to keep their jobs, and I do not think that Principal Rogers expected that a tattoo story could derail his future. I also never considered that he might have asked his supervisor, assistant superintendent Melody Marcantonio, for advice. Now Principal Rogers is stuck dealing with the consequences. Perhaps Dr. Marcantonio is hiding behind Principal Rogers... possibly Dr. Marcantonio is trying to save her job. Unfortunately, we do not know. Administrators seem more comfortable hiding their opinions... just like the rest of us.
Until I spent time around people who have tattoos, I was uncomfortable with "ink." Surprisingly, most people who have tattoos are very similar to Principal Rogers or Melody Marcantonio. Most people who have tattoos are quite normal. Most people with tattoos are afraid of controversy, or similar to the women who had their children's name tattooed onto their body as a reminder of what they lost. They wear the tattoos proudly, but privately. Some get "inked" to express their faith; some express their love for their spouse or children. Often, people with tattoos choose when they reveal their forms of expression. In America, we value freedom of expression; we also value the freedom to express ourselves quietly. Tattoos are part of this tradition.
The people who operate tattoo shops are quite normal too, at least at the shops I photographed. One was run by a former marine who employed several people. The other was owned by a former successful video game art director.
Quietly supporting the First Amendment is easy. It seems like the polite thing to do, and many of us are polite. We don't want to offend our friends who watch Glenn Beck or Keith Olberman. But too often, I feel like the character in the old Stealers Wheel song,
"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am
Stuck in the middle with you"
And so today, I feel stuck in the middle with Principal Rogers. I am afraid of controversy too, and afraid that people will think less of me, because I am annoyed by the jokers to the right and clowns to the left.
As an educator, I am more worried what our students will learn from the clowns and jokers. I worry that our students will learn to yell louder and become more outrageous. And, in a world where print publications are fading, I worry that students will start using blogs and websites to create their own controversy. When this happens, Principal Rogers will be blamed too. He will lose his job, and we will be given someone worse.
Tattoo High School - Images by bryan farley
Note about the photos: The photos are age appropriate for a high school audience; I have also respected the privacy of the subjects, though this might lessen the impact of some photos.
Often, tattoo artists are quickly dismissed. They are not considered artists; they are not considered professionals who handle delicate and intimate situations gracefully. As an educator, I understand how it can be difficult to change my own preconceptions. I imagine that has happened with Dr. Marcantonio and Principal Rogers. Sometimes, it is difficult to see past our own bias.
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