Elementary School Teacher Receives Anonymous Letter Asking Him To Cover His Tattoo
By Sidra Lackey
Aaron Pratt, a 4th grade teacher at Scholar Academy Charter School in Tooele County, Utah, recently received an anonymous letter at his school asking him to, “cover up all of your tattoo and not talk about them around school this year.” The harsh message goes on to say that if Pratt talks about his tattoo around kids, “you will be looking for a new job.”
Pratt posted the letter to his Facebook page with a response addressing the issues of the irked anonymous writer:
“I’ve decided the positive that can come from it is awareness. If you’ve ever wondered why good teachers are leaving the profession, take a good look at this. (No, I’m not planning on leaving.) There is not a teacher shortage in America. There is a respect shortage. Let me say that again for the people in the back. There is not a teacher shortage. There are plenty of highly qualified teachers in America who have left the profession because there’s just not enough respect. Hug a teacher today. Tell them that you value them and respect the hard work they put into the future of our world.”
What was it about the tattoo Pratt has that got the writer of the anonymous letter so riled up? Pratt’s tattoo isn’t NSFW. He has a relatively small colorful butterfly tattoo with the phrase,“You matter” underneath it. His tattoo is only visible on his arm if not covered. Pratt told KSL 5 TV, that he has “multiple tattoos” but they are hidden and that his newest butterfly tattoo is “attention-getting.” He explains the deep meaning behind the tattoo causing a stir, "The butterfly being a symbol of kind of a new life and rebirth, the teal and purple are the suicide prevention colors, the semicolon is a symbol within the suicide prevention community.”
Pratt also continued in his KSL 5 TV interview, "I harbor no ill will toward whoever it is who wrote this letter, that wasn't my purpose for sharing it," he said. "I just wanted to get the word out ... if what I'm doing, if my share on Facebook, or if talking with you helps even one parent decide to handle a situation in a different way, it was worth it.” Pratt also shared in a Facebook post that he is, “calling for Post Malone to come hang out. What do you think? Can we get him to come show support to our Utah schools?”
Aaron Pratt seems like a really cool teacher, and the fact he is vocal about defending his tattoos makes him even more of a stand-up teacher. Him (or any teacher teaching minors) having tattoos shouldn’t be a concern as long as the tattoos, if displayed, are suitable for children to see. Tattoo collectors, for those of you who are teachers, have you ever experienced bias at your school because of your tattoos?