A tattooed schoolteacher has been prevented from teaching at a French kindergarten after a parent complained he scared their child.
(Daily Mail) Sylvain Helaine, whose body is covered in tattoos and had the whites of his eyes surgically turned black, was teaching at the Docteur Morere Elementary School in Palaiseau, a suburb of Paris, last year when the parents of a three-year-old complained to educational authorities.
They said their son, who was not taught by Helaine, had nightmares after seeing him.
Sylvain Helaine was teaching at the Docteur Morere Elementary School in Palaiseau, a suburb of Paris, last year when the parents of a three-year-old complained to educational authorities
The parents argued that their young son, who was not taught by Helaine, had nightmares after seeing him
Helaine, who was born in Paris, got his first ink when he was 27 and has since spent over £35,000 and around 460 hours under the tattooists’ needle.
‘I think the decision they took was quite sad… All of my students and their parents were always cool with me because basically, they knew me,’ he added.
Helaine, who was born in Paris, got his first ink when he was 27 and has since spent over £35,000 and around 460 hours under the tattooists’ needle
He said he started getting tattoos when, while teaching at a private school in London, he had an ‘existential crisis’
Helaine, who has had his tongue tattooed and the whites of his eyes surgically turned black, said he would stick with his chosen career despite the setbacks
‘It’s only when people see me from far away that they can assume the worst.’
A spokesman for the local education authority said an agreement was reached with Helaine to move him away from teaching kindergarten.
Pupils under six ‘could be frightened by his appearance’, the spokesman said.
Helaine said he would stick with his chosen career despite the setbacks. ‘I’m a primary school teacher… I love my job.’
A spokesman for the local education authority said an agreement was reached with Helaine (pictured) to move him away from teaching kindergarten
Helanie has spent more than £35,000 covering his body in tattoos and getting the whites of his eyes surgically turned black
He said he hoped to show his pupils that they should accept people who are different from the norm.
