I must say a cheers to the education profession.
Before this, I must state that I am, in fact, a teacher.
That being said, I toast my profession because, similar to the sensibilities of those who employ lab technicians, tattoo artists, and baristas amongst other things, teaching is one of the few jobs in which it is acceptable to be bearded. That is not to say that other fields are not catching up, but it seems that I hear a good deal of hullabaloo about those with potentially moderate to rather massive beards being forced to leave work and return quite closely shorn the subsequent day.This is not the case with education, or so I understand it is not. As I am evidence of, I was hired with a good two months of growth already under my belt, or, for a better analogy, beyond the razor. And I was hired with not a single mention of my vermillion companion and its future at the company.
It seems rather antiquated an idea to force a bearded man to shave his proud achievement for the sake of conforming to some norm that, in essence, is relatively new. Beards were much more widely accepted and actually a sign of masculinity, not uncleanliness and lack of caring. Now, that is not to say that I do not understand why a business may suggest a bearded man trim up and clean up the scraggliness of his beard, especially if in the public view, such as in a retail sort of field. However, oftentimes it seems those suggesting they are being told to get rid of it are working in an office, with little to no social interaction with anyone outside of that office.
Now, my students certainly react in interesting ways, showing a deep interest in my beard. But I have not once been told by anyone besides some joking students that I should be rid of it. In fact, my beard seems nothing more than accepted. And this is something I celebrate.
To education! To beards!
This Bearding Life 