We all wear tattoos as teachers. Some are metaphorical, and some are very visible. They are the permanent marks that make up who we are. They’re the scars we earn adventuring. They’re the wrinkles and graying hairs we get from worrying about our students. And, sometimes, they’re literal tattoos. Regardless of how we carry them, our experiences change us—and the students we teach—forever.

This book explores the surprising connections between two sometimes overlooked art forms and the ways both impact identity. Here, tattoos are not only the body art that we all know, they also represent the way that students and teachers permanently weave who they are onto one another through their daily interactions. Award-winning teacher, poet, and author Mike Johnston marshals his own classroom experience, other teacher voices from all over the world, and yes, even his own tattoos, to make a compelling case for educators—tattooed or not—to be their most authentic selves with their students.

Teaching Is a Tattoo is also a beautiful photo gallery of the tattoos that teachers have and the meanings behind them, as well as a workbook containing many ready-to-use activities sure to be helpful to teachers, PD facilitators, and administrators. This book shows that identity is one of the most powerful tools educators have, and it helps them explore and embrace their own attributes and to proudly wear them, as one does with their favorite tattoo.