Getting a tattoo is not an easy decision... even if it's a conscious one. These are some of the stories behind teachers' tattoos.

Date - October 6th 2006. | Mr. Constantini

This tattoo represents a life-changing date when this teacher decided to quit his job at pharmaceutical sales to continue teaching - a decision that was not easy. By this point, this teacher got rid of everything except his bed in his large NYC apartment by offering it to people then he began to do hardcore 40-degree yoga 7 days a week. The tattoo became a reminder to have gratitude.

Data Points on a Map | Mr. Constantini

The first data point is this teacher's address in Brooklyn, followed by his address in South Korea. The two are “kind of connected” because they represent when he moved from one to the other. He plans on expanding this tattoo and getting more coordinates of other places he has traveled to in the past.

Person Meditating | Mr. Constantini

When he lived in Istanbul, he decided to get what is “supposed to be a person meditating”. He went to get it done with a famous artist in Istanbul along with his wife. Let’s just say, that the service wasn’t the best and it was not long before this teacher left the parlour by using a fake call as an excuse. He later had it finished in Guadalajara and even decided to add a Buddhist symbol.The unique design represents life’s journey.

Mountains | Mr. Alvarez

After a decade of thinking and deciding what his first tattoo will be, he settled on an industrial design that represents sustainability and self-starting. The half-sleeve started with a piece that expressed an idea of what is change, roots, and mortality. The tattoo is made up of a combination of sugar skulls, Venezuela’s national flower - the orchid and the sea to represent beauty.

“La Vie Est Belle” | Ms. Garza

The phrase life is beautiful in french was the perfect tattoo for this teacher as she speaks french and had always thought about getting a phrase. The meaning (which has nothing to do with the movie) was important to her because she was going through a rough time when she decided to get it. The tattoo is a reminder that life is beautiful and has meaning.

4 Birds Flying | Ms. Garza

This teacher wanted to get a tattoo that represented her family (herself and her two kids) along with hope and freedom. It started as 3 birds flying, however, she did not like how it looked and decided to add a fourth bird which has no meaning.

Rose | Ms. Zuloaga

At the moment, the tattoo represented what life meant to her, passion in the sense of how you live your life. “You have bright colours but spikes at the same time”. She had thought about it since the age of 18. “If the idea is still in my head for 2-3 years about how I would get it, I think it’s time”. She decided to go to the parlour alone because she likes to confront situations that make her nervous alone. At first, her dad reacted negatively due to the common stereotypes tattoos might impose but later opened up after hearing her point of view.

Figures | Ms. Zuloaga

The idea of this tattoo came from her husband when she decided that she wanted a tattoo that represented her family without having them written out. She went to the parlour alone and had it designed in the spot. Her dad had a negative reaction telling her “It was crooked”.

“Love” | Ms. Zuloaga

Her mother used to write letters to this teacher in Spanish and she would always sign it with “Love, Mom.” The tattoo is an actual replica from one of her letters so that she could have the word tattooed in her handwriting. The tattoo is a way of having her mom present and it was the first time her dad positively reacted to her tattoos saying that he thought it was pretty.

Airplane | Ms. Hogan

This design was hand-drawn by this teacher herself. It is one of her favorites and symbolizes how she goes where the wind takes her. This time, she came into the parlor more confident and asked for it to be printed and resized to get it just right.

Pi Symbol | Ms. Hogan

She accompanied her friends to the parlor without the intention of getting a tattoo, but then decided she wanted a subtle one in white ink.  The tattoo is of the mathematical symbol, Pi. The design symbolizes being a math teacher and how she did not start as a math teacher, but has brought her many opportunities.

Aquarius Symbol | Ms. Hogan

This tattoo is one of the first tattoos she had wanted to get and decided to get it during a trip to Puerto Escondido. The setting was fitting since she was in a surf town and it was one of her favorite places. She was with a teacher that was also getting a tattoo and admired the artist.

Arabic Writing | Ms. Summers

The writing portrays the phrase “whatever will be will be” in Arabic. She got it while she was working overseas in Bahrain and wanted a tattoo that represented how she was overcoming everything at that school. “I was 23 and I wanted a tattoo and lived in the Gulf at the time,” she says. Her family, however, was disappointed with her decision as they had never liked them. Making the decision was harder than the rest of her tattoos as it was her first, she described it “Like taking the plunge”.

The Hogwarts Castle | Ms. Summers

“People think it’s a church,” she says. This tattoo is a drawing of the Hogwarts Castle from Harry Potter. The book series is the first she ever liked to read and it influenced her entire life, “Harry Potter means everything to me”.

“live in the sunshine. swim in the sea. drink the wild air” | Ms. Summers

This quote by American writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, had caught the attention of this teacher as she liked the way it sounded and the idea of living in the world and being outside. “I think that it’s a nice quote and also I just wanted another tattoo,'' she explains. She did not want the design it to be so long but she otherwise the words wouldn't be legible.

Stars From the Harry Potter Chapter Pages | Ms. Summers

“I think some people take tattoos very seriously,” she says. Two of her friends were going to get tattoos and she wanted to “go-with”. She wanted a design that was small and cute so she decided to go with one that she had previously seen on Pinterest and Instagram. 

Palm Tree and Pine Tree | Ms. Summers

“I just wanted another tattoo… I got home from work and I was like, I'm going to go get a tattoo today”. She had the idea since her parent’s backyard had a lot of pine trees because they live in the Northwoods and everywhere she lived while teaching internationally has had palm trees that represent where she has been and where she is.