Teacher Banned From Working With Children Under Six After Causing Nightmares

Daniel Mitchell-Benoit
Sylvain Helaine,
Getty | CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

Looking back on our childhoods, we can likely all remember one teacher we found scary. Whether it be for their strict lessons or otherwise, teachers like that stick our in our memories for decades to come.

One man was deemed 'too scary' to be a teacher to young kids for a rather unorthodox reason: his looks. Though, once you see him, maybe you could understand how kids might find him scary.

Sylvain Helaine is a primary teacher in the U.K.

A headshot of Sylvain Helaine.
Getty | CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

And he has been for over a decade now. However, he also has a notable, second passion in his life, and that's his tattoos.

He's covered head-to-toe in ink, even going so far as to tattoo his eyeballs black, giving him a distinct, almost inhuman look.

It's an aspect of his life he's very dedicated to.

Someone giving a tattoo.
Unsplash | José Pinto

He's spent over £52,000, or $65,000, on his ink, and he guesses he's spent roughly 460 hours getting tattooed.

Because of his unique appearance and prevalence in the tattooing community, he has an Instagram following of almost 100k under the name Freaky Hoody.

Recently, it seems his involvement with tattooing has thrown a wrench into his work as a teacher.

A children's classroom.
Unsplash | CDC

He was working near Paris at the time when he was told he'd no longer be able to work with nursery age kids, or any child under 6.

This was because of a complaint received by parents of a three-year-old child who said he'd had a nightmare caused by Helaine's appearance.

He seemed fine with the change, as he's allowed to continue to teach older children.

Sylvain Helaine.
Getty | CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

His only comment was a recount of the situation. "One three-year-old boy apparently had a nightmare after seeing me. He complained to his parents and they wrote a letter to my hierarchy saying that I was a radicalised man."

He thinks it does kids good to be taught by someone who looks like him.

Sylvain Helaine.
Getty | CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

As he told BFM TV, "Children who see me learn tolerance of others. When they are adults, they may be less likely to be racist or homophobic, and they will not look at disabled people as if they were something from a circus."

h/t: Daily Record