Last year, as she has done annually for the past five years, English teacher Mrs. Shelton offered an incentive to her Junior students; if they earned an 80 percent passing rate on the Junior Literacy Exam, they could choose her hairstyle.
Shelton calls this incentive “Locks for Literacy.” None of Shelton’s previous classes had been able to rise to the expectation and hold up their end of the deal, but this year was a different story. Not only did the students pass, but they beat this projected goal by one percent, coming to a grand total of an 81 percent passing rate.
During the fifth week of school, Mrs. Shelton carried out her promise. The senior class was invited to the gym to gaze on as Mrs. Shelton’s cascading brown hair paid the price for her gamble. The students had held up their end of the deal, now it was her turn.
“It wasn’t hard for me to follow through because I admired the dedication that my students gave me last year,” said Shelton.
Senior Saraya Dodd was among the juniors Shelton challenged last year who got to choose her hairstyle, and had no doubt that Mrs. Shelton would hold up her end of the deal.
“After getting to know Mrs. Shelton and knowing her character, I knew she would go through with it. I don’t think she expected it to happen, but I knew if it did, she would,” said Dodd.
Shelton’s decision to follow through was met with support from her sister, Jana Kaiser, and the rest of her family.
“We [her family] all know she’s the kind of person who always does what she says she is going to do, so we embraced it with her! I was totally nervous for her, but we looked at pictures of the haircut and decided she would rock it no matter what,” said Kaiser.
In order to prepare for her new hairstyle, Shelton got her ears pierced and a tattoo on the back of her neck. She was fully committed. After the cut was completed, Shelton was accompanied by her mother, sister, and friends to the hair salon to get her new look dyed.
By the end of the day, Shelton’s hair had underwent a drastic transformation. What once was brown was now electric blue and molded into a mohawk, with the words “Wild” and “Cats” shaved into either side. The junior class can be held responsible for this metamorphosis.
“Honestly, when I first found out she was going to do it I felt really bad. But then I realized that Har-Ber is going to remember her for forever now, she’s basically a legend,” said Dodd.
While she may be a “legend” within the school, the outside world responded a little differently.
“At Wal-Mart and driving in my car it’s a different story. I just think it’s interesting how society wants to stereotype you based on your appearance. I never really had a chance to deal with that. Short white girl, long hair, nothing really stands out,” said Shelton.
When it came time to view her transformation for herself, which happened to be in a selfie, all Shelton could say was, “I was pretty surprised.”
Her sister, however, was more than just surprised.
“I was shocked at how BEAUTIFUL she looked! I mean, obviously she has always been beautiful, but the shaved sides really bring out her face. She pulls it off better than I ever imagined, and it’s awesome that a joke haircut looks so dang good,” said Kaiser.
Shelton’s goal with Locks for Literacy is to motivate her students to do the best they possibly can, and that paid off this year.
“I think it’s a good way that I can show I’m just as dedicated to them as they are to me. If they are willing to try, I am willing to do anything to help them succeed. I think this is a representation of that trust,” said Shelton.
As for her future classes, Shelton said that she will continue to provide incentives and make deals, just not with her hair, at least for awhile.