Naked teachers are awesome!

The internet is abuzz with the story of Tamara Hoover, an Austin, Texas art teacher who is probably going to get fired because of some nude photos. All I can say is this: I wish my art teachers looked like Tamara Hooover… and if there were nude photos available on for what passed for the internet in those days, EVEN BETTER!

But more seriously, the story goes something like this: Tamara Hoover was a high school art teacher, beloved by her students, until a fellow teacher (or a student, according to some reports) discovered nude photos of Hoover on the internet. Then all hell broke loose. Now Hoover could be out of a job. Here’s some info. from the Statesman:

The teacher, Tamara Hoover, 29, has been on paid administrative leave since May 19 because “inappropriate material” was posted on a Web site, according to the district. A student notified school officials about the site’s content, namely several portraits that show Hoover nude from the waist up.

Austin High School art teacher Tamara Hoover says the photos of her posted online are ‘artistic photography,’ not pornography. This photo was among those on a Flickr Web site, a site some students looked at during class last month.

Hoover defended her actions in a blog by saying that the pictures are not pornography but “artistic photography” and that she neither knew nor had any control over which photographs were posted by the photographer.

The school district’s policies regarding employee behavior include a moral turpitude clause that prohibits “base, vile, or depraved acts that are intended to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the actor.

We will be following this story in the days to come not only because we love topless art teachers and girl-on-girl action, but because this screams injustice on so many levels. First of all, it’s not like she was a math teacher or something. We all know that nudity is a big part of why we all love art in the first place. Secondly, is all the furor really because of nudity or is it because the photos depicted non-traditonal life-style type stuff? Thirdly, we are sick of Jesus-mania taking over even cool places like Austin.

Unfortunately, we have been busy with film festival travel and we totally missed the nude photos which have been (wisely) removed from the internet. But if anybody has them in their personal collections, please feel free to share! (austinoutsider (at) gmail.com)

Links of note:

Tamara Hoover’s MySpace Page

Austinist Call to Action

Celesta Danger flickr photos (naked teacher photos have been removed)

Here are a few more awesome Celesta Danger pics featuring Tamara Hoover: