I wish that we lived in a world where sex work did not carry the same stigma, but such a world would probably not serve the workers as it does today. Ms. Petro made lots of money in the trade because of the stigma, and it's hard to imagine jobs and wages as good as they are without the majority of sexy youths shunning the industry.
I cannot however say that I would ever allow my own children to be taught by a teacher who has worked as a stripper or prostitute. Former pro athletes and models would also be simply unacceptable. Like others in rich nations who fall into sex work, Petro describes herself as "a product of a broken, working-class household." I don't stand for undue elitism, but that's not the kind of person who should be in a teaching position. Let's admit, the middle class is gone, and people today grow up rich or poor. Thousands of years of academic progress simply cannot be well introduced by someone without economic opportunities early on. That is not the same person who chooses (or is victimized) by the sex industry.
Before you go ape, please think a moment on the context of my opinion. Teaching builds on social psychology, human development, and expert knowledge in their subject areas. We are talking about a rare and cultured individual. Plato ring a bell?
My point is that many people in the teaching profession (and most in elementary education) are glorified baby sitters. Children can learn from them, but don't expect anything more than any literate parent could provide themselves. Nothing short of violent crime should bar a good-willed person from that kind of job. But I would be irresponsible in ignoring an indicator like sex work if I were hiring a real teacher. Standards for our intellectual leaders should be high, and a candidate like Ms. Petro (through no fault of her own) would never qualify.
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