Teacher had the perfect response when 4th-grader was bullied for wearing a pink T-shirt to school
A kid might need support from their peers and adults around them to ensure that they don't give in to gender stereotypes. A similar thing happened with a kid in Sheboygan Falls when he was being bullied for wearing a pink t-shirt at school, until his teacher stood up for him in a marvelous way. The little boy, William, had started having a hard time at school as a fourth-grader when kids started bullying him for wearing one of his favorite t-shirts, as per TMJ4 News.
The boy was wearing a pink t-shirt that said, "Tough guys wear pink." However, the reaction from his classmates was not the most positive one. The boy recounted, "They started saying, 'Why are you wearing pink?'" He added, "And I am like, because I like pink." Just because of that the students started saying that he was a "sissy." Because of their relentless teasing, the boy was disheartened and didn't want to go back to school anymore. His mother was quite surprised because such a thing had never happened before. "I have never had an issue with him not wanting to go to school and it struck me as really odd that Friday when he sat there and he was in tears," the mom, Tomi Genske, admitted.
"As a parent, that is actually heartbreaking," Genske went on, expressing her disappointment over what had happened to her son at school. But at that moment, the boy's teacher stepped in to help him and show his support. The teacher, Mr. Winter, wore pink shirts to school every day for a week. The duo also clicked a photo together while wearing pink clothes. "It made me feel really happy," William expressed. The boy even shared the photo with his mom, who was overwhelmed with the kind of support her son was receiving. "I sat at my desk and I was actually in tears." The mom even shared the picture on her Facebook, as per the outlet.
The teacher's gesture also garnered a lot of support from the online community. "It wasn't by any means supposed to be something that went viral. I am amazed at what it has done so far," Genske pointed out. "It started out as a way to help William feel safe at school and that's what I want it to be, a way for him to feel that way and to know that he's supported," the teacher, Dan Winter, revealed. "I feel a lot more comfortable. I don't let it bother me anymore," William remarked. People took to the comments section of the video to support the kid and to appreciate the teacher's gesture.
@BigMoneysLife wrote, "So the kid likes to wear pink, what's so terrible about that? My favorite color used to be purple, does that make ME a sissy? No, it doesn't. Kids like what kids like, doesn't mean we should bully them." @mike47734 commented, "Pink is just a nice color, it’s genderless, LOL. My favorite color is purple and I’m a guy." @mondler107 remarked, "Awww! How amazing! He was my 4th-grade teacher in 04-05. He's still amazing!" @laffeydude3558 shared, "It's about time a teacher helps out! We need more teachers like him!"