Nine-year-old William was very proud of his new T-shirt with a telling message on it.
But when the Wisconsin boy took him to school one day, his classmates preferred to laugh at him and called him a “sissy.”
The reason? Simply because the shirt was pink.
With a broken heart, William left school with tears in his eyes.
William Gierke, 9, of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, wanted to show his support for people with cancer. As a result, he decided to wear a T-shirt that was close to his heart.
The T-shirt had the message “Hard guys wear pink” and came from a charity that helps women suffering from breast cancer.
Unfortunately, William’s colleagues did not agree with the shirt. In fact, they assaulted and offended him because he wore pink.
Tomi, William’s mother, was completely devastated when she saw her son coming home from school with tears in his eyes.
William didn’t want to go to school even the next day, and his mother had no idea how she could help him. Fortunately, William had a wonderful teacher by his side…
When William finally agreed to go back to school, he expected to be teased again. But as he entered the classroom, he couldn’t believe it when he saw what his teacher, David Winter, was wearing.
Extremely attentive, the teacher understood perfectly what had happened the day before.
Mr. Winter knew that William had been assaulted because of his T-shirt. As a result, he decided to wear a pink shirt – to show solidarity with William.
But that’s not all.
It may seem like a small gesture, but it meant a lot to William. And, most of all, it was a message to the other students that harassing people for the clothes they wear is never something to be proud of.
“I feel much calmer, I don’t let them bother me anymore,” William said after his teacher took a stand against the aggressors.
No child should be harassed for the way they dress, especially when the choice of clothes is motivated by empathy for those who suffer.
Often, such incidents may go unnoticed, but this teacher did not sit with his hands on his chest and took a stand for his student. This is the kind of teacher we need!
We all know how bad and cruel children can sometimes be, and they often need little discipline and guidance. Fortunately, Mr. Winter had a presence of mind and expressed his views in the best possible way.
He lowered his hat in front of this teacher because he was with his student. Let’s hope it can serve as a model for other teachers and students.
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