The first month of school can be really scary.
You want to make a good impression on your teachers and classmates. It can be really intimidating, but what if you got bullied because of a t-shirt?
In a little town called Sheboygan Falls, just 100 miles south of Green Bay, a little boy named William Gierke was attending Sheboygan Falls Elementary School. Little William Gierke is just a fourth grader. What follows is a story that will absolutely warm your heart.
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On one of his first days in class he decided to wear a bright pink shirt, with the words “Tough Guys Wear Pink” boldly printed on the front. The shirt is designed to help raise awareness for breast cancer. William didn’t think this shirt would make him a target for the bullies in his school, but sadly…
After William wore his pink shirt proudly to school in the morning, he returned home in the afternoon with tears in his eyes. It turns out that his classmates had actually BULLIED him for wearing his pink shirt. William was taunted and repeatedly called “sissy” for wearing a pink shirt. This is not how any child wants their first month in school to go.
His mother, Tomi, was absolutely heartbroken. William even told his mother that he was scared to go back to school again. Any parent would be crushed to hear their child say that. To feel completely powerless to protect their child.
Soon, things were looking up for William.
Later that very same week, William sent his mother a photo of him in the school. In the photo was William and his teacher, Mr. Winter, posing together. All seemed fine but then Tomi took a closer look at Mr. Winter’s shirt and that’s when she noticed it. You will not believe what this teacher did!
Mr. Winter actually wore several pink shirts everyday for an entire week to show support for William. In the photograph, Mr. Winters was actually wearing a bright pink shirt!
Mr. Winters told TMJ4 why he wore the shirts:
It started out as a way to help William feel safe at school. And that’s what I want it to be is a way to feel that way and know that he’s supported.
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After his teacher wore pink for a week straight, William felt much more confident wearing his prized shirt among his classmates.
“I don’t let [the bullying] bother me anymore”
What an amazing teacher! Through a simple action, William was able to feel safe going to school again. Be sure to tell us what you thought of this story down below!
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