An 8-year-old boy named Joe walked to school with a ponytail in his hair. As he walked into the classroom, he could hear his classmates laughing. They all made fun of him because he had long hair. That really hurt Joe, especially since he had been growing his hair out for a reason. What hurt this boy the most was that his conservative teacher, Mr. Cooper, was the one who made fun of him. He was the one who told the kids to tease Joe about his hair.
In the days that followed, Joe was still teased, and his parents could tell by the look in his eyes that something was wrong. He cried a lot and didn’t want to tell them what was wrong. Mrs. Burns, the school’s art teacher, who had just started working there, saw Joe crying in the bathroom one day. She went up to him and told him to tell her what was bothering him so much. That’s when Joe told her he was sad and told her he gets teased every day.
“Your heart is beautiful. Don’t let anyone change that, all right? “, she said. “But even Mr. Cooper makes fun of me,” Joe said at that moment. “It’s not fair!” Finally, his tears stopped because she was so kind. “Some people will always be mean, no matter how old they get. Mrs. Burns patted his shoulder and said, “I’ll try to talk to him.”
“Don’t give him the reason. He has no right to learn anything. “Can I do this?” Joe asked the teacher with a serious look in his eyes. “Of course. Only you and I will know about this. “But what you’re doing is nothing to be ashamed of,” the teacher reassured him. “Still. “I don’t want them to know,” insisted the little boy. Mrs. Burns nodded and smiled a little.
Over the next couple of days, Mrs. Burns talked to other teachers about Joe’s hair, and it seemed like most of them didn’t like it. Mrs. Figgins, one of them, said, “If he’s allowed to let his hair grow out at age eight, he’ll be a hoodlum in high school. At this age, kids, especially boys, need to be taught how to behave.
Mrs. Burns decided to call Joe’s father and tell him what was going on because she knew she had to do something about Joe’s condition. When Patrick found out what was making his son sad, he told him, “Your teacher, Mrs. Burns, just called. She told me all the details. Do the kids laugh at you? Is that why you cry every day when you get home from school? ” Patrick asked as he knelt down in front of his son and looked him in the eyes.
“Not just my close friends. “Mr. Cooper is the worst,” Joe told his dad, which shocked him. Patrick knew Mr. Cooper and thought he was a nice guy, so he didn’t understand why Mr. Cooper was so mean to Joe. Patrick then asked Joe why he hadn’t told his other students why he was growing his hair out. Joe said that it had nothing to do with them, and Patrick agreed.
No matter why they treated Joe that way, it was wrong. “You are so right, kid. You know something, though. I think you should cut that hair. Patrick told his son, “You’ve finally reached the required length, and I have a plan.” He was proud that his son had reached his goal. Then Joe’s mother cut his hair while Patrick took a picture of the special moment.
The next day, when Joe went to school, Mr. Cooper met him at the door, but he didn’t know that Patrick was also there. “It’s about time, Joe! ” “You no longer look like a girl! “, he yelled at Joe. When Mr. Cooper saw that Patrick was there, too, he said, “Oh! Perkins, Mr.! You cut your child’s hair, right? “Congratulations! ” he said, putting out his hand for Patrick to shake.
Patrick didn’t shake his head. Instead, he took out his phone and showed it to the teacher whose son had been mistreated. Mr. Cooper was surprised when the video from the night before started playing. “I know, Mr. Cooper, that you’ve been laughing at my son’s expense. Patrick said, “I didn’t expect that from you, sir.”
“I didn’t know he was going to give his hair to people with cancer,” the teacher said in a shaky voice. “Well, okay. Joe wouldn’t tell anyone about it until he had reached his goal. In April of last year, we went to a children’s hospital to help out. He liked it, so he grew his hair out right away. But this school year, he started coming home crying because everyone made fun of him, even his teacher.
“Does that make sense to you, sir?
“Joe’s father told the older man off, and it was clear that he was embarrassed by what he had done. “I’m… sorry, Joe.” I had no idea, Mr. Perkins. My granddaughter just finished several rounds of chemotherapy, and she lost all of her hair as a result. “My son and daughter-in-law had talked to this group that uses donations to make wigs,” the teacher said softly, with tears in his eyes.
“Thank you, young man,” said Mr. Cooper. “Not every hero wears a cape,” he told Joe. “I was wrong in every way. Please forgive me.” That day, Joe was the hero of his own story. The rest of the class was impressed with him and asking him questions. Some even wanted to do it because they thought the cause was so important. Please SHARE this story on Facebook with your family and friends to remind them to be kind to everyone they meet.