Do you remember how it felt to be teased in elementary school?
There you were, just trying to do something different and interesting, and then someone in your class made a comment about whatever style you were rocking, and you suddenly felt left out and rejected by your classmates.
Almost everyone can remember a situation like this happening to them. Repeated instances of problems like these can make kids lose confidence in themselves and their decisions.
But that’s just what Georgia teacher Kinsie Johns didn’t want to happen to one of her students. Kinsie is a third-grade teacher at Annette Winn Elementary School in Lithia Springs, Georgia. She says that she loves her job and her students, and she can’t wait to come to work every day. However, after a little girl started getting teased, she knew she had to do something to help – and she had a great idea.
The little girl had started wearing her hair in what she called “space buns.”
The look featured two pigtails rolled into themselves to create a sort of dual-bun style. The little girl had seen other people try out the style, and she wanted to try it, too.
However, when she came to school, the other kids in the classroom started making fun of her and calling her “space girl.” They hadn’t seen this sort of style before and didn’t know how to react appropriately to the girl expressing herself.
Therefore, Kinsie devised a plan. She told her student that she was going to wear her hair in the same fashion the next day.
She wrote the plan on her student’s hand so she wouldn’t forget to style her hair. Then, the next day, as Kinsie stepped into the room, the students couldn’t contain their surprise. There their teacher was, sporting the same look that they had been making fun of their classmate for! Although it took all the kids off guard, the girl who had been teased was very happy, glad that she had someone on her side after being made fun of for a few days.
After all of this happened, Kinsie was taken by surprise.
The very next day, all the girls in the glass wore their hair in space buns. Even some of the boys joined in on the fun. Not only was everybody accepting the little girl, but now, she had become more popular than ever.
Everybody wanted to copy her hairstyle. And who can blame them? It’s clear that both the girl and Kinsie rocked the look, and they inspired others to be themselves and not let other’s opinions dictate what they choose to do.
Once the kids had started wearing their hair like the little girl’s, Kinsie posted a picture of her and her student on Facebook with this caption:
“She told me yesterday that some students were making fun of her hair and picking on her. So, after a little planning with her and a written reminder on my hand, today, we showed up with the same hair just to prove a point. It’s okay to be different. ‘Why fit in when you were born to stand out!?’ –Dr. Seuss”
Kinsie did a great job of inspiring her students to think for themselves and not be afraid to try something different.
Everyone can learn from her example and make an extra effort to do something that may not be conventional by everyone’s standards. But if you look great, who cares?
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