Bullying is never a solution to anything. But some bullying stories do have a happy and wholesome ending. Fourth-grade teacher Laura Snyder posted the story of what happened online. She said that a student didn’t have any official UT apparel for the so-called ‘College Colors Day’ on which he wanted to represent the university’s sports team The Vols (The Volunteers).
According to Snyder, the kid drew his own University of Tennessee logo on a piece of paper and put it on an orange T-shirt. He was very proud of it, and we love it as well. But when the fourth-grader designed his own University of Tennessee T-shirt, his drawing was met not with praise, but with teasing from his classmates at the Altamonte Elementary School, Florida. However, the university reacted in an unexpected, and awesome way.
One fourth-grader made his own University of Tennessee T-shirt for College Colors Day
Image credits: Laura Snyder
His teacher said that kids started making fun of the boy
Image credits: Laura Snyder
After the teacher's post went viral, the university sent the entire class lots of goodies
Image credits: Laura Snyder
Image credits: Laura Snyder
Image credits: Laura Snyder
Image credits: Laura Snyder
Image credits: Laura Snyder
Image credits: Laura Snyder
The university also turned the boy’s design into an official T-shirt
Image credits: UTKnoxville
Image credits: UTVolShop
Fortunately for everyone, the University of Tennessee seems to be full of awesome, kindhearted people. They reacted to the situation in the most incredible way.
Not only did UT send the kid and his classmates bags, hats, school supplies, towers, water bottles, and other cool things, the university turned the boy’s logo into an official school T-shirt.
Tyra Elizabeth Haag, the Director of Media Relations at the University of Tennessee had this to say to Bored Panda: "As the Volunteers, the University of Tennessee believes in putting others before ourselves. We’re so glad we were able to support this student, put a smile on his face and bring more orange into his life. In the true spirit of UT, alumni, fans and honorary Volunteers around the world have stepped up. Pre-sales of the shirt have reached more than 16,000. All proceeds from the sales will go to the non-profit STOMP Out Bullying.”
Healthline writes that bullying has a thoroughly negative effect for everyone involved, including the bully, the victim and everyone connected to the teasing. The US Department of Health and Human Services states that bullying can lead to depression, anxiety, poor diet and sleep, health problems, and decreased academic achievement.
Bullying can be stopped by creating a community of support, engaging with the child, and educating others about the negative effects of bullying. What’s more, it’s important to empower bystanders: if you see someone getting bullied, help them out or tell an authority figure.
Dear Pandas, what do you think of the T-shirt design? What do you think of the university’s response? What can we do to stop bullying? Share your thoughts and feelings below!
People adored how everyone came together to stop bullying
