OT: Props to the Vols—great story

[Horatio]

Um, it wasn't an assignment to make your own shirt. They had a "college colors" day at his elementary school where they were supposed to wear shirts from their favorite college. The kid said he was a UT fan but he didn't have a UT shirt, so the teacher told him he could make his own, which he did. He wore it proudly to school and some girls who didn't even participate in the event made fun of him and he took it hard, and he cried. Extreme bullying? No. Life lesson? Sure.

A teaching moment about putting in a better effort? Nope.

Good story? I think so.

I read and heard the story thank you.

 

[8893]

I read and heard the story thank you.

Then how could you come away with the notion that there was possibly another student who put in a better effort designing his or her own shirt and should have been featured instead, or that this kid needed to be taught a lesson about making a better design?

 

[powerplay]

Not knowing much about this story other than the little video clip, but could it just be Florida fans busting the chops of a Tennessee fan? They are in FL after all.

 

[8893]

Not knowing much about this story other than the little video clip, but could it just be Florida fans busting the chops of a Tennessee fan? They are in FL after all.

A Boy Was Bullied for His Homemade T-Shirt. Now the University of Tennessee Is Selling It. (Published 2019)

The Florida boy’s hand-drawn design was made into a shirt for Volunteers fans, and proceeds will go to an anti-bullying group.

www.nytimes.com

In her Facebook post on Wednesday, Ms. Snyder said her students had participated in a college colors day at the school a week earlier. The boy, whom she did not name, didn’t have a Tennessee shirt, so she told him he could make his own.
“So when the day finally arrived, he was SO EXCITED to show me his shirt,” Ms. Snyder wrote. “I was impressed that he took it one step further to make his own label.”
“After lunch, he came back to my room, put his head on his desk and was crying,” she continued. “Some girls at the lunch table next to his (who didn’t even participate in college colors day) had made fun of his sign that he had attached to his shirt. He was DEVASTATED.”
Ms. Snyder said she planned to get the student a U.T. shirt, and asked if anyone had a connection to the university.

The article also contains a link to the letter from the kid's mom, where she explains that it was hard to find a UT shirt in Florida on such short notice, and that the kid even defended one of the girls who made fun of him because they have a history.

 

[QDOG5]

I want one of these shirts. Of course I did go to Tennessee.

Boneyard Grateful Dead fans will now refer to you as Tennessee Jib.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Nice story...I just hope that the “portion” of the proceeds donated is substantial and not just something like $0.50 per shirt sold. Over 14K shirts preordered at $15/ea. Hope UT doesn’t use this as a convenient money grab too.

 

[ctchamps]

Um, it wasn't an assignment to make your own shirt. They had a "college colors" day at his elementary school where they were supposed to wear shirts from their favorite college. The kid said he was a UT fan but he didn't have a UT shirt, so the teacher told him he could make his own, which he did. He wore it proudly to school and some girls who didn't even participate in the event made fun of him and he took it hard, and he cried. Extreme bullying? No. Life lesson? Sure.

A teaching moment about putting in a better effort? Nope.

Good story? I think so.

There's a line where teasing becomes bullying and that line moves depending on the individual and subject matter. If this child was teased by the same child or children prior to this incident than by my measure this was bullying. If this was the first incident then I'd like to know how the kids reacted when they saw this kid crying? If they stopped than they are compassionate and failed to predict the sensitivity of the situation. If they continued I'd be concerned.

We are constantly debating the manner with which we should handle sensitivity. We can go to one extreme and refrain from saying anything for fear we can hurt someone's feelings. Or conversely be honest with our expression always and insist people be tough. I don't subscribe to either of those extremes.

 

[ctchamps]

The difference is you used to be able to leave the bullies when you left school. With social media it never stops. Plus it is so much easier for the more normal kids to be mean when it occurs digitally.

I can relate to "A Christmas Story" because my personal experience was eerily similar to the bullying in that movie.

School was fine. Walking home was another matter. Instead of two bullies I had to deal with three. I dreaded walking home or going outside between the ages of ten and twelve. To say the least I was miserable. I believed confrontation was wrong. There was no discussion in the late fifties or sixties pertaining to this issue. Even if there was I felt it was cowardly to complain about my circumstances. So I suffered silently.

Everyone has a limit and I finally reached mine. I went all "Ralphie on Scut Farkus" only the kid I did this to was the toady and his name was Wesley. This kid had it in for me but it wasn't until I became older that I understood several of the factors.

One was his younger brother was dying from kidney failure which none of us were made aware until he became critically ill. The father treated the two sons differently, disciplining the older boy and allowing the younger one to get away with more egregious behaviors. Additionally we played street football and this father periodically played with the kids. I was a fast kid, had great hands and was often picked to play for teams before kids who were several years older. This kids father always picked me when he participated. He was the quarterback. I was his star receiver. I initially thought it was my faith but I realized it was petty jealousy that created the animosity. The irony was a great deal of my quickness resulted from running away from the bullies.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

It was a horrible shirt and kids are mean. I'm glad everything turned out positive for the boy. But man, that shirt was a brutal attempt.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

It was a horrible shirt and kids are mean. I'm glad everything turned out positive for the boy. But man, that shirt was a brutal attempt.

I really can't believe that people are criticising the shirt design.

#missingthepoint

 

[jibsey]

Boneyard Grateful Dead fans will now refer to you as Tennessee Jib.

That's OK, I still root for football which isn't great but a religion down there and their basketball unless of course they were playing UCONN. when Tennessee loses at football their fans walk around in sackcloth and ashes, they are very very serious.

 

[QDOG5]

@jibsey I was just doing a play on the Grateful Dead song Tennessee Jed. I went to a Notre Dame/Tennessee game in South Bend when the Vols were very good and Charlie Weis' Irish were very bad. It was a sea of Orange and it took me months to get Rocky Top out of my head. Vols fans will sing that song continuously.

 

[Adios]

Iron Maiden tour t shirts are $45 a piece. Merciless.

 

[ctchamps]

PS: When it aired tonight they added that profits from sales of the shirts are going to anti-bullying organizations.

A % of profits!

Loved the 8 yr old kid visiting his grandmother in SC that used the money he was saving for WDW to buy food for evacuees of Hurricane Dorian. WDW is providing him and his mother a WDW vacation.

 

[Travelman6]

I realize that kids are getting phones younger and younger, but I don't think fourth graders are on social media...yet.

You'd be surprised. I've been part of several parent/teacher/admin meetings relating to things kids said to each other over various social media platforms. I had a third grader who was talking about his youtube channel in class, for example. Later members of admin found out he was bad mouthing the school on his channel. Over the years (1 in 3rd grade, 1 in 4th grade, 4 in 5th grade, 2 in 6th, 2 in 7th, 2 in 8th) I have witnessed way too many issues that started online. Kids have come to me in tears showing me some of the stuff that has been sent to them over social media. Again, some of these instances were indeed as young as 3rd and 4th grade! Some of those messages are absolutely brutal. If I did not know any better, I'd peg them as messages between adults with some of the swears and insults used. In fact, so many 5th graders from my past classes had phones that after my first week with them I started collecting them at the start of the day and did not give them back until the end of the day because it prevented a lot of issues during school.

 

[CL82]

Um, it wasn't an assignment to make your own shirt. They had a "college colors" day at his elementary school where they were supposed to wear shirts from their favorite college. The kid said he was a UT fan but he didn't have a UT shirt, so the teacher told him he could make his own, which he did. He wore it proudly to school and some girls who didn't even participate in the event made fun of him and he took it hard, and he cried. Extreme bullying? No. Life lesson? Sure.

A teaching moment about putting in a better effort? Nope.

Good story? I think so.

And the resulting shirt has kind of a cool Derpy Dog vibe. I like it, well I would if it wasn't Tennessee.

 

[QuickDraw]

Kids are vicious these days. Good on the Vols.

Also, they should have hired Schiano...

Not more vicious, just softer and no character

 

[jibsey]

Tennessee gives scholarship to boy bullied for his homemade T-shirt and welcomes him to the Class of 2032.

 

[Horatio]

Tennessee gives scholarship to boy bullied for his homemade T-shirt and welcomes him to the Class of 2032.

Has he been on Ellen yet? I’m sure we’ll get a healthy dose of him at the ESPY’s.

 

[jibsey]

Horatio, sounds like you’re about to add the shirt to your collection. Nice.

 

[intlzncster]

Tennessee gives scholarship to boy bullied for his homemade T-shirt and welcomes him to the Class of 2032.

Just in case people thought he was kidding

Tennessee offers scholarship to boy bullied for shirt

Tennessee offered a scholarship to a fourth grader who was bullied for wearing a homemade Vols T-shirt to school.

www.si.com