Tori Nelson is a fourth-grade teacher at Winlock Miller Elementary School in Washington. Last week, she was getting ready to begin her class when she noticed one of her students, Matthew, was in tears outside.
The 9-year-old had a hat on and his coat covering his head, she told BuzzFeed News. After some prodding, he told Nelson he was being teased for his new buzz cut.
Nelson explained that Matthew has a scar on the back of his head, so he had a bald spot. Another boy noticed it, and began to make fun of him.
Nelson tried to get Matthew to come inside, but he refused.
"I was kind of running out of options," she said.
Nelson had an idea. She told Matthew if he came inside, he could buzz her hair off at lunch. That way, she said, “if (the other boy) makes fun of you, then he's making fun of me too.”
Matthew agreed, and at lunch he buzzed Nelson's hair off to match his.
The idea to shave her head just came to her, Nelson said, and she decided to go for it. "Hair means nothing to me, it grows back," she said.
Matthew's parents told Nelson they were "they were pretty thankful that someone would do something that drastic to make him feel better."
The publicity the story has received has been "overwhelming," Nelson said, adding she has received emails from all over the country.
"It's just been insane," she said. "It's pretty rewarding to be part of such a positive story."
School principal Boyd Calder said he was not surprised to hear about Nelson's actions because she is a great teacher who is "always thinking outside the box."
"This is something that Tori does on basically a daily basis," he told BuzzFeed News. "She's all about the kids."