MILWAUKEE — Do you know what one of the best feelings is that we can all agree on? Getting a really good haircut. You look in the mirror after a fresh cut. Everything is perfect. Your confidence is sky high, and you're feeling good.
Well, a couple of teachers at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee decided to bring that feeling to their students.
Emmanuel Johnson and Cameron LeFlore, both English teachers, give free haircuts after school to any student who wants one.
“You can come to class, you can learn academically, you can come back to that same class and get a cut. You can come to that same class and talk to a teacher and get to know who they are, get to know who you are," Cameron LeFlore said.
It all started a couple of years ago. Mr. LeFlore decided to bring his clippers to school and asked if any students wanted a haircut. A few took him up on the offer. Word slowly got around about what Mr. LeFlore was doing. One of those people who heard about it was Emmanuel Johnson. The two share a passion for cutting hair and decided to team up.
“Give a student a new attitude and a new way to look at themselves and a new way to feel about themselves," Emmanuel Johnson said.
At the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year, they made things official by starting a formal after-school club called The Shop N 310, which is inside Mr. Leflore's classroom.
It's another way for the teachers to give back to their students. They both agree that seeing students' faces light up after a haircut is worth all the time and effort it takes.
"It feels how I feel when I teach and deliver a lesson, and I can peep that moment in the kids face when they realize something, or the lesson connects or something, or the lesson connects, or something just makes sense, and it clicks," Mr. Johnson said.
That happens a lot. Mr. Johnson and Mr. LeFlore have given hundreds of haircuts. They've even seen how a good haircut can impact a student's academic performance.
"So in school, if a kid doesn't feel confident, their academics aren't going to be that good, usually. If they feel more confident in the way that they look, they feel better about themselves. Now, they come to class. They're not hiding. They're not shy. They're not causing issues," Mr. LeFlore said.
Watch the story on how teachers at Rufus King High School give free haircuts to students after class....
Students like Lomar Castro have been one of the longtime regulars. When I met him, he was getting a haircut before a pretty big photo op.
“I had a Driver's Ed license photo, so I wanted to get a quick cut," Castro, a junior, said.
Another student, Demontrey Cochran, has been coming every two weeks to get lined up.
“It’s free, it saves a lot of money, and a good teacher is holding this club up," he said.
The two teachers aren’t licensed barbers, but they’ve been cutting hair for years. The quality of the work speaks for itself, given that more and more students come by for the free service. Eventually, a third teacher who has been a licensed barber for more than 30 years joined the team.
"Get to talk to the kids about things other than haircuts and find out where they at in life, how they think, lead them in the right direction to speak," Jouta Cross, a para professional, said.
The Shop N 310 isn’t just for students. Faculty and staff have gotten a cut here, too. Important to note, though, this is not open to the public. It's only for people at Rufus King.
So if you want a fresh cut at the best price, from some pretty great teachers, Demontrey Cochran has some advice for you.
“If you go to like any other school besides Rufus King, transfer to Rufus King."
The Shop N 310 is open two to three days a week, depending on the time of year.
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