Educators are vital pillars of our community, yet their contributions are often underestimated. It takes a special person to dedicate themselves to teaching, mentoring and motivating young minds.
Jonathan Oliver, a physical education teacher at WG Nunn Elementary in Valdosta, Georgia, is one example of this commitment. He recently earned recognition for a touching moment of kindness during a children’s basketball game.
When kindergarten teacher Kristen Paulk asked for help with her ponytail, Oliver didn’t hesitate. He knelt on a basketball to be at eye level with her and carefully tied her pigtails to make sure her hair didn’t fall into her face. This tender gesture, captured on video, was shared on YouTube by Kandice Anderson, a fellow teacher
The video, aptly titled “When Your Job Goes Beyond Teaching!” quickly went viral and captured the hearts of many. It eventually caught the attention of Good Morning America, which interviewed the 34-year-old father of three.
“I was surprised by the attention because that’s exactly what we do,” Oliver told Good Morning America, unaware of the recording. “We want students to feel at home and loved. For me, wearing a ponytail just helped.”
Oliver mentioned that while Kristen’s request was for a ponytail, his hairstyling expertise was otherwise quite limited. “If she had asked for something else, I would have said, ‘You better ask your mom,’” he joked.
Kristen’s mother, Miyah Cleckley, expressed her appreciation for Oliver’s gesture. “I always know that Kristen is in excellent hands with him. It was especially touching because my husband helps us a lot with our daughters’ hair, as we have five girls and a son.”
There are many stories of teachers going the extra mile, and Jonathan Oliver’s story is a beautiful example of everyday heroes in education.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this touching story, share them in the comments!
15+ Pics That Need the Full Story to Make Sense
In 2011, 27 million pieces of content were shared online every day. Today, no less than 3.2 billion images are shared on a daily basis. It takes us a mere couple of seconds to snap a picture, and we’re not limited to a roll of film anymore. As a consequence, we snap pictures of everything, and sometimes we can’t keep them to ourselves.
Bright Side has a game for you — we prepared a list of images and your task is to figure them out without reading the explanation. Are you in?
1. “I wondered what my dad’s prosthetic finger would look like on my toe.”
2. “I don’t paint often, so I was really proud of myself for remembering to wear gloves this time.”
3. “My roommate thought I made cinnamon rolls. I actually made bacon. He was not happy with his finger scoop.”
4. “My treadmill kicked all the dirt from my shoes into a ’heavy’ and a ’light’ pile.”
5. “The fog during my flight makes the city seem like it hasn’t rendered.”
6. “The imprint of me lying face down in the snow looks like it’s actually popping out from the snow.”
7. “The border of my tattoo turned into a stretch mark during my first pregnancy. Now it looks 3D.”
8. “This truck looks like it came out of a wormhole. It’s actually carrying a wind turbine blade.”
9. “I got a cramp on the side of my hand, and you can actually see it.”
10. “I took a photo of my new faucet LED the exact moment it turned from red to green (or green to red).”
11. This is what a scan of a moving hand looks like.
12. “These aren’t actually bricks, it’s just white paint on red cement.”
13. “This tire went flat, was driven on, damaging the sidewalls, and then reinflated.”
14. “I made a snowman out of a melting paste. Here it is after an hour.”
15. “This is what happens when you wear socks and shoes outside every day for 20 years.”
16. “Shaved my hands, probably shouldn’t have. I just felt like my hands were too hairy.”
17. “Discovered that my tooth implant doesn’t glow like the rest of my teeth under a black light — regular photo for comparison.”
Which of these pics got you guessing about its backstory? What’s the last picture you took on your phone that only makes sense if you explain it? Share it with us in the comments.
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