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!
Mom Leaves Note On “Disrespectful” Son’s Door, And Now It’s Going Viral
It’s not easy to be a parent of a haughty, disrespectful adolescent, and parents use numerous strategies to discipline their kids.
A mother named Heidi Johnson shared a handwritten letter she penned to her son Aaron on Facebook. She had no idea the post would become very popular. She had no intention of making the post public at all. Although it was only intended for her friends to see, she is not sorry that she posted it online.
Johnson chastised her 13-year-old son for treating her like a “roommate” in a letter to him. She continued by giving him an itemized bill totaling more than $700 for food, rent, and other expenses. She would treat him like a roommate if he was going to treat her like that rather than his mother.
Johnson wrote, “Love Mom,” on the note, and she genuinely does adore her son. She wrote a second post in response, giving some more information on the circumstances. “I am not going to put my 13-year-old on the street if he can’t pay his half of the rent,” she promised parents who were condemning her. I don’t want him to make any payment. I want him to value the blessings and gifts we have, and to take pride in his house and surroundings.
She went on to say that she never meant for Aaron to cover the cost. Rather, she desired that him “acquire an understanding of what things cost.” Johnson wanted her kid to know “what life would look like if I was not his ‘parent,’ but rather a ‘roommate,’” so she penned the note. It was from the start a lesson in appreciation and decency.
Johnson added that her son had lied to her before she wrote the note about finishing his homework, and that he had said, “Well, I am making money now,” in response to her warning that she would be limiting his internet access. She clarified that the money he was talking about was a small amount of money he was earning from his YouTube channel, not nearly enough to cover his rent and food expenses.
Johnson’s relationship with her son has not been harmed by the public statement. “He and I still talk as openly as ever,” she clarified. He has expressed regret several times.
Since she sent the note to her kid, Johnson has also been asked for guidance by parents. As she puts it, “People feel comfortable coming to me and asking for advice, venting, or even just having someone bear witness to their experience by listening, opening up, and sharing a piece of myself in return. It seems like my post has opened a door.”
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