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!
Diver swam in Hawaii: dolphin asked him for help
In Hawaii, divers were swimming with manta rays when all of a sudden, one approached a dolphin. It approached one of the divers quite closely, as though it needed assistance. Divers understood what it wanted very soon.
Its fin was found to be stuck with a fishing line and hook, which undoubtedly caused it great discomfort and made it difficult for it to swim.
He took great care to remove the hook, but his task was not yet done. There is still tangle of fishing line around the fin.
The diver’s scissors came in handy, allowing him to release the dolphin. When the dolphin broke free, he bid it farewell.
The level of intelligence in these organisms is astounding. When a dolphin approached the diver in need of assistance, he gave it. Before it took off, it gave him a quick glance as though to say “thank you.”
Keller Laros, a stingray expert and certified diving instructor, supplied the photos. He utilizes his photos to investigate manta rays because he is an obsessive underwater photographer.
In addition, Laros is president and co-founder of the non-profit Manta Pacific study Foundation, which is committed to “research and protection of manta rays and the marine environment.”
Throughout his career, this significant work allowed Lars to release numerous law enforcement officers and sea turtles from fishing nets (which is why he carried scissors). However, this was the first occasion a dolphin approached the diver in need of assistance.
Luckily, someone recorded this heartfelt encounter, and it has been viewed millions of times since. On his website, Laros stated, “It was a really amazing experience.”
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