When Student Couldn’t Find a Babysitter, Professor Offered to Carry Baby So He Could Take Notes

Picture this: you are a new father who is *this* close to having your college degree. Clearly, you’re a man with big ambitions, but also one who has an awful lot on your plate! On a school day, your wife must pick up your tiny daughter’s birth certificate and, as these things always seem to go, you can’t find an available sitter. So, what do you do? Do you stay at home with your daughter and miss out on your professor dropping some awesome math knowledge on you? OR, you do you bring your daughter along for the ride?

If you selected the latter, then you would probably get along well with Morehouse College student Wayne Hayer. Just recently, the new dad was getting ready to tackle midterms when he was forced to face this very scenario. It was a tough call, but always the academic, Hayer decided that he’d be better off to attend his algebra class–even if it meant possibly having to sit through it holding a crying baby!

Luckily for him though, when he did walk through those classroom doors, his instructor, the kind and ever-thoughtful Professor Nathan Alexander was immediately on his student’s side. The professor welcomed the two into his class, and even offered to hold Assata, Hayer’s newborn daughter, so that the student could focus solely on the lecture.

Of course, this event did not just touch the heart of this new father, Professor Alexander’s students were just as moved by the gesture–so much so that one even took snapshots of the adorable lecture and posted them to Twitter.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the post went viral almost immediately, with the online community far and wide praising both the professor for his inclusivity AND the father for his dedication to his education.

Just days after the initial tweet was posted, Professor Alexander and Hayer sat down with CNN to talk about the class.

Hayer, who is a senior majoring in kinesiology told the news outlet that he was “nervous to go to class that day.” He added, “Morehouse is an all-male college and seeing me with a baby strapped to me would make all eyes be on me.”

Obviously, bringing a baby to class might not be a norm for most Morehouse dads, so the professor knew he had to show his students heaps of support. After all, Hayer is a young man that anyone working in academia would respect. “He works two jobs, is a full time student, is involved in leadership programs at school and is a parent,” the professor said. “This photo serves as a reminder of what parents have to do every day and how important it is to have affordable childcare.”

We couldn’t agree more! And, you know who else is right on the professor’s side? Professor Dave Thomas, the President of Morehouse College. After the original tweet began to gain momentum, President Thomas published this sweet show of solidarity:

We just love everything about this story!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this story! Do you think the professor did the right thing? Have you ever seen a professor do something similar? Should students with children be able to get access to discounted childcare?