Teachers are some of the most noble people on the planet. Their job isn’t just limited to the act of teaching inside the classroom. They do so much paperwork, fashion national standards into achievable curricula, and still have to prepare school events, and train students for competitions or performances.
Teachers’ efforts are usually only noticed by their local communities unless they’re involved in some sort of national competition. For one teacher, what he did was nothing noteworthy, but to everyone else, he showed an unmatched kindness.
In Valdosta, Georgia, a physical education teacher was holding a basketball game. One of his students at WG Nunn Elementary School approached him with a simple request. Kindergartner Kristen Paulk wanted her teacher to tie her hair in a ponytail in preparation for their basketball game during gym class.
Teacher and coach, Jonathan Oliver, took a knee and started tying his student’s long hair into a ponytail. Unbeknownst to him, his assistant teacher filmed the entire scene from a distance. Kandice Anderson took a video of the coach tying Kristen’s hair and uploaded it on Facebook with the caption:
“When your job goes beyond teaching… #CoachO #Love”
After it was posted, the video went viral. It even garnered over three million views. When Coach Oliver learned about it, he was shocked. He never imagined he would become famous over something that came naturally to him.
When the coach was featured on Good Morning America, the 34-year-old educator said:
“It was shocking to me that it got that much attention because we all do it.”
He didn’t even notice that he was being filmed. For him, it was just a ponytail. But to millions of people watching, it was a testament of the dedication of teachers who make the school a safe and wonderful place to be in for children.
The coach himself has three children, and he is no stranger to making a ponytail. After all, he also does his daughter’s hair from time to time. But that is where his expertise ends. He jokingly said that if Kristen had wanted something more complicated, she would have to go to her mom.
Kristen’s mother, who was also on Good Morning America, said that she thought what the coach did was really cute and touching. Kristen’s father would sometimes do her hair when her mother was busy, so the little girl had a feeling she would be in good hands with her coach when it came to getting a ponytail.