A Georgia college professor is being praised after lending a helping hand to a student who couldn’t find a babysitter for his young daughter.
Dr. Nathan Alexander, a mathematics professor at the historically black Morehouse College in Atlanta, melted hearts after he was photographed holding the student’s baby while lecturing a class last Friday. The picture shows Alexander with the little tot strapped to his chest as he stands in front of a white board scribbled with math equations.
A fellow student who snapped the photo said the beloved professor stepped in after a male student was forced to bring the baby to class after struggling to find a sitter.
“Student came to class today with his child due to no babysitter or anybody to watch her while he was in class,” user Nick Vaughn tweeted. “My professor NATHAN ALEXANDER said “I’ll hold her so you can take good notes! #HBCU #morehouse #Respect”
The tweet has been shared more than 75,000 times and racked up over 300,000 likes in just a matter of days, as social media users gushed over Alexander’s touching display of kindness.
“This made me cry! This seemingly small gesture speaks volumes about the kind of person you must be,” one Twitter user wrote.
“@professornaite is one of my favorite professors!!,” a fellow Morehouse pupil remarked under Vaughn’s post. “[He] genuinely cares for students and sacrifices his personal time always to help in any way possible. Nothing but respect (Ps. Sorry I wasn’t in class today lol).”
Another student agreed, explaining how the professor “saved my grade in college algebra.”
“I was in another section with arguably the WORST teacher in the school, ready to drop out, but he saw I was on the edge and personally tutored me,” the student wrote. “Went from a D to an A by semester’s end.”
“You, sir, are what makes HBCUs so great! Thank you,” another user chimed in.
Another fan simply dubbed Alexander a “professor hero.”
In a Facebook post, Vaughn detailed class time with their adorable “unexpected guest,” writing that not only did Alexander teach the entire lecture with the baby girl in his arms but even stayed after class to answer students’ questions about the lecture.
“It was this encounter that truly showed me the power and impact HBCU’s can have for the Black community, for this professor to understand that life happens and sometimes there are just no ways around it,” Vaughn wrote. “Not saying that at a PWI (predominately white institution) you won’t find this act, but here on the campus of Morehouse. one of the iconic HBUC’s in the world, it just felt more caring and from the heart.”
“It’s acts like this one that I will see from time to time on campus that reminds me not only why I choose to come to Morehouse but also why this is such a great area for young black men to be in and there’s no other place on earth like MOREHOUSE!” he added.
According to the college’s website, Alexander has been teaching at the school since 2017 and specializes in mathematics education, statistical and mathematical modeling, social networks and graphs.
