It’s not every day that people get to witness a kind-hearted deed. This is why when people see someone doing something nice for someone else, it tends to warm their hearts. And if the moment is just right, sometimes the rest of the world gets to celebrate it.
Perhaps the most undervalued members of our community are teachers. Far more than educators, teachers are also role models, advice-givers and trusted mentors. Teachers have time and again proven their willingness to transcend what’s expected of them in the hopes of helping a child.
Jonathan Oliver, a physical education teacher at WG Nunn Elementary School in Valdosta, Georgia, was recognized for his random acts of kindness while coaching a basketball game. When one of Oliver’s students approached him with a simple request, he was happy to oblige.
Kristen Paulk, a kindergartener on Oliver’s basketball team, kindly asked him to tie her hair back in a ponytail. Coach Oliver promptly took a knee and got down on her level so he could fulfill her request. Unbeknownst to Oliver, he was being recorded at that very moment.
Kandice Anderson, another educator at the elementary school, documented Oliver’s noble deed via video. After Anderson shared the video on YouTube, Oliver received an outpouring of public support and adoration.
The title read, “When your job goes beyond coaching.” The video’s caption read, “Coach Oliver casually puts this students hair in a ponytail so that she can continue her PE activities.”
Oliver was shocked to find that his gesture wowed so many people. Although the clip was originally from 2019, it is still making people smile today.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 🙂
Oliver spoke with Good Morning America about the precious moment that he defined as something quite simple. “It was shocking to me that it got that much attention because we all do it,” Oliver explained. “We (teachers) want to make them feel like they’re at home and that they enjoy being here.”
The teacher added: “We try to love on them as much as possible. To me, it was just a ponytail.” To the public, however, it was far more than a simple gesture to help a young girl with her hairdo.
The clip was uploaded to YouTube in January 2019. People praised the teacher for his random act of kindness, as it really showed just how much he cared about the students at WG Nunn Elementary School. One person commented, “Adorable.” Another simply said, “So sweet.” Another person chimed in and said, “You are awesome.”
The clip of Oliver garnered so much attention that Good Morning America featured his story. Kristen’s mother, Miyah Cleckley, joined Oliver’s segment so she could publically thank him for assisting her daughter.
“I always know that Kristen is in very good hands with him,” Cleckley said. “I thought it was really cute because her father he does their hair a lot. We have five girls and one son so when I’m working he has to pick up the weight of doing their hair.”
Oliver again stated that he was happy to help out and admitted to doing his own daughter’s hair when his wife is tied up. However, the teacher joked about the viral moment: “It was a good thing she asked for a ponytail Anything else, I’d say, ‘You better ask your mom.'”
However, Oliver isn’t alone in his dedication to doing girls’ hair — there’s been a recent wave of fathers who are just as invested as he is.
On social media, there are many tutorials teaching doting dads everywhere how to do hairstyles of any kind, from pigtail braids and hair buns to diagonal parts and princess ringlets. One father who goes by “The Hair Dad” on Instagram has even made it his mission to showcase all of his hair creations for his daughter on his account. His tagline is “Being the change I wish to see,” and his work has seen him interviewed by news channels from as far away as Japan.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the BBC reported on “the dads learning to plait their daughters’ hair.” In the English city of St Albans, Annis Waugh started Braid Maidens — a course that teaches people how to braid hair. While she was open to having men in the course, none had ever booked in. That is until she offered a specific class for men, and it sold out before the women’s one! Waugh said the main difference she found was that men were more competitive with themselves about doing a good job.
“It just made me really happy that they were keen and up for it. … I don’t think that would have been the case 20 to 30 years ago,” she said.
The BBC interviewed multiple dads who’d enrolled in the course, including John Hardern, a father of four girls, who explained he initially thought it was “weird,” but after checking his unconscious bias, he became eager to challenge himself. He also said he thinks it teaches his daughters they “can do whatever they want regardless of gender.”
“I don’t want my daughters growing up in a world where they have the old style view that one gender does one thing and another does other things,” he said.
Do you think educators like Jonathan Oliver and others deserve more attention for their generosity of spirit? Do you know any fathers who do their daughters’ hair? Then pass this along to them as well as other friends and family!
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