The basketball court at WG Nunn Elementary became the stage for an unexpected life lesson when PE teacher Jonathan Oliver knelt down to help a tiny student with her hair. The touching moment, captured on video and shared worldwide, shows the 6’4″ educator carefully tying kindergarten student Kristen Paulk’s hair before her game.
Oliver’s simple act resonated because it revealed what great teaching really looks like. “She came up to me and said, ‘Mr. Oliver, can you fix my hair?'” he recalls. “How could I say no?” In that instant, he wasn’t just teaching physical education – he was showing his students what compassion in action looks like.
The viral video highlights an often overlooked truth: the most memorable teachers aren’t just those who deliver perfect lessons, but those who meet students where they are. For Oliver, this meant putting aside any concern about how a male teacher might look doing hair, and focusing instead on what his student needed in that moment.
