Professor Holds Toddler for Single Mom During Class

For single parents in school, the smallest bit of bad luck—a relative falls ill, a babysitter cancels—can put them in the awkward dilemma of having to choose between skipping class and taking their child with them.

Amanda Osbon, a single mom and a student at DeVry University, in Nashville, Tennessee, faced just that situation Monday, Nashville’s WKRN News reports. Fortunately, a compassionate professor and understanding classmates turned her discomfort into a heartwarming moment.

Osbon brought her son Xzavier to her class with Professor Joel Bunkowske in DeVry’s Keller Graduate School of Management with her Monday. When the two-year-old stood up in the middle of class and walked toward the lecturing Bunkowske, Osbon said she was embarrassed at first—until the professor picked up her son and continued lecturing without missing a beat. Bunkowske noted that everyone has their struggles and kept on teaching. He “was amazing, patient and kind,” she said.

“Most of us in the class are parents, so everyone was very understanding that he was there,” Osbon told WKRN.

It’s not the first time a camera has captured a sweet moment between a college professor and a toddler. In 2014, an image went viral of Professor Sydney Engelbert holding a young child during a lecture. The little boy had started crying in class and Engelbert scooped him up and soothed him while still conducting class.

[WKRN]