Professor Holds Student's Baby During Class So He Can Take Notes

Student Can't Find Child Care So Professor Holds His Baby Throughout Class

Updated March 8 2019, 7:14 a.m. ET

With midterms looming, Wayne Hayer, 26, of Atlanta, Georgia, didn't want to miss his algebra class Friday at Morehouse College. But Wayne was unable to find childcare for his five-month-old daughter, and his wife, Frida, had errands to run, ahead of the class to review content for the upcoming midterms. 

So he decided to bring Assata along and explain his situation to Professor Nathan Alexander. Professor Alexander quickly offered to hold the baby so that Wayne wouldn't be distracted, and taught the rest of the class with the baby strapped to his chest. Allowing Wayne to diligently take notes in preparation for the upcoming tests. Students shared the moment on Facebook and Twitter, where the posts quickly went viral. 

"Came to class today ready to learn and start March off on a good note preparing for Midterms at Morehouse College next week, student Nick Vaughn explains. "To my surprise we had an unexpected special guest in class today."

As one of my peers walked into the classroom with his child in arms he quickly explained to my professor that he couldn’t find a babysitter and had nobody else that could watch her. My professor Nathan Alexzander (Morehouse College) said, 'No problem, in fact I will even hold her so you can take better notes in class.' And he did, in fact not only did he teach the entire lecture with the child in his arms but also stayed after class helping those with questions about today’s lecture with the child still in his arms as seen in the pictures."

He continues to explain:

"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."

Another student took to Twitter to share the moment, where it acquired over 75,000 retweets and 300,000 likes. 

The photos even reached Morehouse College President David Thomas, who tweeted, “This is about #love and #commitment. Loving our students and being committed to removing any barrier to their pursuit of excellence” 

Hayer told CNN that he was initially nervous to take his daughter to class. 

“I was nervous to go to class. Morehouse is an all-male college and seeing me with a baby strapped to me would make all eyes be on me.” 

Professor Alexander told  CNN that “part of my role and goal as educator is to provide opportunities for students. We work to build a community in class.” 

“He works two jobs, is a full time student, is involved in leadership programs at school and is a parent. This photo serves as a reminder of what parents have to do every day and how important it is to have affordable childcare.” 

Assata proved to be the perfect classmate according to Alexander. 

“She was really behaved and even started to fall asleep at the end. We had a bottle ready on standby, if needed. We enjoyed having her energy in class.” 

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