Acts of Kindness
Kind Stranger On The Subway Helps Father With Math Problems
A man noticed he was struggling and selflessly stepped in.
Jonathan Maes
05.02.18

A photograph that was taken in a New York subway shows an absolutely amazing moment shared by two strangers, and it was quickly seen by thousands online.

One day, Corey Simmons found himself on the subway with a couple of math problems in hand.

Denise Wilson was sitting right across from him and noticed that the man seemed a little bit confused with the math problems, but just assumed that he was a math teacher.

Denise Wilson
Source:
Denise Wilson

“I am thinking he’s a teacher or going over work,” Denise said to InsideEdition.

A couple of minutes passed and she noticed another passenger offering to take a seat next to him.

CBS New York
Source:
CBS New York

It immediately became clear that the man wasn’t good at math at all, but wanted to learn fractions so he could teach his son.

The man’s son, Corey Junior, recently failed a test on fractions and was struggling with math in general. This father decided to freshen up his mathematical skills so he could help his little boy out.

Denise Wilson
Source:
Denise Wilson

It’s been well over two decades since the 42-year-old man learned everything about fractions, so you could say he was a little bit rusty.

“I overheard the conversation and Corey saying that his son failed a math test and he was relearning math so he could help his son and that he hadn’t done fractions in years,” Denise told.

However, the man who sat next to him was a retired math teacher and the perfect person to help Corey out.

CBS New York
Source:
CBS New York

The Good Samaritan stayed on the subway for a while and helped Corey understand all the fraction problems. He even quizzed him a few times to make sure he could it explain it to his son later.

“He was explaining to him the things he got wrong and breaking it down to him so he could get a better understanding,” Denise said. “I had to capture that moment because it was too heartwarming. It was amazing to me.”

“I was like ‘wow’ because I feel like a lot of dads don’t get enough credit and in our community there is not a lot of active fathers and for him to make the effort to relearn math touched my heart,” she added.

Denise posted a picture of the two men on her Facebook page along with a heartfelt message and it quickly went viral with over 125,000 likes.

Denise Wilson
Source:
Denise Wilson

“I really just wanted to shine light on hard working hands on fathers, they go unnoticed, I really want to let the active fathers out there know you’re more powerful than you may think you are. Also to shine light on our city NY is not what people make it seem to be, we really do care about each other, we really hold each other up,” she wrote in a follow-up post.

When the two men then parted ways afterward, Corey forgot to catch the retired teacher’s name. However, he’s hoping that someone can identify him so he can thank him once again.

CBS New York
Source:
CBS New York

“It’s been around thirty years I would say, since I did fractions,” Corey said to CBS New York. “It doesn’t matter if you fail, it’s what you do after you fail,” he said to his son.

“You need help sometimes, and you shouldn’t want to bite your tongue to not ask for help. So don’t feel shy to ask someone for help, it’s okay. I got a better understanding [of the math] and was able to relate it to my son.”

Corey admits that he won’t become a mathematical genius anytime soon, but he is looking to get his son tutoring to help out with some other math issues.

CBS New York
Source:
CBS New York

In any case, Corey and his son definitely won’t forget about this stranger’s act of kindness. What a beautiful moment!

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