Professor steps in after single mom’s babysitter bails (PHOTO)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this one of a University of Louisville professor babysitting a student’s children during an exam says nothing but kindness, understanding and compassion.

The student, Monica Romero, is a single mom with two children, Marcus and Mikayla. When her babysitter canceled at the last minute, she didn’t know what to do with them while she took her final exam in military history. So she ended up taking them with her to school and asked them to sit outside the classroom on a couch while she took the test.

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It wasn’t a perfect plan, and when her son tried to get her attention during the test, she thought she would have to give up when the professor, Dr. Daniel Krebs, learned what was going on. Instead of chastising her or telling her she’d have to leave with her kids, however, he blew her away by telling her to finish her test; he was going to watch her kids. A fellow classmate captured the sweet scene that ensued.

The photo has since gone viral, and it’s no wonder. It’s one of those sweet, genuine acts of kindness that remind us how much of an impact we can have on the lives of others. He had no obligation to do this and nothing to gain. He likely had plenty of other pressing work he could have been doing but instead stepped outside himself to help out a fellow human being. So simple, but so powerful.

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In a world in which there is so much tragedy, fighting, violence and greed, we need these reminders that there is goodness in the world, that our small actions can make big differences in people’s lives. A few minutes out of our day, a kind word, a smile, even something as small as letting someone into the flow of traffic can turn a stranger’s day around. No one will likely snap our picture doing it, and most acts won’t go viral, but they will make the world better one act at a time.

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