Subway Stranger Helps Dedicated Dad With Common Core

Helping your kids with their homework is no parent’s idea of a good time, and that was before common core entered the picture and changed the rules on us.
Truth be told, I don’t remember any math after sixth grade, and now that kids are using tens and being forced to solve formerly simple arithmetic by drawing boxes, I’m completely useless. Sometimes it feels like you need to go back to school just to be able to help your kids get through it!
One dad is doing the next best thing, boning up on the principles of mathematics that his young son is struggling with just so he can help the youngster with his homework. That’s some A+ dadding!
Corey Simmons just wants to help his kid get the hang of fractions, and in order to give him the support he needs, Corey went back to re-learn math he probably hasn’t looked at in twenty years. They say YouTube is a handy resource when it comes to this kind of stuff, but sometimes the wifi isn’t working. Like when you’re commuting on the subway.
That’s where Corey was one afternoon when he found himself frustrated by those fractions. He didn’t have the internet to help, but he did have the kindness of strangers. One stranger in particular – a former math teacher who happened to be sharing the subway with Corey that day and noticed the dedicated dad’s confusion.
Denise Wilson witnessed the exchange and shared the story on Facebook:

“So today omw from work the guy in the red sat down opend up his folder and started reading a few stops later the guy next to him sat down and asked him what he’s studying you look a little confused maybe i can help he says his son failed a math test they’re learning fractions so im just teaching myself this over again so i can help him im 42 & dont know any of this so im re teaching myself the guy in the black informed him he use to be a math teacher so he asked the guy to quiz him and everything he got wrong or was confused about he broke it down and corrected him by the end of my train ride the guy in the red had a better understanding he can bring home a new method and teach his child i really love seeing shit like this especially in New York because we really just dont give a fuck about what the person next to us is going thru ⤔
Wilson recounted the scene for CBS News and admitted the whole thing got to her emotionally. âI started tearing up,â Wilson told CBS. âIt was just one person helping another, and I thought that was beautiful.â
The post has been shared over 40,000 times since April.