One night in April, Corey Simmons got on the New York City subway, heading from Manhattan to Brooklyn to pick up his son from his grandmother. Simmons knew he needed to open the green folder (文件夹) on his legs, because inside lay his son's math worksheets that father and son were supposed to complete together.
His son, who was in third grade, had just failed a test on fractions (分数). Simmons, 40, was never great at math. He wasn't sure he remembered much about fractions. He opened the folder and started on a problem, but wasn't sure if he was doing it correctly.
Just then, a man got on the train and sat next to him.
"He looked like a professor or something," Simmons said. "He looked kind of smart... like he knew something about math."
Like most New Yorkers, Simmons did not often talk to other people on the subway. This time, he shared his problem with the stranger. To his surprise, the man offered to help.
The two men worked through the math problems. The stranger helped Simmons understand how to do the math, so he could later teach his son.
The moment was captured (捕获) by Denise Wilson, who was heading home from her job and saw the pair doing homework. She posted the photo on Facebook. "I really love seeing things like this especially in New York," she wrote. "To be a dad... and put his pride aside and learn from a complete stranger... it was so cool."
Simmons said he wasn't afraid to ask for help so he could help his son. "You have to ask questions to get information. I'm not shy to ask," he said. "I was letting him know 'I need help, you know, your assistance would be great here on the train.'"
The 20minute subway lesson gave Simmons high hopes that his son would pass the next test. "He's going to knock it out of the park," Simmons said.
