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(CNN) - Last Thursday, when a Georgia university student could not find a babysitter, her teacher volunteered to support the baby while teaching a three-hour anatomy class.
A photo of that class shows the world what kindness and compassion look like.
Ramata Sissoko Cissé, assistant professor of Biology at Georgia Gwinnett College in the Atlanta suburb of Lawrenceville, told CNN that one of her students called her at night, before class, to inform her that her nanny was ill. Because of that, the student would have to take her baby to Cissé's Anatomy and Physiology class the next day.
The teacher, mother of three children, gave her the green light. "That she trusts me made me feel I had to help," Cissé said. "It's like a moral responsibility."
- Teacher loads her student's baby so she can take notes
But in class, the baby kept moving, and it was difficult for the student to hold her son and write at the same time.
"I said: 'Pass me the baby,'" Cissé said.
However, Cissé could not hold the baby and write on the white board during his Anatomy lecture.
The baby became a learning aid
So Cissé improvised. He found a white lab coat and tied the baby on his back.
The baby fell asleep quickly and fell silent for the rest of the class. Cissé was able to incorporate the baby into the lesson, developing concepts related to the nervous system, brain function and metabolism.
A student asked why he could sleep so quietly.
Cissé explained that he was warm and welcoming, with the temperature of his body next to him, and the corresponding heat facilitated his relaxation.
Then, when the baby was hungry and the bottle was cold, he explained that heating the milk would help speed up the baby's metabolism.
A spokeswoman for Georgia Gwinnett College told CNN that the child's mother asked not to be identified.
“I teach because they need to be prepared for life”
Cissé said the student sent her an email after class to thank her, and she replied: "You're welcome, I'll always be there for you." And the student replied: "I know."
Those two words meant a lot to her.
Many of the Cissé students become nurses or doctors, or work in other health professions. She said teaching them science is only part of her mission to prepare them for life after school.
“Love and compassion are part of the philosophy of my class,” said Cissé.
He hopes to be able to instill those qualities by modeling them in teaching moments, such as holding the baby during class, since being a good health care provider is more than just studying textbooks.
“I hope they can spread the love, take it to other people who need it,” said Professor Ramata Sissoko Cissé.
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