A 10-year-old boy sought help for his math homework the one way he knew how: by dialing 911—and honestly, it seems warranted to me.
If math is anything like what it was when I was in grade school, I fully understand this boy’s decision to call for help. At age 10, homework really did seem that important.
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According to the Shawano Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin, the boy told the 911 dispatcher, Kim Krause, that he knew he shouldn’t be calling, but he really needed help with his math homework. He even added that his family “wasn’t very good at math either.”
The best part? Krause actually attempted to help him.
“She had some time, so she said, ‘Can I help you with the problem?’” Shawano County Sheriff George Lenzner told Good Morning America of Krause. “And well, he gave this long problem with decimals and she was unable to help him, so she informed him, ‘Well, let me see if I got a deputy near your residence [to help].’”
Though the sheriff’s office is usually too busy for non-emergency calls like this one, Deputy Sheriff Chase Mason happened to be available to help.
“[This] isn’t something we really normally do but he wasn’t busy at the time and he was in the area, so he stopped by,” Lenzner added. “[Mason] has a stepson that’s about the same age … and so he sat down and helped [the child] with [their] math [at their home].”
“Personally, I am also not overly proficient when it comes to math, but nonetheless, I responded to assist,” Deputy Mason wrote in his report.
The Shawano Sheriff’s Office shared a statement on Facebook about the hilarious yet endearing ordeal.
“Our young caller was provided a business card and was told we are always here to help, except next time he should probably use the non-emergency line if it’s not a life-threatening situation,” they wrote. “A great teaching moment for all.”
