little boy calls police for help with math homework

A Child Called 911 To Get Help With Their Math Homework

“You said if I need help to call somebody.”

A child struggling to solve a math problem called the people they’d been taught were always there to help: the police. Audio of the child’s 911 call was shared on TikTok by @911_stories_ and may serve as a reminder to parents to be a little extra thorough in how they explain when little ones should dial those three numbers.

The child’s call to 911 begins like most 911 calls do — with the dispatcher identifying themselves as 911 and asking what the caller’s emergency is.

“I need some help,” the child responded.

“What’s the matter?” the dispatcher asked.

“With my math,” the child said. “I have to do it. I have takeaways.”

Luckily for this child, the dispatcher seemed more than willing to offer a bit of homework help. “Oh you gotta do the takeaways?” the dispatcher said. “OK. Tell me what the math is.”

“Here’s one,” the child responded. “Five takeaway five.”

“And how much do you think that is?” the dispatcher asked.

But before the pair can work out the correct answer, a caretaker (perhaps the child’s mother?) confronts the child about being on the phone: “Joni, what are you doing?

View on TikTok

“The policeman’s helping me with my math,” the child responded.

“What did I tell you about playing on the phone?” their caretaker asked.

“You said if I need help to call somebody!” the child said, passionately defending themselves.

“I didn’t mean the police!” their caretaker said just as the call cuts off.

Although it’s unclear when or where this 911 call took place, this isn’t the first time a child has sought homework help from 911 . In January 2019, a dispatcher in Lafayette, Indiana, took a call from a boy who just needed to tell someone that he’d “had a really bad day” at school. “I just have tons of homework,” the boy said. “[It’s] math and it’s so hard.”

“Is there a problem you want me to help you with,” the dispatcher, who was identified by the Lafayette Police Department as Antonia Bundy in a tweet sharing audio of the call, asked. Bundy then coaches the boy through a fraction addition problem and checks to make sure that’s the only problem he’s having trouble with before hanging up.

In 2018, NBC 4 reported a child in Fort Collins, Colorado, called 911 seeking help with their division homework . “Hi, this isn’t an emergency, but I’m 10 years old and I’m working on my math homework right now and I can’t figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is,” the news outlet reported the child asked.

While Fort Collins Police used the call as a chance to remind people that 911 should only be contacted for emergency situations, that dispatcher also took a moment to help the 10-year-old work out the answer.

Of course, police don’t recommend children call 911 for anything other than true emergencies. Kids Health recommends that along with teaching children how to call 911 , parents should coach kids on what qualifies as an emergency situation where a call to 911 is warranted.

10-year-old boy calls 911 for help with math but don't try this at home

A 911 dispatcher whips out his calculator to help division-challenged boy.

A 10-year-old Colorado boy called 911 for help with his math, and it paid off.

Fort Collins police have just released audio of the call picked up by dispatcher Chris Clow.

"Hi, this isn't an emergency but I'm 10 years old and I'm working on my math homework right now and I can't figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is," the boy told Clow, who took the April call.

(MORE: Firefighters hailed for saving unborn baby after mom fatally shot in domestic dispute)

Clow first realized that boy, whose name was not released, had actually confused the numbers and that he needed to solve 3,052 divided by 71, not the other way around.

After asking a few questions, Clow came back with the answer: “It’s 42.98, which you would round up to like 43.”

“Thanks. Thank you,” the boy said.

Clow was unavailable to comment but police spokeswoman Kate Kimble told ABC News the department occasionally gets calls from people who are not experiencing an emergency.

And, like this time, dispatchers will try to accommodate the caller, she said.

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“A lot of times their dispatchers will take that opportunity to educate them about the right and wrong reasons to call 911,” Kimble said, adding that dispatchers will try to help if they have time.

“Sometimes, as in this case, they feel like people might just need a little bit of compassion in the day and if things aren't busy, they're willing to help them out."

Taking it all in stride, Fort Collins police provided a nonemergency number on their Facebook page for those who are in need of help but cautioned that homework does not fall under their purview.

“From an early age, kids are taught to call police if they need help. This particular problem wasn't the kind we typically handle, but we're glad Dispatch was able to help solve it,” Fort Collins Police Services wrote on its Facebook page. “Disclaimer: Not all dispatchers are as skilled in math and/or readily equipped with calculators as Dispatcher Chris. Please only call 911 for emergencies.

“You can call us at 970-419-FCPD for non-emergencies, though it should be noted that FCPD is not responsible for incorrect homework answers. If you or your child believe you need police assistance with an assignment, please contact your School Resource Officer during school hours. They love talking to their students about pretty much anything.”

This is one call that dispatcher Clow won’t soon forget. “He said this is one that's memorable for him, for sure,” Kimble said.

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Confused child calls 911 to get help with their math homework

A concerned child couldn’t figure out how to solve their math homework. so they called the first person they could think of for help - 911!. In this audio-only video, posted by TikTok account 911 Calls (@911_stories_). a 911 dispatcher answered the phone, saying, “911, what’s your emergency?”. A young child responded, “Yeah I need some help... With my math! I have… takeaways” . The dispatcher was more than willing to help with the child’s subtraction problem. As the dispatcher tried to help the child figure it out, the child’s mother realized he was on the phone. “What did I tell you about playing on the phone?” the child’s mom responded. The child defended themself passionately, saying, “You said if I need help to call somebody!” . “I didn’t mean the police!” his mom cried out as the video ended. While this confusion may make for an adorable TikTok, it’s important to avoid mishaps like these and discuss the appropriate use for 911 with children

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Kid Who 'Had A Really Bad Day' Calls 911 For Help With Math Homework

Editor, HuffPost Australia

A 911 dispatcher has been praised after helping a stressed-out school kid with his math homework.

The unknown caller told dispatcher Antonia Bundy he was “bad at fractions” and had just had “a really bad day” at school.

While a math emergency isn’t ordinarily grounds for calling 911, Bundy remained on the line with the young boy for almost two minutes while guiding him through the problem.

Indiana’s Lafayette Police Department uploaded a recording of the call to Twitter Saturday:

Our dispatchers never know what the next call might be.They train for many emergency situations, homework help is not one they plan for. We don't recommend 911 for homework help but this dispatcher helped a young boy out and brightened his day. @PoliceOne @apbweb @wlfi @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/w3qCYfJP7O — LafayetteINPolice (@LafayetteINPD) January 25, 2019

This is wonderful. I know the dispatcher was aware of other emergencies and would not have been able to take the time if there were things more pressing. I'm glad she did. You can save a life by giving pre-arrival CPR instructions, but you can also save one this way. — Anna (@merrythedog) January 26, 2019

While the police department tweeted that it doesn’t “recommend 911 for homework help,” one of its sergeants told BuzzFeed News that Bundy was able to provide assistance because the dispatch center wasn’t busy at the time.

“That day there happened to be five dispatchers working at the same time, and only two dispatchers were taking calls,” Sgt. Matt Gard said. “Had other emergency calls come in, we had other dispatchers available to taking calls.”

Twitter users have hailed Bundy as “a true hero.”

This makes my ❤️smile!!! Thank you Antonia, you are a true hero!!! — BichonMom3 (@BichonMom3) January 26, 2019

We need more people in the world like you ma’am. Thank you for having a kind ❤️ — Kendra Williams (@Kimzie01) January 28, 2019

In less than 2 minutes a perfect stranger brightened someone’s day extending a helping hand. Pay attention people. In less than 2 minutes we all can make a difference in someone else’s life. Slow down, acknowledge each other, lend a hand, humble thy self. — Two Three Nine (@GpTwoSix) January 28, 2019

Thank you Antonia for taking care of the young man with such compassion and generosity. You not only made his day, you made mine a little better as well! — Susan murphy (@Biosusan) January 28, 2019

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Child calls 911 for help with math homework: 'I'm sorry for calling you but I really needed help'

An Indiana police dispatcher had to take a little trip down memory lane recently when she got a 911 call that took her by surprise.

When Antonia Bundy of Lafayette answered the call, she heard a child's voice, asking her for some desperately needed help with fractions.

Bundy: 911.

Boy: Hi, um, I had a really bad day and ... I just, I don't know.

Bundy: You had a bad day at school?

Boy: Yeah...

Bundy: What happened at school that made you have a bad day?

Boy: I just have tons of homework.

Bundy: OK. What subject do you have homework in?

Boy: Math. And it's so hard.

Bundy told ABC News she did not know the identity of the child or where he lived. She also said that it was her first time getting a call from a child needing homework help. But, like a veteran in the classroom, she calmed the child's jitters and began walking him through the problem.

Bundy: Is there a problem you want me to help you with?

Boy: Yeah, um, what's 3/4 + 1/4?

Bundy: So, do you have your paperwork in front of you?

Bundy: OK. So if you do 3 over 4. Put that on your paper.

Bundy: And then do plus 1 over 4.

Bundy: OK, so, what's 3 plus 1?

Bundy: OK and then ... 4 over 4 is what?

Bundy: Yeah! Good job!

Boy: Thank you.

Bundy: You're welcome. Was that you're only problem?

Boy: Yeah. I'm sorry for calling you, but I really needed help.

Bundy: You're fine. We're always here to help.

"I tried to help as best as I could," she told ABC News on Tuesday. "I could tell at the beginning of the call, that he was a little stressed about his day. ... I think by the end of the call, just me taking that time to help him, really improved his day."

Bundy's police department lauded her on Friday for stepping up to help the boy but cautioned that it did not recommend calling 911 for homework help.

Our dispatchers never know what the next call might be.They train for many emergency situations, homework help is not one they plan for. We don't recommend 911 for homework help but this dispatcher helped a young boy out and brightened his day. @PoliceOne @apbweb @wlfi @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/w3qCYfJP7O — LafayetteINPolice (@LafayetteINPD) January 25, 2019

Bundy said she never hesitated to help the child on the other end of the phone.

"Him just needing help with that math problem was his emergency at that time," she said. "I always loved math in school so the fact that he called in, and I was able to assist him in a problem that I had myself when I was in fifth grade, just took me back down memory lane."

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Boy Calls 911 to Ask For Help with Math, Cops Soon Realize He Needs Real Help – Story of the Day

A boy called 911 to ask for help to solve his math homework. Cops soon realized he had a bigger problem and rushed to his address.

Ryan Crosby was lost in deep thought, staring at the plain wall and his math book. "How am I supposed to solve this one?" he mumbled.

The 8-year-old had a math assignment to submit the next day and needed help with a few problems. Even the internet didn't have the step-by-step answers he was looking for. That's when Ryan picked up the phone and dialed 911.

"911. What's your emergency?" the operator said.

Although the emergency unit in that part of Madison had previously dealt with several calls for help, this one stood out.

"Come again? You need help with math???" the dispatcher exclaimed after hearing out Ryan...

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

"Yes, I do," Ryan replied. "My mom always told me I shouldn't be scared to call 911 to ask for help."

The operator hoped this was not a prank. They would often get random hoax calls from kids in town on Halloween. So this time, she decided not to give much thought to the little boy's pleas with his math homework.

"Something isn't right... Officer, you stay with him while we search."

"Listen, son...What's your name? the operator inquired.

"My name is Ryan."

"Ryan, this is not a tutorial center... It's an emergency line," the operator said. "Is there any emergency we can help you with?"

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pixabay

But Ryan insisted that he only needed help to solve his math problems. "Please! My mom said 911 helps... help me with this, please!" he cried.

At this point, the operator was debating hanging up, but she had to be certain the kid wasn't pulling a prank and decided to have a word with his mother.

"Alright! I will transfer your call to the non-emergency department. But before that, can you give the phone to your mother?" the operator said.

Ryan cried and said he wouldn't have called 911 if his mother had been home.

"I see. Is there another adult with you in the house?" the operator inquired.

"No, it's just me," Ryan revealed.

"Are you saying you're all alone in the house, Ryan?"

"One sec, hold on...hold on..." The operator kept Ryan on the line as she hurriedly traced his address. In no time, cops rushed to the boy's home, only to find him alone in his house at 10 p.m.

"Hello, Ryan. Where is your mother? How long have you been alone in the house?" an officer calmly asked Ryan.

The boy said the house was empty when he arrived home from school that afternoon. "I had the spare keys with me."

The officers thought something was amiss. They tried to reach Ryan's mother, Matilda, but her phone was switched off.

"Something isn't right...Officer, you stay with him while we search," the cop said to his partner.

Moments later, the officer got a call from the control room about the location where Matilda's phone was last active.

"What...What's going on? Where is my mother?" Ryan cried.

An officer stayed with him while the rest hurried to the spot in the patrol vehicle.

The coordinates led the cops to the outskirts of town. "Her phone was last active in this area...Go on, search this place," an officer commanded, pointing to a secluded area where an old deserted mill stood.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

The officers rummaged the place and still found nothing after half an hour. Soon, a K9 arrived to make their job easier. They made the dog sniff Matilda's used scarf they got from her house.

In mere seconds, K9 Caesar led the cops in a different direction. After arriving there ten minutes later, they found a car stranded in the middle of a deserted route.

"Officers, stay back...alert...." the cop said. As they neared the spot, they surrounded the car, and when they peeped in, they found Matilda lying still on the seat. "Let's get her out of there!" the officer yelled.

An ambulance arrived ten minutes later, and Matilda was rushed to the hospital.

"Mrs. Crosby? Are you alright?" the cop asked Matilda after she gained consciousness. "Can you please tell us what happened?"

It turned out that Matilda had gone to visit her sister in the neighboring town that morning.

"I wanted to shop on the way, and I decided to take a shortcut to this place," she said. "But while driving, I passed out, and I don't remember what happened after that."

The doctor later revealed that Matilda had fainted due to heat. Her phone battery was dead, and she remained unconscious the whole day in the car. Luckily, a window was open, and she survived.

‘Two Pizzas Please,’ Cop Thinks Girl Called Wrong Number until Strange Noises Appear in the Background — Story of the Day

My Boyfriend Forces Me to Diet — Story of the Day

A child called 911 about his homework. The dispatcher’s favorite subject was math.

Antonia Bundy was on her regular shift at the 911 dispatch center when she answered a call and heard a small voice on the line.

“Hi, um, can you hear me?” said a child’s voice.

Bundy, a dispatcher for the Lafayette Police Department in Indiana for about three years, responded that, yes, she could hear him.

The boy continued: “I had a really bad day.”

Bundy is trained to calmly talk to callers during emergency situations such as fires, robberies and shootings so that she can send them help.

“What happened at school that made you have a bad day?” she asked, according to a recording of the call, as she tried to get exact information about the nature of his emergency.

“I just have tons of homework,” answered the boy, who said he was in 5th grade.

“Oh, okay,” Bundy responded. At that point, she realized there was no emergency.

Man needed help with son’s third-grade math homework — and got it from a stranger on the subway

The boy told her that he was bad at fractions.

Some dispatchers might have scolded him for calling 911 and disconnected the line. But it was an unusually slow time at the dispatch center when the call came in at about 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, and Bundy, 23, likes to help people. So she asked him: “Is there a problem you want me to help you with?”

The boy was having trouble with ¾ + ¼. Bundy patiently walked him through it.

Once he understood the answer, he told her: “I’m sorry for calling you, but I really needed help.”

“That’s okay, we’re always here to help,” she told him.

The boy abruptly hung up before she could tell him that next time he should ask a parent or teacher for help rather than call 911.

“He disconnected before we could get to that point,” Bundy told The Washington Post.

In a bind, she brought her baby to school. Her professor held the child while he taught physics.

The boy, whom police said they weren’t able to identify, was lucky it was Bundy who happened to answer his call.

“I thoroughly enjoyed math all the way through high school,” Bundy said “Fractions were always one of my favorite things in school.”

The Lafayette Police Department posted the 911 call on Twitter last week, and the response has been huge.

Our dispatchers never know what the next call might be.They train for many emergency situations, homework help is not one they plan for. We don't recommend 911 for homework help but this dispatcher helped a young boy out and brightened his day. @PoliceOne @apbweb @wlfi @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/w3qCYfJP7O — LafayetteINPolice (@LafayetteINPD) January 25, 2019

This melts my heart, that little boy overcame an obstacle with her help He knows that there are people out there in the world that are willing to help him.Such a wonderful person to help the way she did.The 2 minutes spent helping him will have a lifetime impact on him thank you! — Mindy reinhardt (@MindyReinhardt) January 28, 2019

This is Antonia Bundy, a 911 dispatcher in Indiana. When a 14yr old boy called in despair because he couldn't finish his homework, she could've hung up, laughed, or made him feel worthless. Instead, she helped him work through it. Listen to it here: pic.twitter.com/o4wt5jm14p pic.twitter.com/T2HdZe3Cuf — Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) January 29, 2019

“I never expected it to take off as much as it has,” Bundy said. “It goes to show a small act of kindness goes a long way.”

She wasn’t breathing. He didn’t know CPR. Then he recalled an old episode of ‘The Office.’

A chance encounter between Colin Powell and a disabled veteran left them both inspired about America

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911 Operator Turns Into Math Tutor When Boy Calls for Help

Boy calls 911 complaining about too much homework, donald trump’s attorney accuses stormy daniels of lying, us air force rescues sick 12-year-old boy from cruise, do some states need stricter driving while high laws, stormy daniels' friend speaks out about lake tahoe incident, american taylor swift fans flock to paris to attend eras tour concert, deputies rescue a runaway goat trapped in fence, inside deals: airwand styler set, power banks, malibu skye crossbody, driver suspected to be under the influence crashes into home, alligator snaps up fish caught by 15-year-old, umasofia srivastava steps down as miss teen, costco superfan gets surprise birthday party inside store, destructive tornado rips through oklahoma hotel, good samaritan rescues puppy abandoned in parking lot, robert f. kennedy jr. says tapeworm ate part of his brain, kim kardashian calls dramatic met gala corset an 'art form', stormy daniels faces backlash for hush money testimony, congress investigates antisemitism in schools amid protests, teen catches record-breaking 101-pound blue catfish, parents of australian surfers killed in mexico mourn their sons, miss usa noelia voigt resigns to focus on her mental health, indiana dispatcher antonia bundy dusted off her math skills when a young boy called for help with his homework..

When a boy called police to complain about having too much homework , Indiana dispatcher Antonia Bundy took it upon herself to help him. 

"I had a really bad day," the boy begins in the call. 

"You had a bad day at school?" Bundy replies. 

"Yeah, I just came to tell you that," the boy says.

"Yeah. What happened at school that made you have a bad day?" Bundy asks.

"I just have tons of homework," he answers. 

Bundy, who works for the Lafayette Police Department, said the boy told her he was particularly frustrated by his math homework, so she took it upon herself to tutor him.

"He didn't sound like he was in good spirits," Bundy told Inside Edition. "That, in itself, that's what we're trained to do. We're trained to help people in their worst time."

She coached him through some simple arithmetic on the phone, patiently asking questions.

"So what's three plus one?" she asks.

"Four," he replies.

Eventually, the boy apologizes for calling 911 but says he "really needed help."

"You're fine, we're always here to help!" Bundy answers.

Bundy told Inside Edition there were multiple dispatchers working at the time, allowing her to give the boy plenty of attention.

"Thankfully I was able to dedicate the time to help him," she said. "I hope I didn't give him the wrong answer and I hope he had a better day."

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Boy calls 911 for help with his math homework — and gets it.

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She’s ready for any emergency — even a math meltdown!

A 911 dispatcher in Indiana sprang to the rescue when a boy called, frantically needing help with his mind-numbing math homework, according to NBC News .

“I had a really bad day, and, I just don’t know,” the unnamed kid told Antonia Bundy, who works for the Lafayette Police, on Jan. 14.

Instead of blowing him off, Bundy asked him how she could help.

“What happened at school that made you have a bad day?” she said, according to a tape of the call, cited by the station.

“I just have tons of homework,” he said. One of the math problems — which centered on fractions — was “so hard,” he said.

When the dispatcher walked him through how to solve it, he thanked her, and apologized.

“I’m sorry for calling you, but I really needed help,” the boy said.

Lafayette Police Sgt. Matt Gard later said it had been a slow day.

“[Dispatchers] do receive some oddball requests,” he said. “But this situation of calling asking for homework help — I’ve been in law enforcement for 13 years and I don’t know I’ve ever heard of this happening.” He called her a “dedicated” worker with a big heart.

The only minus? There are better places to call for help with math, he said.

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Child calls 911 for help with math homework: 'I'm sorry for calling you but I really needed help'

An Indiana police dispatcher had to take a little trip down memory lane recently when she got a 911 call that took her by surprise.

When Antonia Bundy of Lafayette answered the call, she heard a child's voice, asking her for some desperately needed help with fractions .

Bundy: 911.

Boy: Hi, um, I had a really bad day and ... I just, I don't know.

Bundy: You had a bad day at school?

Boy: Yeah...

Bundy: What happened at school that made you have a bad day?

Boy: I just have tons of homework.

Bundy: OK. What subject do you have homework in?

Boy: Math. And it's so hard.

Bundy told ABC News she did not know the identity of the child or where he lived. She also said that it was her first time getting a call from a child needing homework help. But, like a veteran in the classroom, she calmed the child's jitters and began walking him through the problem.

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(MORE: 10-year-old boy calls 911 for help with math but don't try this at home)

Bundy: Is there a problem you want me to help you with?

Boy: Yeah, um, what's 3/4 + 1/4?

Bundy: So, do you have your paperwork in front of you?

Bundy: OK. So if you do 3 over 4. Put that on your paper.

Bundy: And then do plus 1 over 4.

Bundy: OK, so, what's 3 plus 1?

Bundy: OK and then ... 4 over 4 is what?

Bundy: Yeah! Good job!

Boy: Thank you.

Bundy: You're welcome. Was that you're only problem?

Boy: Yeah. I'm sorry for calling you, but I really needed help.

Bundy: You're fine. We're always here to help.

"I tried to help as best as I could," she told ABC News on Tuesday. "I could tell at the beginning of the call, that he was a little stressed about his day. ... I think by the end of the call, just me taking that time to help him, really improved his day."

(MORE: 9-year-old boy calls 911, helps save his grandfather's life)

Bundy's police department lauded her on Friday for stepping up to help the boy but cautioned that it did not recommend calling 911 for homework help.

Bundy said she never hesitated to help the child on the other end of the phone.

"Him just needing help with that math problem was his emergency at that time," she said. "I always loved math in school so the fact that he called in, and I was able to assist him in a problem that I had myself when I was in fifth grade, just took me back down memory lane."

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10-year-old boy in Colorado calls 911 for help with math homework

FORT COLLINS, Colorado (WABC) -- A 911 dispatcher was able to lend a helping hand when a 10-year-old boy called for help -- with a math problem.

"Hi, this isn't an emergency, but I'm 10 years old and I'm working on my math homework right now and I can't figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is," the young boy told 911 dispatcher Chris Clow.

He was apparently confused because he had the numbers backwards, but Clow took the call in stride. He even pulled out a calculator to find the answer, which was 42.9.

"People think of 911 as a catch-all for 'I need help with something, I don't know who to call," Clow said.

The police department had fun posting about the call on social media, but also reminded everyone that 911 is for real emergencies, not long division.

"It should be noted that FCPD is not responsible for incorrect homework answers. If you or your child believe you need police assistance with an assignment, please contact your School Resource Officer during school hours," the Fort Collins Police Department posted on Facebook.

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Watch CBS News

10-Year-Old Calls 911 For Help -- With Math Homework

September 25, 2018 / 11:14 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

By Kelly Werthmann

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) -  When a call came into 911 in Fort Collins, Chris Clow, a Fort Collins Emergency Services Dispatcher, thought he was ready for whatever may be on the other end of the line.

"Some people have grown to think that 911 is a catchall for, 'I need help with something; I don't know who to call,'" said Clow.

Clow has answered a variety of emergency calls in his four years as a dispatcher. A recent call from a young boy, however, caught him a bit off guard.

????⬆️ This wasn't a typical call for help, but we're glad Dispatch could still help solve this problem! *Note: 911 is only for true emergencies. If you have homework that requires police assistance, please contact your SRO during school hours. They love helping their students. pic.twitter.com/OrtNe8BsfY — Fort Collins Police (@FCPolice) September 25, 2018

The child was trying find the answer to 3,052 divided by 71. The dispatcher, clearly taken off guard, took a few minutes to reach for a calculator.

"I can try to help you... I don't know how to do that off the top of my head either at the moment," Clow said.

"Okay, thanks," the child answered.

Clow then asked if the kid had the problem right, wondering if the young student was working in decimals in school.

"At first he was confused because he had it backwards," Clow told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann.

After a quick adjustment of the equation, Clow helped the child in the midst of a math crisis.

A few more patient moments, and the dispatcher had an answer: 42.98.

"Just doing it on the calculator, it's 42.98, which you would round up to like 43," Clow said.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. Thank you," the child responded.

While homework woes are no reason to call 911, Clow said he was happy he could help.

"I am on the public education team, so I think it was a good moment to help him out a little bit and not use it as a 'don't call 911' teaching moment," he said.

Clow called the unique call a "refreshing" break from the usual emergency calls he often answers.

"I don't think a lot of people would've had the compassion or the patience that you did," Werthmann said to Clow.

"I think it's important to give (callers) that service whenever we can," he said.

Fort Collins Police Services finished their post on social media by saying 911 is only for true emergencies, and school resource officers are more than willing to lend a hand when students need help.

Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team as the morning reporter in 2012. After serving as weekend morning anchor, Kelly is now Covering Colorado First for CBS4 News at 10. Connect with Kelly on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @KellyCBS4 .

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10-year-old boy in Colorado calls 911 for help with math homework

FORT COLLINS, Colorado -- A 911 dispatcher was able to lend a helping hand when 10-year-old boy called for help -- with a math problem.

"Hi, this isn't an emergency, but I'm 10 years old and I'm working on my math homework right now and I can't figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is," the young boy told 911 dispatcher Chris Clow.

He was apparently confused because he had the numbers backwards, but Clow took the call in stride. He even pulled out a calculator to find the answer, which was 42.9.

"People think of 911 as a catch-all for 'I need help with something, I don't know who to call," Clow said.

The police department had fun posting about the call on social media, but also reminded everyone that 911 is for real emergencies, not long division.

"It should be noted that FCPD is not responsible for incorrect homework answers. If you or your child believe you need police assistance with an assignment, please contact your School Resource Officer during school hours," the Fort Collins Police Department posted on Facebook.

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Boy calls 911 for math help

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KCNC / NNS) - A 10-year-old in Fort Collins, Colorado called 911 for help after running into a little trouble - with his math homework.

Collins Police Services Dispatcher Chris Clow said he was caught a bit off guard but immediately went into help mode.

Clow, who admitted he was a little rusty on his math skills, made a quick adjustment to the equation. He pulled out a calculator and helped the 10-year-old figure out the answer.

“Some people have grown to think that 911 is a catch-all for ‘I need help with something; I don't know who to call.’” Clow said. “I think it's important to give them that service whenever we can.”

He said he chose to help the 10-year-old rather than use it as a ‘don't call 911” teaching moment because he feels at times it's just important to give people the service they need.

A Boy's Call to 911 Hilariously Turns Into a Lesson in Humanity

Kid calls 911 (police) for Emergency Help! Kid calls 911 (police) for Emergency Help! Posted by KeeptheHeat on Saturday, September 26, 2015

We know that calls to 911 should be reserved for emergencies and we teach our children that too, but sometimes we forget that parents and kids have vastly different ideas of what constitutes an emergency. Take, for example, a little boy who can't figure out a math problem. In an old 911 call that has recently gone viral, the 4-year-old calls 911 for help figuring out "takeaways," aka subtraction. After a bit of confusion about whether the boy was calling about his mouth or math, the 911 operator doesn't scold the boy; he actually attempts to help him! The two go back and forth for a bit before the boy's mother gets suspicious about her child being on the phone. That's when hilarity ensues:

"Johnny, what do you think you're doing?" "The policeman is helping me with my math." "You said that if I need help to call somebody." "I didn't mean the police!"

Obviously little Johnny needs a lesson in what a true emergency is, but the 911 operator's patience and sweet response (we can only assume there were no other calls coming in at the time) is a reminder that children's innocence must be savored.

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