The Power of Looking for the Good – Part Three

Over the last two weeks, we’ve journeyed back to my early days in the classroom. I told you about my tradition of calling parents just to find one true, positive thing to say about their child, and how holding up that positive mirror completely shifted the environment. If you missed those messages, you can read part one here and part two here.

But classroom management isn't just about smooth daily routines.

It’s about building a container strong enough to hold life’s heaviest moments when necessary.

A few months into the school year, that container was tested in a split second.

*****

The Moment of Crisis

I had a student that semester who was dealing with immense, adult-sized burdens. Because of severe mental health struggles, he only attended school for half the day; the other half was spent in an inpatient mental health facility.

He was hurting, he was angry, and on this particular afternoon, the weight he was carrying became too much to bear.

Something triggered him. In a flash, his pain boiled over into raw aggression. As I stood in front of the class giving instructions for the day’s activity, he jumped from his seat, rushed toward me, and threatened to punch me.

The air in the room instantly turned to ice. My heart surged into my throat. My instinct was to say something to de-escalate the situation and at the same time mentally brace myself for impact.

But before I could even take a breath to respond, something else happened.

It didn't come from calling security over the intercom. It came from the room itself.

Before the student could move an inch closer to me, several students jumped up from their seats. They didn't hesitate. They rushed to the front of the room, formed a physical wall with their bodies, and stood directly between him and me.

One of them looked at him and said, "You'll have to get through us first."

They weren’t trying to be heroes; they were protecting an ally. They were protecting someone who, a few weeks prior, had called their homes just to tell their families that they mattered, that they were helpful, or that their smiles brought light to the room.

The student stopped. The aggression drained out of him, replaced by the realization of where he was. No one laid hands on anyone. The crisis passed as quickly as it had begun, handled entirely by the fierce loyalty of a room full of kids who felt seen.

That moment demonstrated a powerful truth.

Looking for the good around us isn't a "soft" or naive way to live. When you intentionally pour love, respect, and validation into the people around you, you aren't just making them feel good in the moment. You are changing the culture of the space you inhabit. You are building an invisible foundation rooted in trust that can become a protective shield.

Many of my students came from environments where self-preservation was a life skill learned early. But in that moment, their instinct was to defend something bigger than themselves—something bigger than even that younger version of me standing in front of the classroom. They were protecting the space we had cultivated together.

Those phone calls were the foundation, but the culture of that classroom was the totality of the mutual love and respect we had grown together as a small community. It was ours. It was special. And to those young people standing between me and the rage that threatened the calm sanctuary of that community, it was worth protecting.

We often look at the world and ask, "What should I do about all this conflict, tension, and pain?"

The truth is, we cannot fix all the brokenness in the world, but we can tend to the hurting souls around us. Maybe the more powerful question is: "How do I become the kind of person who leaves others feeling seen?"

When we step out of our own worries long enough to actively search for and call out the light in others, the room changes. And when the room changes, we are changed too.

A Simple Practice for Your Week

This week let's practice building our own protective walls of kindness.

• Identify a "Room" in Your Life: It could be your family dinner table, your workplace, or a local community group.
• Pour Out Before You Need: Don't wait for a crisis or a conflict to offer support. Send a text, leave a note, or voice a compliment to someone in that space today, acknowledging a hidden strength you appreciate about them. Build the foundation now.

You never know when the grace you extend today will become the very thing that holds you up tomorrow.

Until next time, let your inner light guide you,

Jessica

P.S. You know I always love to hear your thoughts.

Have you ever experienced a moment where a relationship you invested in unexpectedly sustained or protected you when things got heavy? Or maybe you remember a time when you felt compelled to stand up for someone who made you feel truly seen?

Hit reply and share your story with me. I can’t always reply to every response, but I read every single one of them and try to respond to as many as possible.