Someone looking for them
Dan Allender writes, “Every person is born into this world looking for someone looking for them.”
A core part of our responsibility when we step onto a school campus is to see students.
Sometimes that means noticing the things that aren't being said.
It is noticing the student taking heavy, labored breaths and wiping their eyes because of something their peers said.
It is noticing the student sitting with their head down in the lunchroom because they had a difficult morning at home.
It is walking with a student during cross country practice and talking about mental health, old ways of dealing with stress, and new ways to regulate when life feels overwhelming.
These moments may seem small, but they matter.
Our students don't always have the words to tell us what is happening. Sometimes they communicate through their body, their behavior, their silence, or simply by pulling away.
Our job is to notice.
We get to meet students right where they are and remind them that they are not overlooked or missed. They are seen. They matter. And they don't have to hide the fullness of who they are in order to belong.
And seeing a student doesn't mean we have to have all the answers.
Sometimes the most important thing we can do is listen, stay present, and help connect that student with the right people and resources within their school community.
Because nobody should have to figure it out on their own.
That is what safe and stable relationships can do. They create space for students to be known, supported, and reminded that someone is looking for them.
One student. One relationship. One moment of being seen at a time.