Whispers of Good

It seems our country (world?) has had a lot of bad things happen lately. As I as thinking about several of the current events on our world, our country, our town, this thought kept coming back to me: so often the bad is also the loud.

In my 4th grade classroom I sometimes catch kiddos doing something "bad". As you can imagine I am often able to catch them because when they do something "bad" they also get loud. Pick on a neighbor? They react. Throw a paper airplane? Someone giggles. Not paying attention? The whispered giggles give you away. Fighting? Loud. Mean words? Loud reactions.

It's sometimes harder for me to catch the good things. Because stopping to help their neighbor pick up a dropped pencil in quiet. Pointing to where we are in a book to a friend that lost their spot is silent. Doing their work? Soft. Holding the door for someone else? Silent.

Bad often shouts. Good often whispers.

School shootings. Assault charges. Abuse charges. Abortion debates. Murder. Theft. Bullying. Natural disasters. Threats. They are all loud. They catch attention. They demand attention. We talk about them. We dwell on them. We can't look away.

But just because there is bad doesn't mean their isn't good. It's just that good doesn't always proclaim itself.

Taking dinner to new neighbors. Helping out a friend. Holding the door for a stranger. Paying for someone's groceries. Donating to a good cause. Heading up a good cause. Looking out for children. Being there for those in need. Reaching out to others. Helping. Supporting. Praying. Doing. Being. A smile. A kind word. They are quiet. They are easily overlooked. They go without notice and seldom make the news. But they happen. And they count. They just whisper.

Today I watched a kiddo get left out. She was immediately upset. And she started to get loud. But before I even had a chance to react I saw 3 different kids from around my room notice her. And so I waited. And they - my 9&10 year olds - included her. And after the activity was over I said "hey! What did ya think of that?" And she said "I liked it! I liked that they helped me figure it out and worked with me."

She didn't remember the bad. She remembered the good.

I can't fix or stop the bad. But I can start out numbering the bad with good.

Bad things will still happen in my classroom. But I can teach my kiddos to respond and overcome that bad with good.

I can't protect my own kiddos from bad. But I can help them look for the good. And I can raise them to help be part of the good.

I don't necessarily want to down play the bad. It needs to be examined. To be thought about and discussed. But I  do want to amplify the good. To highlight it - spotlight it - hold a megaphone to it.

I may not be able to make the bad quieter ... But I can make the good louder.

#findthegood #bethegood #shoutoutthegood