Punched In The Face

“I Got Punched in the Face… and Found Grace (Somehow)”

So let me set the scene.

I'm in a meeting— doing assistant principal stuff, trying to make the world a better place, level G5 clearance type stuff—when I hear a frantic call over the radio. A grown man, screaming for help. Now, when a full-grown adult is yelling for backup like he's calling in an airstrike, you know something has gone terribly wrong.

Immediately, I spring into action. And by “spring,” I mean a 295-pound fast-paced jog that might’ve cracked the concrete beneath me. I wasn’t exactly The Flash—but I was the Flash’s big cousin who means well. But moves like a school bus.  I haul tail across campus toward the chaos, adrenaline pumping and knees popping.

I arrive at the room where all heck had clearly broken loose. For legal reasons—and for the continued enjoyment of gainful employment—I won’t name names or fully describe what I saw. Just know it was the kind of scene that makes you question your life choices and insurance coverage.

Two individuals were going at it like it was WrestleMania: Smackdown vs. Raw – Alternative School Edition. I manage to pull one of the combatants out of the room. Great, right?

Wrong.

Because suddenly, the one left behind—who had been catching the metaphorical L—gets a sudden psychological anime power-up. You know that moment when Goku gets back up, wipes the blood from his lip, and suddenly unlocks Ultra Instinct? Yeah. That. Apparently, my presence gave her just enough hope to think, “I might still win this fight!” And she was ready to go.

So now I’m wrangling the re-energized Super Saiyan out the side door, doing my best not to rip my pants or pass out because I’m still exhausted from the sprint, well fast paced job. We make it outside. I guide her calmly around to the front of the building. And for a moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—we were done.

Then she rushed up to the front door, realized it was locked, and started yanking on it like she was trying to pull Excalibur from stone. Or lift Thor’s Hammer, I stepped in front of her.

“Hey, just wait here,” I said, all calm. “I’m going to call your mom.”

She didn’t like that. At all.

She moved to the window beside the door and started banging on it like she had put a dollar in but her taki's got stuck. I stepped in front again, trying to keep her from hurting herself or breaking the glass. Now I didn’t know if she could actually shatter the glass—but I knew if she did, the next sound I'd hear would be her screaming in pain and my career shattering along with the glass.The glass was thick, she definitely would have broken a bone or a nail or something. I kept stepping in front of the glass like the worlds dumbest goalie. And as a result of me not just letting a natural consequence play out she just kept getting madder and madder. I have one hand occupied calling the girls mom, and she is not picking up.

Then this lil girl looked me in the face… and punched me. Right. In. The. Eye.

Now, a lot goes through your mind when a student punches you in the eye.

Like, “Is this really happening?”
“Is my eye still in the socket?”
“Is this what Paul meant when he said count it all joy?”

“What if I, nevermind”

Now, to be fair, this wasn’t my first time being punched in the face on the job. But this one hit different—spiritually and emotionally. I’m a Christian… but in that moment? I don’t know what I was. Maybe a confused mix of church usher and a punching bag.

But I didn’t hit back. I didn’t yell. I didn’t retaliate. What I did was step back, breathe, and do a CPI-approved hold to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else.

And even though she hit me intentionally—no sugarcoating that—I knew it came from a place of deep frustration and rage, not evil. I got her parent on the phone. I explained everything. And here’s the thing: if I truly believed it ended with me, if I thought no one else would be harmed and it was a one-time thing, I honestly would’ve let it go.

But rules are rules. So she was removed from campus and had to complete her work remotely.

Guess who was assigned as her remote liaison?

Yup. Me. The same dude she punched in the eye.

And you know what? We made it work. She called regularly. I helped her with assignments. She completed everything. She graduated.

And in the weirdest way, getting punched in the face reminded me why I do this work.

It reminded me of grace, humility, and the power of a second chance. Lord knows I needed a lot of them. But if I can take that hit, suck it up, and keep showing up for a student and help her earn a diploma—maybe that’s the exact kind of leadership our kids need. God place me in the right place at the right time knowing I was one of the few people who could handle that situation. He also show me the power of forgiveness. 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:44
“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37

Sometimes, it takes a punch to the face to knock you into your purpose.