Kindness Squad: Meet Florida teacher, class behind viral sticky note moment for student

DeBary school surprises classmate with positive sticky notes

A Debary Elementary school teacher and classroom went viral for the kindness they showed to another classmate. Teacher Joanne Miller leads the Kindness Squad. Recently, her classmates noticed another classmate was feeling down, so they decorated her desk with colorful sticky notes filled with positive messages. "I'm crying and laughing," the student said in the video. "I'm happy." The video was posted and has reached millions. 

DEBARY, FLORIDA - A Florida teacher and her class have gone viral for their kindness – and how they stepped in to cheer up a student who was having a tough day.

It happened inside Mrs. Miller's classroom at DeBary Elementary.

When a student was feeling down one day, one of her classmates noticed and wanted to do something to make her feel better.

So, the class came up with an idea to write positive messages on sticky notes – and to then cover her desk with dozens of heartwarming, positive notes.

Mrs. Miller recorded the moment the student came into her classroom and found her desk and chair covered in colorful notes.

Within seconds, it was obvious how much this act meant to that student. Her hands immediately covered her face – tears, laughter, and joy.

"Is she laughing or crying? I can't tell," one student asks.

"I'm laughing and crying," the student responds. "I'm happy."

"Happy tears!" another student exclaims, as the star student quickly runs out of frame to the student who came up with the idea.

"When students learn to champion each other, that’s the real win. No state test can measure this, it’s empathy in action. This is what building classroom community is all about," Mrs. Miller wrote on her Facebook page, Head Over Heels For Teaching.