This paper explores the implementation of student-centered and social justice-based teaching methods that promote a classroom atmosphere of equity, inclusion, and positivity by prioritizing students' emotional and psychological well-being in relation to the course content. This paper argues that creating a classroom atmosphere in which students feel safe and included lowers the collective affective filter and establishes a positive relationship with the target language(s), increasing students' linguistic competence. This, in turn, benefits our programs by encouraging students to continue in the language sequence(s), and in higher education in general. The methodologies explored here are holistic pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and constructivist pedagogy--instructional models that embed support and flexibility into courses to enhance social-emotional learning, in addition to academic growth, by acknowledging and addressing the unique and diverse background, strengths, and needs of each student. This paper will give several examples of these student-centered pedagogical practices in the community college context.