Sing Along With Me

On the first day of school, as parents lined up, ready to drop off their little ones, I noticed a woman I knew. She struggled with a big, strong boy who tried to free himself from her hold. I remembered Esther because I had taught her daughter a few years earlier.

I greeted her, and she asked, “Is Sam in your class?” I checked my list and saw his name. She was so happy. As she handed Sam to me, she told me he was unstable. I did not understand what she meant, so I told her that boys are typically very active.

Later that day, we learned he was autistic, and because he needed a personal aide, he would be transferred to another school in a few days.

After a week, during which all I did was struggle to keep Sam safe, we heard he was not going anywhere. We would have him all year. Why? His mom phoned everyone working on the transfer and told them she wanted to keep her son in Ms. Mabel’s class. Period! Why? Because she wanted me to teach her son. Sam was in school every day on time. I noticed how he calmed down during naptime when I played a lullaby and turned the lights down. Praise the Lord! I said in my heart, for we were not allowed to talk about God in class.

I wanted to shout, “This is an answered prayer!” The struggle with Sam continued. It got to a point where we had to tie bells to the doorknob to alert us when he tried to run outside. He was so fast and energetic, but the music at naptime calmed him down and became the tool God used to keep him calm for ninety minutes each day. Over the course of the school year, we noticed Sam had stopped trying to run away as often. He learned to sit still and listen to rhymes and read-aloud books on the radio. At the parent-teacher conference, his mother said, “I told everyone my son would be OK in Ms. Mabel’s class.” All I knew was that it was not my abilities but God’s! Music did wonders for Sam, and by God’s grace, prayer, and music, we made it through the year. And I have to admit to shedding a tear the day Sam left my class.

My friends, the angels love to sing to God in heaven.

Let us sing, too, for music has the power to soothe our troubled hearts.

So, sing along with me, and let us praise the Lord!

Mabel Kwei