Recently, I introduced a rhythm pattern vs. beat activity to my 1st and 2nd-grade class at my teaching school. After visually reviewing some rhythm patterns, I divided the kids into groups with their assigned pattern. While I kept the beat, they were to clap their pattern on the beat. If they missed coming in on the beat, that group is out. I started by going from one group to the next sequentially. The next round, I mixed it up (to see if they were paying attention to the conductor!). The group on my left missed the beat, so they were out. All the kids screamed in delight, laughing. They were having fun with this game.
Suddenly, I saw a boy on my left push another boy in the middle group. In my gentlest voice, I said, “Wait a minute. Is that appropriate behavior? Why did you feel the need to push your friend?” He responded with a frown, “Because he laughed at me.” I looked over at the other boy, who was not upset by being pushed, and his smile was one of joy from playing the game. I explained that when we play games like this, it is to learn and to have fun. One of the things we know is how to be good at making mistakes. We also learn how to encourage our friends and build them up. Whether it is laughing at them or pushing them is not acceptable. Sometimes we get it, and sometimes we don’t. We will make mistakes. But we learn from them and move on.
Here is the thing, though: What I sensed in the pusher – a 1st grader – was some anger. I noticed how he paced back and forth, trying to push a chair that had already been placed under the table into the table. It was as if he was trying to calm himself down while at the same time not wanting to let go of being laughed at. I gently touched and reminded him that pushing is not OK, whether the other boy laughed at him or not. He was fine after that.
I used this as an opportunity to teach all the kids how important it is to build each other up, not tear each other down. The song we used to sing with our son and in our children’s church came to mind – “Building Up the Kingdom.” I asked the kids what it means to build another person up. A few kids gave great answers:
- sharing
- giving a hug to someone
- making sure a person is OK when they are sad
Then I taught them this song:
Building up the Kingdom, building up the Kingdom
Building up the Kingdom of the Lord
Brother can you help me, Sister can you help me
Building up the Kingdom of the Lord.
It's so high you can't get over it
So low you can't get under it
So wide, you can't get around it
You gotta go through that Door.
I asked them, “Who do you think the Door is?” Some knew the answer to be Jesus. Then, we sang it again using the musical element of tempo: fast and slow.
As I thought of this episode from my general music teaching experiences, it dawned on me that in the same way I prayed over my son when he was little, I need to pray more over the kids I teach. That spirit of anger that I saw in the little kid bothered me. The enemy wants to destroy families, and he will sometimes come through our children to purport the destiny that is theirs. According to Psalm 127:4, they are like arrows. Chew on that until next time. Meanwhile, teach your kids to build up the Kingdom.