It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.

A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap.   One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapping two times while singing the repeating phrase "Oh yes!" Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.

One day late in the school year when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words "Oh yes!" I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music, we had made a connection.

Several years later, I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times, mimicking (模仿) the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl, through her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever.

Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child's light.

A man was washing his new car in front of the house. His 4-year-old son picked up a stone (石头) and scratched (划) the car with it. When the man saw this, he got very angry. He beat the child.

The child cried and cried. The father soon found that his son couldn’t move his fingers (手指头). He took him to a hospital at once. At the hospital, a doctor told the father that the child would lose all of his fingers.

When the child saw his father, he asked, “Dad, when will my fingers grow back?” The man felt very sad and couldn’t say a word. After he went back home, he walked over to his car. He sat down next to his car and thought about it. Then he saw the scratches and the child’s words, “DAD I LOVE YOU”. The man cried. He felt so sorry for himself.

Sometimes being angry can make you do things that you feel bad about later. You’d better think before you act.