I work in a school and today I taught a group of year 2 pupils an RE lesson about making the world better. Of course I brought Heal the World in for them to listen to. We all sat and listened to the lyrics, discussed them and then the kids went off and painted posters about making the world a better place. We then came back onto the carpet and sat in a circle while I played them the song again.
The area I work in has a lot of social problems. The kids in the class are Pakistani, Iranian, Iraqi, West Indian, Indian, African, Afghan, Polish, Chinese and British travellers. Most of them have English as a second language. There are many refugees.There is a great deal of misunderstanding and racial tension in the area amongst the wider community.
As Michael started singing, I noticed a boy who speaks mainly Farsi reach out and hold the hand of the child next to him. And then the Nigerian boy he reached out to did the same, and all around the circle the kids spontaneously held hands. Some of them were swaying and a few of them joined in with the chorus. I had a lump in my throat, and once the kids left the classroom for their break I cried.
But I have had a warm glow all night, and I just keep thinking of the impact MJ music has had and will continue to have. I wish he could have seen it because it was beautiful. And I just wanted to share that today, in a small classroom in the UK, Michaels music brought a real sense of love and taking responsibility for our world to a group of disadvantaged 6 year old kids.
The area I work in has a lot of social problems. The kids in the class are Pakistani, Iranian, Iraqi, West Indian, Indian, African, Afghan, Polish, Chinese and British travellers. Most of them have English as a second language. There are many refugees.There is a great deal of misunderstanding and racial tension in the area amongst the wider community.
As Michael started singing, I noticed a boy who speaks mainly Farsi reach out and hold the hand of the child next to him. And then the Nigerian boy he reached out to did the same, and all around the circle the kids spontaneously held hands. Some of them were swaying and a few of them joined in with the chorus. I had a lump in my throat, and once the kids left the classroom for their break I cried.
But I have had a warm glow all night, and I just keep thinking of the impact MJ music has had and will continue to have. I wish he could have seen it because it was beautiful. And I just wanted to share that today, in a small classroom in the UK, Michaels music brought a real sense of love and taking responsibility for our world to a group of disadvantaged 6 year old kids.
