BY NANCY KIDD

When our boys were in middle school and high school, my husband and I bought a small karaoke machine for Christmas, something we both thought seemed like a fun gift. Although we may have felt a bit underwhelmed by the boys’ level of excitement, when I took it to detention, the students’ responses were more animated.

It was a new experience for most of them, and it was a rare opportunity to relax and have some fun. And, karaoke one year led a teenage boy to reach out to another student in a most extraordinary act of kindness.

The last day of the school year was always a short day, just like “Report Card Day” in the public school system. It was the perfect time for karaoke!

Sometimes the students were timid about singing in front of the group. Sometimes they warmed up to it with a little prodding.

And, sometimes they wouldn’t want to release the microphone and give anyone else a chance to sing.

Often staff members helped engage the students by offering to sing with them. Sometimes all the boys in the class would sing together — like the time they spread out in a line to sing the Temptations “My Girl,” adding a little choreography of their own. It was never possible to predict how the activity would be received, but in the end, the kids always seemed to come around and have fun.

The adults also enjoyed participating, as well as watching the kids get out of their comfort zones and take new risks.

This year it looked like we would have to do very little coaxing.

The students decided fairly quickly it was going to be fun, and they were eager to take their turns. Things were moving along smoothly until I noticed David, a boy brimming with ambivalence.

He was enjoying the other kids’ performances, and he appeared eager to get his hands on that microphone. Still, he hung back, as if unsure of himself. Smiling timidly, he continued to fidget at his desk.

All of a sudden, it dawned on me.

Even if you’re a good reader, it is not always easy to keep up with the lyrics as they scroll across the screen. But, this boy had a bigger problem — he could not read. How could he ever take part in this activity?

Just as I began to regret the whole activity and my mind was running through options of how best to get out of it, an older boy named Antoine raised his hand and quietly volunteered, “Mrs. Kidd, I’ll do it with him!”

The two boys checked out the available CDs and, with a little assistance, settled on the George Thorogood song “Bad to the Bone.” Antoine sang the lyrics of each verse before handing the microphone to his classmate.

And, with every chorus, David chimed in perfectly — “B-B-B-B-Bad, B-B-B-B-Bad, B-B-B-B-Bad, Bad to the Bone.”

He was beaming with pride long after the song ended.

Myself, I felt immense relief for that perfect solution to the problem, a solution with a valuable lesson for everyone in that room.

I may have been the classroom teacher, but the real teacher that day was Antoine, the wise young boy in detention who took charge and tenderly presented a lesson on compassion.