2nd Grade students singing hymns in morning assembly.

Dear Parents,

School administrators aren’t supposed to have favorites. But I do.

I have a favorite time of the school day, that is. 😉

Since I’m the Algebra I teacher, I get to witness the daily delight of student success, struggle, and moments of understanding. As the morning greeter on Mondays, I get to say hello to literally everyone in our school. When I sit in classes to observe, I hear full and detailed oral narrations, always amazed by the natural born ability of children to tell back what they have heard, read, or seen. I get to see students practice patience, understanding, and composure. Sometimes, when students aren’t practicing those skills as they ought, I get to see adults come alongside them and instruct them in gentle ways. And now that it is Shakespeare season, I get to hear students reciting lines from plays they are memorizing and enjoying it to the utmost.

But these are all secondary joys to my favorite time of the day, which is, by far, morning assembly.

When I first started working for Ambleside we held classes at our previous location at Dranesville United Methodist Church. Every morning, a little brass bell would ring to signal that morning assembly was about to begin. The entire school would file past a metal cart loaded with old hymnals that were hand-me-downs from National Presbyterian Church. Like many hand-me-downs, they were in less-than-perfect condition, but we used them just the same. As we passed the cart, we would pick up one of the old blue hymnals, Hymns for the Family of God, and head upstairs.

Stained glass cross from the school’s previous location at Dranesville United Methodist Church

Growing up, I didn’t go to church outside of attending Saturday evening mass with my best friend Jen and her family. Because I didn’t come to know the Lord until my young adult years, I had very little experience in singing hymns. The only tune I really knew was the Doxology, which I recognized only because my mom would sometimes hum it around the house. Even when I came to know Jesus, the church I attended mostly sang contemporary worship songs.

But when I started at Ambleside, the old hymns became a daily enrichment to my life.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,

The emblem of suffering and shame;

and I love that old cross where the dearest and best

For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Singing hymns like the one above—day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year—does something to a person. It penetrates their being, becomes something of them, and then is able to easily spill out because they are filled to overflowing. This is no trifling thing, no afterthought, not just another good idea. What we give ourselves in the daily singing of hymns is beautiful language to express our heartfelt admiration for our God and King.

Charlotte Mason wrote in her book, School Education, “Perhaps we do not attach enough importance to the habit of praise in our children's devotion. Praise and thanksgiving come freely from the young heart; gladness is natural and holy, and music is a delight. The singing of hymns at home and of the hymns and canticles in church should be a special delight; and the habit of soft and reverent singing, of offering our very best in praise, should be carefully formed.”

From my vantage point on the stage during morning assembly, looking out at the student body, teachers and staff, it feels like a glimpse of heaven with all voices turned upward to our Great and Glorious King.

Come Christians, join to sing Alleluia! Amen!

Loud praise to Christ our King; Alleluia! Amen!

Let all, with heart and voice, before His throne rejoice;

Praise is His gracious choice: Alleluia! Amen!

And when they sing alleluia, it’s the best. That is my favorite time of the day.

Those old blue hymnals didn’t last much longer after those early years with Ambleside. They were discarded and passed out to anyone who wanted them. I, thankfully, grabbed one for myself. I keep it on a shelf next to my desk and when a favorite tune comes into my mind and I just can’t put my finger on the words, I pull it down and have at it, ever grateful for the gift of these ancient and beautiful poem-songs that bring delight to my soul.

My favorite hymn? How Great Thou Art.

What’s yours?

The Dearest and Best