6-Year-Old Sings 'Remember Me' to Retiring Teacher

Stone stood between two chairs with one hand casually tucked in his pocket, but there was nothing casual about what he was doing. The six-year-old was about to sing "Remember Me" from Disney's Coco to Mrs. Kinnard, his kindergarten teacher who was retiring after four decades in the classroom.

His father, Dr. J. Mack Slaughter, strummed guitar as Stone confidently gripped the microphone and began. Both the boy and his teacher fought back tears as the song's lyrics did what they do best: connect generations through music and memory.

The Instagram video, posted by Dr. Slaughter under the handle Slaughter Family Band, has gathered nearly 280,000 likes. Commenters from around the world shared their own stories of beloved teachers who changed their lives.

One former educator wrote about a student with autism who she helped find her voice after six months of patient work. When that student read her a goodbye letter in front of the whole school, the teacher became "an absolute shambles."

The song choice wasn't random. Dr. Slaughter told Upworthy that his family loves Coco because it mirrors their own deep connection through music. When they heard about Mrs. Kinnard's retirement party, they immediately imagined Stone singing this particular song.

"Without even hearing him sing it, we started tearing up," Dr. Slaughter shared. "We knew it would be a really special moment to honor Mrs. Kinnard, singing from the perspective of all of the students' lives that she's positively impacted throughout her forty years of teaching."

Why This Inspires

This moment captures something rare: a child understanding the weight of goodbye and choosing to honor it with music. Stone's performance reminds us that teachers pour decades into shaping young lives, often without fanfare or recognition. His gift to Mrs. Kinnard was acknowledgment that her 40 years mattered, delivered in a language both could understand without words failing them.

The Slaughter family performs as a band at events around the Dallas Fort Worth area. Stone's brother is 12 and his sister is 10, making music a thread that ties them together much like the families in Coco.

When asked how it felt to sing to his teacher, Stone gave the most honest answer a six-year-old could: "It felt good and sad." Sometimes the best goodbyes hold both at once.