Empty Schools

The oldest daughter and I were talking the other day about how sad elementary schools appear at the end of the year. All the artwork comes down. All the colorful bulletin boards - gone. The colorful rugs and containers are put away. All that is left are bare white walls - sad, boring, bare white walls. The hallways and classrooms looks so lonely and forlorn to me. The son-in-law, both sons and I spent a lot of the day at the oldest daughter's school helping her get everything taken down, put away and moved to one side today. It was a big job and interesting working around her students. Her classroom has VERY limited storage space and we crammed lots of stuff into her one small, metal cupboard. I'm not looking forward to emptying it and putting everything back up when school starts again.
This year the elementary school behind my house is closing forever. The school district is losing students and money and decided it was time to take drastic measures and shut down a school. It is a very sad thing. None of my children attended this school. We moved into this house with 2 elementary school students, but I was working at the elementary school in our old neighborhood (one neighborhood East) so they just continued attending school there. My youngest daughter started middle school the next year and I was prepared to put my youngest son in the new school, but when I started asking my new neighborhood friends for a 2nd grade teacher recommendation they didn't have one. I dearly loved two of the 2nd grade teachers at the old school and I was still going to be working there so I just kept him there and he stayed until he left for middle school as well.
I think it is always a heart wrenching event when a school closes. Children are quite possessive of "their school" and it seems that many parents are too. From a real estate point of view it is also a negative thing. I have enjoyed hearing the children reciting the pledge over the intercom each morning and listening to the happy voices during recess. Knowing that the children won't be returning in the fall makes me view this empty school differently this summer.
The district has recently decided to rent the school to the High School district to use as an alternative high school. That wouldn't be my first choice for a neighborhood school, but I'm trying to withhold my judgement until I see how it turns out. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. It will definitely be different.

Today I am grateful

for a cool, rainy day in May. What a gift!
that I don't have to consolidate a classroom every day.
for boys to move heavy shelves.