The Last Day of School...Ever

Every year on the last day of school at HHOTRMS, the teachers line up next to the bus driveway and wave as the long line of buses drive away.  There are always a dozen or so students who can been seen visibly weeping through the bus windows.  I always thought it was at least a little funny that our students can seem to stand being at school all year long, but on the last day they are so sad to leave.  

As you may imagine, the last day was a little ad for me knowing that I was going to be saying goodbye.  As the final bell drew nearer I felt like I was trudging around the band room more and more morosely.  I shed a few tears when the final bell rang and the students rushed out the door.  I did not want to take part in the obligatory wave-good-bye-to-the-bus for fear of loosing it in front of the students and be like those students weeping behind the bus windows.  In the end my fellow music teachers dragged me from the music office to see the kids off.  I did manage to hold it together.

The rest of the day was a bit surreal.  I packed up the last of the little things that had been hiding in the nooks and crannies of my desk drawers.  I deleted those voice mail messages that had been sitting around for months.  I cleared out my e-mail in box, contacts, outlook calendar and task-list.  I even deleted every last document from my directory on the file server (after backing them all up on my laptop).  While I was doing all these things, the custodian was moving in file-cabinets that belong to the band director that is taking over my job.  While she holds other certification and could save my job by teaching in her other area, she's taking my job instead.  Perhaps because she feels a tad guilty: she didn't show up in person to move into the office.  I probably would have told her to get out anyway.

On the way out, I pried the plaque with name on it off the wall outside my classroom door, left the building, and watched as door slowly closed behind me.