For the first time in 5 weeks I visited school today. My purpose was to clear out my personal stuff. I am retiring and I needed to get everything at some point and since today was a non-teaching day I decided to do it today. We still have a month of school of course but there will not be any return for classes in the building.
The building should be full of students. It’s just not right for a building that was made for students to be without them. I’m glad I didn’t wander far from my computer lab.
I was fine packing up the boxes. I found a few items I had forgotten about – so that is where the document camera I bought was being kept safe! I also tossed out a lot of old papers and what not. A student handbook from 2014? Why was that still in the desk drawer? I think the desk is cleaner now than it was when I took it over 7.5 years ago.
Putting things in the car made it seem more final though. I got a touch emotional. I think it was easier to do in an empty building without students and peers around. I’m really going to miss saying a proper good bye to my students and to the other faculty though. At some point the building will be open and I’ll stop by.
I didn’t wander around the building. Judging by cars in the parking lot there were a few people in the building. I saw and talked, at a safe distance,to two of the maintenance people. I’ll miss them. They really embrace the mission of the school and are just awesome people.
No more visits until there are students in the building again.
5 comments:
Our school building was built in 1922. Do you know how may creaks and bangs I hear in that building when it is empty? Definitely haunted.
One reason I cannot retire is my house is not big enough for my stuff in my office. What do I do with two 6' slide rules? They would not fit with the house decor.
You have two 6' slide rules? I imagine you could sell one on eBay. I might try to get my wife to let me buy it. Not sure at all where I would put it though.
I have a 6' Pickett and a 6' silver one with no logo. It is not home made but I cannot find a manufacturer mark. I also have a 3'. I have about 50 slide rules in all. The 6' Pickett I got for free, a friend wanted it out of his garage. The silver one was in a second hand store here in Missoula. $100. A steal in my eyes. My wife thought I had lost my marbles (more that normal). Weird hobbies. For some reason my wife, daughter and students think I am a math geek.
I have one cheap normal sized slide rule for my high school days. I couldn't afford a good one. I sometimes wonder if a better slide rule would have been more accurate and given my better grades. I know a calculator would have helped but they were not readily available.
That makes me sad to hear you packing up to retire in an empty building with no students around, Alfred. :(
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