Packing, Moving, and New Opportunities

It's my last two weeks at this school and I am spending the time helping to pack up the entire school.  The school is moving out of the downtown area to a beautiful mountainside property overlooking a lake.  The change is going to be great!  Where we are now, there is never silence and almost always big trucks and buses going by making it impossible to hear the person speaking even if he/she is right next to you.  With 15 years of materials to pack and move in two weeks, everyone is pitching in to help.  We have the entire school library almost packed (over 19 tall bookcases).  Each teacher also has her room almost completely packed.  The school runs on a lot of donations, so all the donated paper, crayons, etc. has also been packed.  Oh, and the school is K-12, so there is a lot of curriculum that needs packed. 

It's a big job, but the kids have been very helpful.  For many of them, this will be their first time moving since coming to live at the school ten years ago.  I, on the other hand, have become an expert in moving.  I think I have moved almost every year for the last 7 years.  It has been a joy for me to talk with the kids about their feelings (mostly nervous and a little excited).  I have also been trying to show them how to let go of things from their childhood without losing the memory attached to the item.  We are attempting to pare down to the minimum of what is needed as the new school has very little storage.  (The architect did not consult the teachers!)  It will be an emotional last two weeks as the kids say goodbye to an old school they love dearly and learn to adjust to a beautiful new school out in the wilderness.  I'm sad to leave, too, but a new job and wonderful opportunity awaits me in Ohio.  More on that when I get the details in July.