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Room #12 – Season 8 Finale

The first day of summer break after the 2016- 17 school year.

Scene: Moraine Elementary, room #12, Mrs. Lipshaw’s resource room where she taught the past eight years. The room has two doors. One in the front that leads to the school hallway and one in the back that leads to the playground where Mrs. Lipshaw’s car is parked. The shelves are covered by sheets and the bulletin board decorations have been taken down. Piled in the middle of the room are boxes labeled “Lipshaw – to be shipped to Silver Springs Elementary”.  Mrs. Lipshaw has been transferred to a different school in the district. Goodbyes have been said.

(Mrs. Lipshaw enters the front door. She stands in the middle of her classroom. She gazes around the room and sees flashes of how it was decorated over the years and remembers the faces of the myriad of students she taught.)

Mrs. Lipshaw: (takes a deep breath, wipes a tear from her eye, and speaks aloud to the empty room) A lot of good happened here.

(She grabs her purse, turns off the lights, and walks out the back door.)

(The screen fades to black.)

THE END

Room #12 – Season 9 Opener

Fifteen months later; the day before the first teacher day of the 2018-19 school year.

Background Information: Six days prior to the first teacher day of the 2018-19 school year, Mrs. Lipshaw received a call that she was being transferred back to Moraine and that she would be sharing her room with the teacher who replaced her last year. Her original co-teacher was transferred to a third school, but her beloved parapro would remain the same.

Scene: Room #12, Moraine Elementary. Mrs. Lipshaw and her husband are moving the boxes and furniture packed up from room #12 two years ago back in.  The custodian opens the back door and Mrs. Lipshaw enters room #12.

Custodian: Welcome Back! We knew you couldn’t leave us for too long.

(They hug. Mrs. Lipshaw looks around the room and notices unfamiliar decorations, furniture, all the belongings of the teacher she used to work with are gone. A sad look crosses her face.)

Mrs. Lipshaw: Thank you! I’m excited to be back, but the room seems so different.

Custodian: I knew you’d feel that way. I hinted to your new co-teacher that you’d want your desk area back. (He points to Mrs. Lipshaw’s old desk. Mrs. Lipshaw sees a note written on the white board behind her desk from the teacher who took her place last year. “Please take your old desk back, I moved my belongings to the other desk”)

Mrs. Lipshaw: (smiling at the custodian) Thank you!

(The custodian exits. Mr. Lipshaw enters with more boxes.)

Mrs. Lipshaw: (looks at Mr. Lipshaw, she is crying) It just doesn’t feel like my classroom.

Mr. Lipshaw: It will once you get your decorations up.

(Mrs. Lipshaw nods, takes her cell phone out of her pocket, and texts her parapro. Camera pans to Mrs. Lipshaw’s cell phone. “Can you come to Moraine? I’m here unpacking, and I need to see something familiar.” She waits. No response. Mrs. Lipshaw puts her phone back into her pocket and grabs a decoration to hang.)

(Moments later, the school secretary’s voice comes over the classroom PA system.

School Secretary: Mrs. Lipshaw, are you in your room?

Mrs. Lipshaw: Yes.

School Secretary: One moment please. (The song “I’ll be There” by the Jackson 5 begins to play.)

Mrs. Lipshaw: (Turns to her husband, laughing and crying at the same time.) “She’s here!”

(Scene: Mrs. Lipshaw runs out into the hall. Her parapro is walking towards her. They greet each other excitedly and enter room #12. No more words need to be spoken. The parapro starts picking up Mrs. Lipshaw’s decorations and they hang them together.)

Mr. Lipshaw: Everything’s moved in and it looks like you’re in good hands so I’m going to take off.

Mrs. Lipshaw: (Walks to her husband, kisses him on the cheek) Thanks for helping. (She smiles and whispers in his ear.) I’m home!

(The screen fades to black.)

THE END

To all the teachers out there–here’s to a wonderful 2018-19 school season!

How have you handled changes in your teaching career? Feel free to share your stories by replying below.