Words Have Meaning Too…..

                          (Antonin Scalia)

   This has been a difficult one for me. Most of the time, ideas and thought flow like water. Once and a while they might slow down a bit, but after a fresh cup of coffee and a quick walk around the yard, the ideas come together. And, for those of you that know me to some degree, you know I can have a somewhat weird sense of humor and can usually laugh things off. But several days ago, I received a post forwarded to me by my daughter and I admit I have somewhat struggled with it. 

   Back in the day I was a teacher, a school administrator, an Associate Commission of Education, and taught administrative education classes at several local colleges. I enjoyed teaching and believed very strongly in the importance of a good education. School and learning was important to prepare young people for the new world and to this day I still believe that getting a good education is important.

   Now I am aware that for some going to school and learning was and can be a challenge, but the hope was that at some point they would come to the realization just how important spending time in the classroom could be. And in addition, not only were schools important for learning, but also an important place to make memories. And to this day I still believe that. So where am I going with this?

   Over the years things change and as the school population numbers go up or down, school districts change. For many years now, the student enrollments in many areas have declined and as a result once neighboring school districts have combined to offer meaningful education. In efforts to save money and continue to provide quality education to the students, schools have closed and a quick trip around the State will show a number of closed and shuttered school buildings. And what is to become of those buildings?

   One of the school districts in which I served joined with a neighboring town several years after I moved on to a new position. And as a result, the schools in one town were closed and student attended schools in the neighboring community. The transition took place many years ago now but what was then the local high school before the consolidation has remained vacant since then. But it appears that is about to change and this prompted the Facebook message from my oldest daughter, a graduate of that now vacant high school.

   A group in the area has decided that in preparation for the upcoming Halloween season they would create a haunted attraction and transform a creepy school building into a haunted house and give it a name. And the name? ‘The Halls of Horror.’

   Under somewhat normal circumstances I might just laugh something like this off. But having firsthand knowledge and experience of what took place in those hallways when it was a vibrant and exciting school causes me a bit of sorrow. And knowing that a number of the school’s graduates and family members still live and work in the area, I am having a bit of a problem with this. Words do have meaning. 

   Now I am sure there were students who, for whatever reasons, may have felt on occasion that the halls maybe were a place of horror if a test was failed or a homework assignment was incomplete.  But the key for me here is that words, when used in different contexts, do have meaning and I would sincerely hope that for those who remember the high school days, they do not remember them as halls of horror but with fond memories of a favorite teacher or classmates or an exciting basketball game. 

   I understand the need and desire to make use of this vacant building and I am sure that over time, a new cause or purpose will be discovered for the building. Until then, depending how they are used, remember…. like emotions and memories, words have meaning too. 

   Side note……As quoted by Antonia Scalia “Words have meaning. And their meaning doesn’t change.” What often gives a word new meaning, however, is the context in which a word is used and the person using the word. The lesson here? Choose your words carefully!