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A Music Loving Ghost In The Classroom

 

My first year of teaching, I got a job as a third grade teacher at an elementary school near Seattle, WA. When I first entered my classroom to set it up for the first day of school, I got a strong unsettling feeling and while I'm highly intuitive and have experienced odd occurrences in the past, ignored it and played it off as new teacher nerves. I had a lot of students with ADHD who were energetic so someone suggested that I play relaxing music to settle them down. We had just begun a Native American unit so I brought my CD player in along with CD's of soft Native American flute music. The kids loved it and would play it during quiet reading time.

One day during math centers, the Native American music started playing. I saw one of my trouble making boys near the CD player and asked him to please not touch my CD player again. He looked at me and said, "I didn't touch it, it went off by itself". Of course knowing his track record I simply said, please tell me the truth. He said he never touched it. So I turned it off and told him never to turn it on unless I asked.

The following day during social studies, the kids were sitting at their desks reading quietly when suddenly the CD player went on again. This time, no one was near it. I knew none of the students had gotten up so I went over and turned it off. Of course my students were all curious and wanted to know why it went off by itself. Then the kid I had accused of turning it on the previous day said, "See, I told you it wasn't me".

A few days later during Writing it went off again, except this time it was the radio that went off. I had never switched it to radio and the CD/radio player was out of students' reach. The students by this time got really freaked out and started saying the CD player was haunted. I said no...I've had this CD player for a few years and it had never gone off by itself. I really didn't know why it was doing that. I finally disconnected the CD player and connected it only when I used it, although at times I would forget and it would go on again by itself.

One day during recess I was getting my mail and when I returned to my room the Vice Principal was in my room and talking to someone. I just assumed it was a student, but when I walked in saw no one. When she saw me walk in she looked shocked and told me she thought I was in the coat closet because she had heard someone walking around back there. I figured a student had run back in to get a coat so I went back and said, "Come on get your coat and head out to recess." Only, the coat closet was empty. The VP said she was positive she heard someone walking back there. We were both creeped out.

One weekend I was doing some work in my classroom and was by myself in the building. I went to the copy room and when I returned the CD player was on playing the Native American music. I felt really uneasy but had a lot to work to do and couldn't leave at the moment. Then I saw someone walk past my classroom very fast. My classroom was near the front door and did not hear any one walk in. The doors were also locked on the weekend for security reasons. Normally when another teacher arrived after hours they would let whoever was in the building know they were there. I looked down the hall but saw no one... So I just said, Hello is anyone one there? Silence. About 15 minutes later I went to take some artwork down from the walls and out of the corner of my eye saw something that looked like a shadowy figure come out through the kindergarten room and run up (fly actually) the staircase at the end of the hall. I curiously walked down to the kinder room but it was locked and no one was there and I never heard the door open or close. By this time I was really freaked out and decided to leave.

A few weeks later I was alone in my classroom on a weekend again and this time turned the CD player on myself, and I think even said out loud "See, I beat you to it!" I went to make some copies and saw something run past the copy room and down the hallway. I went to the door of the copy room looked down the hall and saw no one. So I just once again said, Hell, is anyone there? Nothing...

As I was heading back to my classroom, I suddenly heard this really loud pounding coming from upstairs. It was almost as though someone had a hammer and was hitting the floor. It scared me and I dropped all of my copies. The noise came from the 4th grade room above me, but knew that the 4th grade teacher had gone out of town for the weekend. I said a prayer and felt brave enough to go upstairs to see what was going on. The upstairs was dark, so I turned the light on and started saying...Hello? Is anyone here? I stopped by the 4th grade class and the library across the hall but they were both dark... No one was there... As were rest of the classrooms on that floor. I headed back downstairs to my classroom and the minute I stepped back in, I heard the pounding again, this time even louder. At that point I left as fast as I could. When I got outside I looked up on the roof and around to make sure there weren't any construction or maintenance people there... There weren't. I mentioned the incident to another teacher and he told me that while he had never heard pounding before, he had seen something run down the hall after school hours. The VP also got in the conversation and she told me not to talk about it anymore because she didn't want to kids to get frightened.

I stopped coming in on the weekends and started getting good about disconnecting my CD player, but on a few occasions my students would complain that something pulled their hair or touched their face. At the end of the school year I got a job offer in another city and district so I left.

At my new school, I took my same CD player to my class... And once again used it to play music to my students. NOT ONCE did the CD player go off by itself at the new school and it has never gone off by itself since. Whatever made it turn on by itself was at that first school. I don't know what was roaming the halls of my old school and don't think I want to. Whatever it was it liked music.

This city had a lot of Native American history but I don't know what type of land the school was built on or if any students or teachers passed away there in the past. The school was built in the early 1960's and the gym is in a separate building across the street.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, SoliK, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Triskaideka (2 stories) (388 posts)
 
10 years ago (2013-10-11)
From a scientific perspective, many old radios will actually play sound from a strong enough signal, even when they're not plugged in. I would think that plugged in, they'd have the power to fully amp up the volume from a radio signal. Further, with a different climate, you'd have different moisture, temperature, and pressure of the air. It's quite possible that all of these variables came together to provide the -perfect- environment for a radio to randomly turn on.

[I had three radios while growing up. Once, one of our radio station's signals were so strong, I received the station on my computer speakers. I had to unplug them and get new speakers. One of my radios also had a terrible habit of doing that. When I moved to the other side of the state, it didn't do that anymore.]

That said, spiritual activity is feasible, and I'd be happy to look into the history of that school and its property for you. (I'm a genealogy and history nut.) My email address is triskaidekaphi [at] aol [dot] com.
aya22 (guest)
 
12 years ago (2012-01-11)
It's a snowy day so I think I'm staying inside for now... Came across your story, thanks for sharing SoliK! I worked at a school and got a very strong feeling that when I was alone, I wasn't. It felt very positive, though, not scary at all. 😊 Anyway, liked the read!
bandet888 (86 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-12-30)
When I first started to read this story I thought maybe the CD player had an electronic problem (unless there are switches you have to rotate to turn on and not all electronic push buttons) But that doesn't explain the other stuff that happened plus this player does not do this at the other school
SoliK (13 stories) (44 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-04)
My students were full of energy, and sadly some came from really sad home situations. There was also a lot negative energy from the principal who was a very controlling bitter person. I think I was more afraid of her than of the "ghosts". So all of these were probably inviting to "them." Anyway, I also noticed an editing typo... In one of my "hello's" in the story the o is missing...lol! Oh well.
faerielike (15 stories) (268 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
I really enjoyed reading your story! My goodness you sure are brave! I don't think I ever would have had the nerve to venture to the second floor!
Before I read the part about the figure and the banging, I was almost wondering if the occurances of the radio turning on could have been poltergiest from the ADHD students. It happens with teens, why not ADHD? All that energy must leak out at times, just something to ponder on!
I hope to read more of your works! 😊
DARKNESS (3 stories) (2022 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
I enjoyed this story I believe schools harbour a lot of energy and as already mentioned from previous posters, this can look very attractive to wandering spirits and also spirits associated with the land and the building. Good effort going upstairs to investigate by yourself that takes a lot of guts well done.

Thanks for sharing.

Dan
SoliK (13 stories) (44 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
Thanks for the insights. I never thought about the energy of the kids acting like a "magnet" for ghosts. It was a dreary looking school on the inside. All of the walls were brick. I think had my classroom been upstairs I probably would have not come in by myself. The fact that it was right by the main door made me feel safer. Still, up to this day I don't know what the pounding was about. I know it was not water pipes. It was scary... But I'm a curious person, so I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a teacher or custodian fixing something. But I was the only one in the building. It is interesting that the CD player never turned on by itself after I left this school...
blue_raven80 (13 stories) (338 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
First off, I'd like to congratulate you for being so brave. If it's me, I'll just leave the school and do my work on school days. I don't think it is a bad spirit but something that wants to be recognized. I agree with badjuujuu, the energy of the kids might have served as the battery for the ghost activity. It could be the history of the land as well.

BadJuuJuu (guest)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
"I had a lot of students with ADHD who were energetic" I think that may have had a lot to do with the things you experienced. Even when the school was apparantly empty, the energy the children expended in the school was still there. I'm thinking that the energy left in the building by the kids acted as a battery for any ghosts lurking there.
Jennifer40 (20 stories) (202 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
You are very very brave to venture up to that dark classroom upstairs to see where the noise was coming from. 😨 This was a great story. Thanks for sharing.

Jennifer ❤
cosmogal926 (9 stories) (1223 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
Great story! I can see how schools and buildings of the same kind of structure could be creepy and make you feel uneasy, especially if you are there by yourself. I guess it's all the rooms and long hallways that give off that vibe. You mentioned that the area has a Native American history, so it could be that the flute music acted as a trigger object which sparked the activity. 😊
girlheldtightdown201 (1 stories) (17 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
oh that's scary, your brave for going up there to see I'd probably just run forsure...lol. 😊
Pjod (3 stories) (978 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-03)
hey nice story. I don't think it takes a death for a building, like a school, to become haunted. These type buildings seem to attract spirits.

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