Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a teacher was stirring
Not to grade or to grouse
The folders were stacked
By the desktop with care
In hopes they’d be graded
As if I were there
The students at home
Must be snug in their beds
Independent variables
Dance in their heads
My wife with her vacuum
And me with my blog
Get set for the onslaught
Of sisters and dog
Once all were asleep
There arose such a ruckus
What could it be that
Had up upon snuck us
Away from my door
A green elf was fleeing
He’d left me a box
“For your NBCTin’...”
The box, it was blue
And filled with four entries
And videotapes
And reflection a plenty
Santa’s been busy
I saw with a flash
Observing the naughty
And nice in my class
The strange thing about it
The entries were mine
About blogs and canoes
And computer lab time
They were all done up neat
Size 12 font, headings placed
The forms were complete
Bits of standards bold-faced.
As I stood on my porch
With the box in my mitts
A chill ran up my spine
Santa really exists!
But quick as I read
How, I don’t understand
All that student achievement
Disappeared in my hand.
Like icicles melting
Or a watch’s tick tocks
Each page disappeared
From the soggy blue box.
I was left holding nothing
But thoughts in my head
Of how I’d been finished
But I wasn’t, instead.
It didn’t defeat me,
This vision of June
Instead it reheated
My desire to bloom.
Quick to the ‘puter
I flew like a flash
Clicked open a browser
Logging on real fast
Google was festive
Yes I had mail
But I wasn’t distracted
I’d now seen the Grail.
I started typing
Didn’t go back to bed
Awoke with the keyboard
Against my forehead.
There at the printer
The sheets black and white
Two entries were done
And they wouldn’t take flight
Okay, I dreamed it
I was NBC-free
But if I’m good I will finish
Both entries this week.