Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas Break,
When all through the school district’s warehouse
No equipment was stirring, not even a mouse;
The headphones were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Bill Gates soon would be there;
The equipment was nestled all snug in their cases
While visions of students dancing across their faces;
And the librarian with her PC, and I with my Mac,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When in the computer lab there arose such a clatter,
I arose from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the center I flew like a flash,
Threw open the door and checked all of its cache
The evening lighting on the just-waxed floor
belied its loving use by the student corps
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the district delivery van, carrying eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, who’d never be flunkin’
I knew in a moment it must be Arne Duncan
More rapid than T1s his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Dasher! Now, Dongle! Now, Prancer and Fixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the interactive whiteboard! to the top of the audio system!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!“
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the warehouse-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and Arne Duncan too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Duncan came with a bound.
He was dressed all in faux-fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of MP3 players he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a sales rep just opening his pack.
His designer shades how dark! his iPhone how merry!
His text messages were plenty, cranking from his blackberry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The end of a stylus he held tight in his teeth,
And the wireless signal encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the classrooms; then turned with a jerk,
And without any memos
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to the district van, to his team gave a whistle,
And they all drove away faster than an ISTE raffle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!
