'Twas the night before school, when all through the house
All the creatures were stirring (maybe even a louse...)
The backpacks were lined up at the front door with care,
In hopes that there'd be time in the morning for hair;
When the children were finally tucked into beds,
and visions of field trips danced in their heads;
and Mamma with her iPad, and I with a nightcap,
fondly thinking of preschool and its time for a nap,
Then out of the computer there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the keyboard I flew like a flash,
Tore open the laptop, hoping it wouldn't crash.
The glint of the screen and its pixelly glow,
Gave a greenish lustre to my complexion below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an email, a tweet, and Facebook update (oh dear)
With a flick of the cursor, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment that I would be sick.
More rapid than eagles the appointments they came,
Soccer, Scouts, Piano, Fundraisers, you name it--the same!
"Now, HOMEWORK! now, MEETINGS! now, PRACTICE and TESTS!
On, VOMIT! on VAXES! on UNIFORMS and FESTS!
To the top of the trash pile! Let's hide from our wall!
Now delete away! delete away! delete 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 house-top my anxiety it flew,
With inbox full of obligations, and requests for donations too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard in my head
The refrain and the theme of each good book I've read.
As I drew in my hand from the keyboard and phone,
I remembered my teachers, mostly good to the bone.
She was better dressed than her students, from foot to her head,
And her encouragement outlasts her; so strong in her stead.
He taught with humility; lessons a knack
a Renaissance man, of all trades he was Jack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! His exams they were scary!
To be late or miss homework, you had best be quite wary!
Her droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
But her thoughts on the Greeks follow where'er I go;
The stump of a yardstick he held tight in his paw,
'Twas a rifle or protest sign, and we followed with awe;
He had a kind face but fire in his belly,
His sermons on life made us turn off the telly.
She was chubby and plump, and quite right for her role, We cherished each day with her sweet kindly soul.
While a wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Was a sign that some pranking was not far ahead...
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all our notebooks; and turned with a smirk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
He reminded us daily that so school, it goes...
So I shut down my laptop, and logged off my Twitter,
and resolved that this year, I wouldn't be bitter.
For despite all the things that annually we fear,
It's likely that this will be one AMAZING SCHOOL YEAR!
