I first met Fred, a testing expert who used to work as a statistician for the old NYCBOE, when he contacted me about getting ICE members to assist in gathering data for his exposures of the evils of testing I think sometime around 2008. He then got involved with groups like GEM and Change the Stakes and was a co-winner with me and Danny Dromm of Leonie Haimson's Skinny Award in 2018 - (June 19 - I'm a Skinny: Honored to be honored by Leonie Haimson along with the Great Danny Dromm and Fred Smith.)
Fred Smith has done it again for 2021 with is yearly Xmas specials.
Fred Smith with his annual 'Twas The Night Before Xmas—2021
Here are his previous years, each with a different theme. 2019 seems to be absent.
Fred Smith - The Day After Christmas - 2018 Version
- 2017: Fred Smith: Dispirit of the Season
- 2016: Fred Smith's Annual "Night Before Christmas"
2015: Fred Smith, Poet Laureate of Opt Out - 'Twas the night before...
And then there’s Mulgrew who must choose who is winning
To claim he was backing them from the beginning.
- In (2014) Fred Smith gave us this gem.
Fred Smith: The Day Before Xmas (With Arne Duncan ...
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| Fred Smith convincing Jets dancers to boycott field tests - he's the one in the middle |
‘Twas
the night before Christmas: 2021 edition
By FRED SMITH
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DEC
24, 2021 AT 5:00 AM
[Text in red was not part of the DN article. Thanks to Fred for the mention.]
In a year
filled with trauma on this Christmas Eve,
I’d just
taken a booster shot under my sleeve.
And then
starting to fade in-and-out woozy,
I dreamt
of getting a hot tub jacuzzi.
Soon my
vision was clouded, my eyesight grew dim
As much
as I wanted to, I couldn’t spot him.
For the
guy in the red suit had been chased away.
I saw
Amazon trucks, not his wonderful sleigh.
And with
Bezos’ boxes flying off of the shelves,
Santa
couldn’t find work for his beloved elves.
But he
emailed the names on his naughty-guy list,
And said
what he’d have given each one as a gift.
His roll
covered miscreants across all levels
From the
state to the fed to a broad range of devils:
For
Andrew, a thick pair of anti-grope mitts;
Melissa
gets valium to curb her mean fits.
A special
surprise awaits Jim Malatras:
Strong
itching powder to rub in his gatkes.
To those
congressmen who block legislation,
Cartons
of Ex-Lax to relieve constipation.
For
roadblock senators Manchin and Sinema,
Dollars
for programs far more than the minima.
And
Donald gets a golden bowlful of kale,
And
sentenced to life in a health foodie jail.
A Clorox
colada for his counselor Rudy,
And Mitch
gets a voracious turtleneck cootie.
Community
service — what Trump’s racist friends need,
Posting
BLM banners ‘til their hateful hands bleed.
And to
all the crazies of his insurrection,
Poison
pills to choke down for the “stolen election.”
And
fittingly, for all climate change deniers,
Full-time
sweat labor putting out raging fires.
For all
anti-vaxxers and anti-mask wearers,
The names
and addresses of local pallbearers.
To Proud
Boy gents and those QAnon ladies,
Immediate
transport to hovels in Hades.
For the
same “Breaking News!” droning on all the day,
Cable
news gets a free pass to go far away.
For
donors and lobbyists who bought Mayor Bill,
A backhoe
that recoups their ill-gotten fill.
For
Michael Mulgrew and his right of retention,
50 years
to teach shop for a Tier 20 pension.
To
Pearson executives, who are truly villains
Killing
8-year-old minds with bubble sheet fill-ins:
Here’s an
endless supply of sharp No. 2s
To suck
all the lead out, as your brains start to ooze.
The
roster of evil includes many foul names
Equally
worthy of being consigned to the flames.
So, he
filled up their stockings with hot burning coals,
An
appropriate payment for selling their souls.
From the
time I came under my glum Pfizer-ish fog
He hadn’t
named anyone on his A+ log.
Such a
negative Santa made me melancholy
There was
no ho, ho, ho; what happened to jolly?
Then
suddenly he sent me a rose-colored wink
To show
that his spirit was still in the pink.
Reminding me how he loves kids most of all
And those who protect them who won’t let our schools fall.
So, all was not bleak on this dark Yuletide night;
The greatest gifts always go to those who do right,
Who like his own reindeer outlast any storm
With unblinking vision to create a new norm.
On Leonie fiercely striving to lower class size;
On Ravitch and Burris puncturing charter school lies;
On Rosa and Cashin up high, seeing the light
On Rebell and Jackson, winning equity’s fight
There’s steady Norm Scott always keeping the score
With faith in our teachers who deserve so much more.
And Jeanette and Lisa working at the grass roots.
Giving parents their voices and speaking the truth
Though
the online business has invaded our lives
“Yes,
Virginia” still lives; and kindness survives.
Smith is
a former city Department of Education official.
Fabulous! I absolutely LOVE lines 17 -18, 23-24 and of course the last three stanzas!
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