The holiday season is upon us, which means wearing sweaters, attending festive parties, watching cheesy holiday shows and movies, and, the best part, enjoying a winter break! I know I am looking forward to some time away from school and I’m sure my students are just as excited. In my family, there’s a tradition of reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas every year. So, I decided to write my blog post a little differently this month…
Counselor Meredith* to the rescue! (*Ugly sweater not included)
‘Twas the night before a deadline, as 2014 grads
Worked on computers that were whirring, even some iPads,
The essays were written and revised with care,
In hopes that admission offers soon would be there.
The students typed away, focused at desks and in beds,
While visions of scholarships danced in their heads.
And my colleague and I checked our email and phones,
Hoping for peace and quiet, a break from the groans.
When right from my phone there arose such a sound,
I sprang from the couch as my heart began to pound.
Straight to my email I opened with a swipe,
Quickly scanned the inbox without even a gripe.
As the moon overhead shone into my room,
I knew going to bed early was too much to assume.
When, what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But frantic requests from voices filled with fear.
“I apologize for emailing you so late at night,
But I’m afraid I’ve submitted something that isn’t quite right.
The essay was cut off, the activities list incomplete,
I haven’t sent my test scores, does this mean defeat?”
“Now, Frank,” I replied, “No need to be dramatic,
Not all of these things will be problematic.
To the admission office tomorrow you should put in a call,
Let them know of the issues, they can help solve them all.”
As Frank began fixing, I checked once again,
And found more pleas in my inbox, perhaps over ten.
So I opened my laptop and began a mad dash,
My goal was to help, every last problem to smash.
And then, in a twinkling, I knew what to do,
More caffeine would do the trick, so I started to brew.
As I poured my cup to the brim, cream and sugar to stir,
I started attacking emails in a bit of a blur.
I was dressed all in sweats, from my head to my foot,
Determined to squash their fears, make them go kaput.
I logged into my mock apps- Common, UC, Cal State,
Troubleshooting each issue, even though it was late.
My eyes, how they burned! My brain on the fritz,
My shoulders were aching, but I would not call it quits.
My tired, yawning mouth slowly turned into a grin,
The coffee helped my focus from wearing too thin.
“Now Charlie! Now Amy! Now, Katie and Kerry!
We’re in this together, no need to be wary.
Try this fix, try that one, there’s not time to stall,
Now type away, grind away, dash away all!”
I was exhausted but happy, a merry version of myself,
I smiled as my empty coffee mug sat on the shelf.
It was well after midnight, the deadline had passed,
Each student had fixed their problems surprisingly fast.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to bed,
Read a few thank you emails and laid down my head.
As I pulled up the covers and began to dream,
My heart was content, my grin still a beam.
The next morning I awoke and I sprang to my feet,
One deadline had passed, but there were still more to beat.
As I walked out the door, I said to myself in a hurry,
“I’ve got this under control, no need to worry!”
By Meredith Britt