Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Higher Ed
The halls were all quiet, people Tweeting instead
The students weren’t nestled in dorms nor beds
They were dancing, bar-hopping, or hanging out with friends
When a story in the Chronicle created such a clatter
Phones started buzzing, Facebook started to chatter
A new research experiment, implanting learning with a chip
Would make college unnecessary, students wouldn’t make the trip
No Harvard, no Stanford, Not Amherst or Reed,
No Baylor or Xavier, Not even MIT
When what to my wondering eyes did appear?
But a miniature sleigh, starting to veer
It was coming towards me, this man dressed as Saint Nick
And he winked and he smiled, then my nose did he flick!
Don’t be crazy professor! No chip equals learning
That story is from the Onion, despite neuroscience yearning
Learning is hard, needing purpose and thought
Learning needs outcomes to say its been taught
But learning is far more than an academic pursuit
It also needs mindset and affection to boot
Students are people, not widgets or banks
Just waiting to be filled and then giving thanks
Students need context, Students need why
Active learning, support, and encouragement to try
Educators must put down their PowerPoint decks
While leveraging research from Lieberman, and Dweck
Connecting students to everything from people to tools
Makes the experience “sticky”, successful, even cool
And then just as fast, Santa turned around
Headed toward the chimney and upward he bound
To his team gave a whistle, to me gave a wink
Had I really seen this, or was this just from drink?
But I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
Wake up man, you’re dreaming! Stop eating sushi right before bed. You’re almost 50 years old. Act like an adult for once in your life…