WISHING YOU A HAIRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Here's the best Christmas video you've never seen.
Did you ever stop to think about the origins of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Probably not.
But it’s a true story with a happy ending.
It starts like this:
Rudolph came to life in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company asked one of their copywriters, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up with a Christmas story they could give away in booklet form to shoppers as a promotional gimmick — the Montgomery Ward stores had been buying and distributing coloring books to customers at Christmastime every year, and May’s department head saw creating a giveaway booklet of their own as a way to save money. Robert May, who had a penchant for writing children’s stories and limericks, was tapped to create the booklet.
May, drawing in part on the tale of The Ugly Duckling and his own background (he was often taunted as a child for being shy, small, and slight), settled on the idea of an underdog ostracized by the reindeer community because of his physical abnormality: a glowing red nose. Looking CONTINUE READING: Snopes: The True Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | Diane Ravitch's blog
And then there’s Mulgrew who must choose who is winning
To claim he was backing them from the beginning.
 |
| Fred Smith convincing Jets dancers to boycott field tests - he's the one in the middle |
“Two North” is a story about one Christmas when my mom was spending time on the psychiatric ward of our town’s hospital after trying to commit suicide to escape a physically-abusive husband. I was thirteen. It was a cataclysmic event in our lives but it brought us together into a two-person tribe like no other event ever has in my life.
I offer this story each year to my friends here at Eclectablog on Christmas as a tribute to my mother, a woman who went from a pregnant sixteen-year old to an executive for the Chrysler Corporation in the short span of thirty-five years.
Much of who I am today is because of her and the lessons she taught me.
It was Christmas night and I was warm and felt very comfortable. Maybe the most comfortable I had felt in a long time. I wasn’t in my own bed but that was okay because my mom was there and I CONTINUE READING: “Two North” — A Christmas Story. MY Christmas Story. | Eclectablog
This is a beautiful article by Jennifer Raab, president of Hunter College, which is part of the City University of New York. It appeared in the New York Daily News. When Virginia O’Hanlon attended Hunter College, the City University was tuition-free. In 1976, CUNY began to charge tuition, but it remains far less than private colleges and universities, and many students can piece together aid packages from state and federal funds.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” It may be the most famous sentence in the history of local journalism.
Virginia O’Hanlon of 115 W. 95th St. was just 8 years old when she composed a letter to the editor, writing: “Some of my friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”
Yes, there is, the paper guaranteed her. “He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
Those in the know must have been shocked to learn that the words came from the pen of veteran journalist Francis Pharcellus Church, brother of the Sun’s editor. Known to colleagues as a hard-boiled cynic, Church had never CONTINUE READING: Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus: It’s Called Public Education | Diane Ravitch's blog
I hope that those of you who celebrate the holiday are enjoying it, even in these weird and distant times. May we never have a Christmas celebration like this one ever again.
As is tradition here at the institute, I have a collection of seasonal tunes for yoe- actually, a couple, this year.
For you youtubers, here's a collection specifically put together without the performances you've been listening to constantly for the last month.
Also, this year, my family did a sort of group Christmas list with contributions from members near and far. So here's that playlist.
Democracy and Education - https://obrag.org/2020/12/democracy-and-education/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+obrag%2FIrDB+%28OB+Rag%29
272 NYC school buildings closed over COVID-19 cases - New York Daily News - https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-school-building-closures-20201223-ud4o7pd2vzcmvpddwqsbpjgfuy-story.html via @nydailynews
Rural America And Education: Fears About Future As Fewer Students Go To College : NPR - https://www.npr.org/2020/12/24/948030242/in-rural-america-fears-about-the-future-abound-as-fewer-students-go-to-college on @NPR
At 3 Top Universities, Black Student Body Presidents Make History : NPR - https://www.npr.org/2020/12/24/949926177/at-3-top-universities-black-student-body-presidents-make-history on @NPR
Teaching music — and making holiday magic — over Zoom - The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/alexandria-school-christmas-concert-on-zoom/2020/12/23/3af03a68-413b-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_local-education
Biden told newspaper columnists that he was determined to work with Congress: “I’ve spent most of my career arguing against the imperial presidency.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-unlikely-wipe-out-student-loan-debt-unilaterally_n_5fe4a2f2c5b6e1ce8338dab6?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 via @HuffPostPol
USDA Foods List and Material Price Report 2021–22 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/usdafoodsmpreport202122.asp
Just Kidding – Tennessee Education Report - http://tnedreport.com/?p=5060 via @TNEdReport
Biden poised to pick Connecticut schools chief for education secretary - https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/12/22/biden-poised-pick-connecticut-schools-chief-education-secretary
Biden's Education secretary pick acknowledges ‘ongoing crisis’ in schools - POLITICO - https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/23/cardona-education-schools-crisis-450258#new_tab
My Review of Three Important Books About Education | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sUl via @dianeravitch
John Thompson in Oklahoma: Grifters Gonna Keep Grifting | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sT6 via @dianeravitch
Washington D.C. teachers union reaches agreement with Democratic mayor to reopen schools https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/24/wash-d24.html
A 'Real Easy' Choice: Biden Introduces Education Pick Miguel Cardona | Georgia Public Broadcasting - https://www.gpb.org/node/547386
Biden team's multibillion-dollar school testing plan takes shape - POLITICO - https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/23/biden-frequent-testing-reopen-schools-coronavirus-450280
An overdue present from Congress; a site to honor inspiring teachers | EdSource - https://edsource.org/?p=645710 on @edsource
What you’re getting wrong about the DNC – with special guest David Atkins | Eclectablog - https://www.eclectablog.com/?p=72074
