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A brilliant response. The original comment by Iran’s President is here (from CNN).

Read Article | High School Sports Graphic
Both links from Boston.com

They are players who share uniforms because there are too few to go around, players who yearn for more qualified coaches on the sidelines and a few fans in the empty stands, players who never make it to the field because of academic woes and the scourge of deadly street violence.

In a golden age of professional sports in Boston, they are portraits of a bleak reality for student-athletes in the city’s public schools.

A truly moving article about the lack of sporting programs in Boston high schools. One interesting point that really got me was that the exam schools, namely Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant, are the schools that have the widest selection of sports. The students who are gifted but not gifted enough to make it to an exam school get fewer choices. After reading it, I wrote something out on my iPod:

Sometimes I wish that celebrities and athletes helped out the schools more. The state and local governments tend not to always give enough to best help students succeed in school, sometimes leading them with shoddy classrooms, shared uniforms, or poorly conditoned books. The wealthier people make millions of dollars, all of which they definitely do not need. Their money alone could bring the school system to a surplus; their money alone could keep the system afloat. They are sometimes outside of the politics, the beauracracy, the counterproduction that these kind of machines bring with them. Sometimes I wish I had the money just so I could put a smile on the children’s faces when they hear they can take a field trip to a new place and explore, when they have the materials to feel like they can succeed, when they actually feel that other people care about what they’re doing. Life isn’t all about money, but when you’re trying to fund programs, it becomes important to have it. It buys the best equipment, and more importantly, the time of the most inspirational people. In the end, the money is the instrumental value that allows the children to be instilled with the intrinsic power of good teaching, coaching, and role modeling.

I really do hope that Boston can regain some prestige in their athletic department. This is the first part of a seven part article on the Globe, and I look forward to the new updates.

UPDATE: Here are all the updates from the Globe’s report.

The opening quote:

AS MONUMENTAL as it has been to see the federal government step in to save the American auto industry, it will be a greater day when President Obama comes to the podium with the same announcement for another cause: public education.

I really hope that the stuff talked about in this Globe editorial comes true. If Obama could restructure the public schools for the better, I’d be a much happier future teacher. It’s a hope, anyway.

Source: Boston Globe [Read Article]

From the Globe:

Boston school Superintendent Carol R. Johnson is exploring the idea of admitting sixth-graders to Boston Latin and the city’s other two exam schools, a change that could ease the transition from elementary school for some students but potentially create new obstacles for others seeking entrance to the elite institutions.

I can see why BPS Superintendent Carol R. Johnson would consider such an idea. The exam schools here in Boston, namely Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant school, offer grades 7-12. Elementary school, however, ends after the 5th grade, and students do not take the entrance exam for these schools until the sixth grade. Either way, students have to go to a school and only stay there for one year before switching schools again. Changing the schools to add the sixth grade would very well allow students to take an entrance examination (namely, the ISEE) during the 5th grade, going straight to their exam school to begin the sixth grade.

But in my last year or two at Boston Latin Academy, the school was already packed. I don’t think there would be enough space to hold these extra students or to have classrooms for the new teachers of these incoming sixth graders, were such a plan to take effect. From my personal experience, the gap year wasn’t so bad. I pretty much had a feeling it would be a gap year and I felt like it was just a transition for me. It does suck to be in the school’s lowest grade for two straight years, but you get over it. It’s the kind of idea that is good, but logistically not possible at the moment and probably not the best idea to pursue. But I will give credit to Superintendent Johnson for thinking about and and exploring new ideas.

I’ve pretty much watched more hours of TV this week than I have in two or so weeks combined. I watched Criminal Intent on Sunday, SVU on Tuesday, Law & Order Wednesday, the Listener Thursday, and a NBC special Tuesday and Wednesday.

An episode of Criminal Intent came on Sunday, and I enjoyed it. I liked how Detective Nichols admitted that his parents fondled him a bit too much and led him to having an issue with a kind of self-centeredness. He said something like that, anyway. I felt Detective Wheeler was more involved in this episode, as well, which was nice to see. I don’t think she gets utilized enough; it’s nice to have a by-the-book detective with a quirky one, but the by-the-book detective, namely Wheeler, needs to have a bit more stage presence.

On Tuesday, I luckily caught the first part of a NBC special of the White House. It was very informative. I also realized that Rahm Emanuel is missing a finger. It’s unfortunate. I also found it funny when President Obama himself went out to buy the West Wing staff and Brian Williams burgers at Five Guys. Makes me kinda jealous. But either way, the second part of the special showed Wednesday night, and I found that pretty satisfying as well. I’m glad they have things like this to try to keep us as much in touch as possible.

I talk about the other two Law & Order shows and The Listener after the break. Note that there are some spoilers for the season finale ahead if you intend on watching it and haven’t yet.

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