I actually got on the basketball court today for the first time since my ankle surgery in a situation other than coaching. I was invited to a game down at Basketball City. I had to speak at an edu-tech conference first, so I missed the first hour, but I did get a nice ninety minute run in. I actually hit more outside jumpers than I thought I would, but I missed my runners in the lane. My lateral quickness isn’t what I want it to be, but I could get up and down the court, and my court vision is still there.

Most importantly, I miss being active. With the end of competative club Ultimate, I’m learning that I need to find other outlets for sports. I love running hard. I love competiting. I loved that feeling today of putting up a shot and knowing it was in from the moment it left my hand. I loved boxing out the big guy on the other team on a switch and having him fall because I closed him out so well. I love that the guy I was guarding hated that I was playing hard D and not giving him the lane every time.

I love sports.

Yesterday’s New York Times had a story about the Chancellor’s idea to eliminate middle schools. Now, several things here…

1) I happen to think that middle schools are really important. Those years are different than K-5 and they are different from 9-12. I think having some K-8 schools and some 6-12 schools as experiments is fantastic. Let’s remember our size can be a strength. We can have alternative programs, we can have experiments, and in a district of over one million kids, we should realize that the more options we offer, the better.

2) At least from the article, this feels like a mandate. I worry that this chancellor makes decisions before listening to the community. This is not and should not be a hasty decision.

3) Is this what we should be focusing on? And that’s the reason for the title of this entry. This feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. We still have overcrowded classes, overcrowded schoools… the city is facing all sorts of issues over the new Regents tests, and we’re concerned about whether or not we have middle schools or K-8s. And worse, the Dept. of Ed is going expend a lot of energy if they try to go through with this. It’s time to address real problems, not invent ones that really don’t get to the heart of the issue.

O.k. — sitting in the Tech Office doing work as a bunch of my kids all work on a history project… we’ve got the radio on… and "Come Sail Away" comes on the radio. It’s one of those "you have to sing along" songs, so of course I do. And so did Trigger. He’s 17.

Classic rock really does never die.