--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a competitive examination [in…" description: "\"It was a competitive examination [in Boston Latin School]. Poor kids, Brahmans, middle-class kids. The masters, as the teachers were called, didn't giv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/nat-hentoff-1615_boston_it-was-a-competitive-examination-in-bost_2660360.jpg" --- # It was a competitive examination \[in Boston Latin School\]… ![“It was a competitive examination [in Boston Latin School]. Poor kids, Brahmans, middle-class kids. The masters, as the teachers were called, didn't give a damn about - how we felt, what was - things like at home. I mean, this goes against the current grain. All they thought about was: 'You're…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/nat-hentoff-1615_boston_it-was-a-competitive-examination-in-bost_2660360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/nat-hentoff-1615_boston_it-was-a-competitive-examination-in-bost_2660360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/581/nat-hentoff-1615_boston_it-was-a-competitive-examination-in-bost_2660360.jpg) > “It was a competitive examination \[in Boston Latin School\]. Poor kids, Brahmans, middle-class kids. The masters, as the teachers were called, didn't give a damn about - how we felt, what was - things like at home. I mean, this goes against the current grain. All they thought about was: 'You're here. You made the exam. You can do the work. And if you can't, we'll throw you out.'” [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Educational systems often ignore students' emotional needs, focusing solely on performance. **In simple terms:** Schools ignore emotions. Key Takeaway Advocate for holistic education. Themes education empathy performance Mood critical concerned Type advocacy analytical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - policy reform - student counseling Key Concepts critical pedagogy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can schools balance standards with empathy? - What policies support student well‑being? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched attitudes is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Exam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exam/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Grain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grain/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Latin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [A 'Globe' examination found that Boston police officers exercise broad discretion when deciding whether to issue a ticket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/a-globe-examination-found-that-boston-police-officers-exercise-broad/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [How much more must this be so in my own case for I am conscious not only of the great names and achievements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-much-more-must-this-be-so-in-my-own-case-for-i-am-conscious-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Mr. Merrick, I'd like to speak with you." Mr. Merrick . He hated when teachers called him that, like he was an old man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-kemmerer/mr-merrick-i-d-like-to-speak-with-you-mr-merrick-he-hated-when/) [Brigid Kemmerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-kemmerer/) > [Most of my school friends and even a few of my teachers called me 'Duck.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-dunn/most-of-my-school-friends-and-even-a-few-of-my-teachers-called-me-duck/) [Donald Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-dunn/) > [I remember when I came out of an exam thinking I had done well and then I had a clue that maybe one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/i-remember-when-i-came-out-of-an-exam-thinking-i-had-done-well-and/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [To apply for a gifted program, children as young as 4 are required to sit through hour-long verbal exams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-rosin/to-apply-for-a-gifted-program-children-as-young-as-4-are-required-to/) [Hanna Rosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanna-rosin/) > [One of the leading causes of divorce is sexual incompatibility. Why not mandate premarital sex, overseen, of course, by the Marriage Board to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rosen/one-of-the-leading-causes-of-divorce-is-sexual-incompatibility-why/) Mike Rosen > [“one of those nightmares where it’s the final exam for a course”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kreider/one-of-those-nightmares-where-it-s-the-final-exam-for-a-course/) [Tim Kreider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kreider/) > [Please, God,' Ruth would pray, 'don't let me be competitive. Let me realize what a privilege it is to study. Let me remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/please-god-ruth-would-pray-don-t-let-me-be-competitive-let-me-realize/) [Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/) > [I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-was-thrown-out-of-college-for-cheating-on-the-metaphysics-exam-i/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I flunked my exam for university two times before I was accepted by what was considered my city's worst university, Hangzhou Teachers University. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/i-flunked-my-exam-for-university-two-times-before-i-was-accepted-by/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [I didn't go to university. They offered me a job as a junior reporter and I went off to work for the Southern Reporter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-douglas/i-didn-t-go-to-university-they-offered-me-a-job-as-a-junior-reporter/) [Jill Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-douglas/) > [Life is the most difficult exam. Many tend to fail in it copying others not realizing that each one has a different question paper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-the-most-difficult-exam-many-tend-to-fail-in-it-copying/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I'm drinking away the exam results that don't take me anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-herrick/i-m-drinking-away-the-exam-results-that-don-t-take-me-anywhere/) [Steven Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-herrick/) ## More by Nat Hentoff > [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [There are enough people who are starting to be actively involved that we can turn things around. And we need to encourage others to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/there-are-enough-people-who-are-starting-to-be-actively-involved-that/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[Margot Hentoff\] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-this-i-hear-from-a-lot-of/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [My father was pretty independent. He was - he was arrested once in Nashville when he was on one of his sales trips because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-pretty-independent-he-was-he-was-arrested-once-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ My chronology is terrible. \[Work with William Shawn\] must have some ago. It was after he was fired by Newhouse. After New - when… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-chronology-is-terrible-work-with-william-shawn-must-have-some-ago/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ We disagree heavily on abortion \[with Margot Hentoff\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/we-disagree-heavily-on-abortion-with-margot-hentoff/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Now that is dangerous, when the people don't know what's happening to their Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/now-that-is-dangerous-when-the-people-don-t-know-what-s-happening-to/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[My wife Margot\] was the - I guess, the coordinator or the production manager \[of The Jazz Review\], and we got to know each… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-wife-margot-was-the-i-guess-the-coordinator-or-the-production/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [The book that really, really shaped my politics and has forever is Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon," which is a novel based on terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/the-book-that-really-really-shaped-my-politics-and-has-forever-is/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I have I guess 3 passions. One is the Constitution. The other is jazz and the other is being an atheist prolifer which, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-have-i-guess-3-passions-one-is-the-constitution-the-other-is-jazz/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [If the American people have their health care paid for by the government, depending on their age and their condition, they will be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/if-the-american-people-have-their-health-care-paid-for-by-the/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[A.J. Muste\] was - he - I don't know what he finally came out believing in, but it was some kind of higher being. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/a-j-muste-was-he-i-don-t-know-what-he-finally-came-out-believing-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [That is what is happening with the Tea Parties. I wrote a column called "The Second American Revolution" about the fact that people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/that-is-what-is-happening-with-the-tea-parties-i-wrote-a-column/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I read like everybody - like every other writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-read-like-everybody-like-every-other-writer/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ Margot \[Hentoff\] dislikes Bill Clinton because he's totally untrustworthy, and you really ought to have some faith in whoever's going to be your president. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-dislikes-bill-clinton-because-he-s-totally/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) [Explore all 222 Nat Hentoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) ## More Boston quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [“Mom, I live in the South End, not South Boston. They are entirely different neighborhoods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-swanson-goodreads-author/mom-i-live-in-the-south-end-not-south-boston-they-are-entirely/) Peter Swanson (Goodreads Author > [I think there are four or five interesting pockets where a lot of cool technology companies are getting started. Chicago is one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lefkofsky/i-think-there-are-four-or-five-interesting-pockets-where-a-lot-of/) [Eric Lefkofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lefkofsky/) > [I love cooking but I still always go and sneak a little bit of sides from Boston Market, and it's so good. They're so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-walsh/i-love-cooking-but-i-still-always-go-and-sneak-a-little-bit-of-sides/) [Kate Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-walsh/) > [Boston is one of my favorite places to wrestle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikishi/boston-is-one-of-my-favorite-places-to-wrestle/) [Rikishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rikishi/) > [I ain't got no problem in Boston, I especially like the attention. I know that I'm one of the top guys in this game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-ramirez/i-ain-t-got-no-problem-in-boston-i-especially-like-the-attention-i/) [Manny Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-ramirez/) > [I lived to play basketball. Growing up as a kid, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were my favorite team. The way they played,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walton/i-lived-to-play-basketball-growing-up-as-a-kid-bill-russell-and-the/) [Bill Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walton/) > [The success of Boston's economy is intertwined with the health and well-being of every neighborhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wu/the-success-of-boston-s-economy-is-intertwined-with-the-health-and/) [Michelle Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wu/) > [2004 was a great year for Boston! The Patriots won the Super Bowl! Boston hosted its first national political convention! And - the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-menino/2004-was-a-great-year-for-boston-the-patriots-won-the-super-bowl/) [Thomas Menino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-menino/) > [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Boston's justice system is in serious need of reform. Many of its policies and practices are antiquated, expensive, and don't really even make Boston…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/boston-s-justice-system-is-in-serious-need-of-reform-many-of-its/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [I grew up outside of Boston in a town called Manchester by the Sea, and we spent our summers in Nantucket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-faxon/i-grew-up-outside-of-boston-in-a-town-called-manchester-by-the-sea/) [Nat Faxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-faxon/) > [Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture, ... When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/priests-like-all-of-us-are-affected-by-culture-when-the-culture-is/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) [Browse all 787 Boston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a competitive examination [in Boston Latin School]. Poor kids, Brahmans, middle-class kids. The masters, as the teachers were called, didn't give a damn about - how we felt, what was - things like at home. I mean, this goes against the current grain. All they thought about was: 'You're here. You made the exam. You can do the work. 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