Monday, August 20, 2007

The Aftermath

I mentioned in a previous post how ridiculously expensive it is to send my kids to public school in our district. Ridiculous isn’t even the word, now I think it’s bordering on insanity.

Oldest Daughter, like her mother, is not all that good at math. Not terrible, but let’s just say that neither of us could be the star on TV show, Numb3rs. Middle Daughter, though, is much more like her dad and much better with the digits, so even though Oldest Daughter is a Junior and Middle Daughter is a Freshman, this year they are both taking the same math class.

I knew we still had to buy calculators but the schools are so darn picky, I wanted to wait until they gave us the specific model they would need or I knew I’d be returning the ones I bought.

Well, we found out today and I went to the store and OMG...the calculators they want us to buy are $100 each! After this math, they better be able to get jobs at NASA landing Explorer missions or something because that is just plain ridiculous. Oh, yeah, and they need them by Friday.

They must not tell you this during the book sales because they fear a riot or maybe even a JessiCat appearance. Because believe me, if I knew at the time (I spent almost $1000.00 on books and another $150.00 on paper, pens and binders), that I was looking at another $200 bill for calculators, I would have whipped on the catboots right then and there. I carry them with me for situations just like this.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Well, at least my sad mood has been replaced by another one.....MAD!

14 comments:

Sarah said...

Try Amazon and Ebay. I know you need them quickly, but maybe you can get them by Monday and they will only miss em by a day. You will save about $25-$40 each. Totally worth it.

Julie Pippert said...

GOOD GRIEF! That's not even funny...I'd want to know why the free one I get with the newspaper won't work! Unless my kid is in advanced senior math I can't imagine needing so many functions. I got through high school with *no calculator at all.*

I realize that was back when dinosaurs roamed earth but I can figure tips and change in my head so it can't have gone too badly!!

Julie
Ravin' Picture Maven

Malcolm said...

$100.00 for a calculator! Given the fact that teachers don't make a whole lot of money, you would think they would be more sensitive in regards to what it costs for a kid's education.

Qtpies7 said...

This is not college math! My brother has a masters and going for his phd in nuclear science, and he did not need that expensive of a calculator until well past his associates degree! And he has an impressive calculator. He can do things I don't even know why anyone would do, much less how on earth he is doing it.
I think it may be time to move, because I am sending 5 kids to school with school supplies and clothes and I am not spending more the $500.

Julia Phillips Smith said...

That is preposterous. Maybe the class can buy 3 and share them around for a little practise with learning to share resources in a global economy.

Oh, by the way - I've nominated you for an award...

The Rock Chick said...

Sarah: Oh, I will do just that!! I even have a credit at amazon :)

julie: I was thinking that I never used a calculator in high school math, either. I can't remember, but if I did I know that it wasn't anything that extravagant. I can do all of the math I've ever needed to do in my life in my head or on paper, too...

qtpies: Oh, even with all the ranting I've been doing, I don't want to move. Maybe I should riun for the school board or something and find out what the heck is going on, though.

malcolm: I think it's the school board and the fact that I think everything has just gotten to expensive. My neighbor got his proofs back for senior pictures and all of the packages are between $200 and $600. That's insane, too...

julia! Wow! Thank you--I'll be right over to check it out!!

Sparky Duck said...

Its those stupid calculators that draw graphs isnt it? They might, and I say might, have been cheaper at a college or university bookstore, just because they were $100 10 years ago, so they must not be that much now.

The Rock Chick said...

Hi Sparky--

Yes, they do draw graphs! You know what, the community college is right up the street..maybe their bookstore might even have some used ones someone sold back...I'm going to call and ask!!! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

It's outrageous really, how much I pull out my checkbook to send my kids to public schools.

I just linked to you, via Shelly.

Kendra said...

oh my goodness. you seriously need to get the other parents together and protest. something needs to be done to stop the madness!!

Crystal said...

Wowww. That's crazy! I had to buy one of those 'spensive calculators for trig and calculus classes in college, but not high school.

Check pawn shops too. If it's a super new model, they probably won't have them, but if it's been out for a while they just might. How do I know this? Well, I pawned mine, of course. ;oP

BTW, I couldn't access your blog last night and I almost died. Really. No, seriously. I panicked. I'm glad it worked for me today!

Anonymous said...

Man, those prices are ridiculous. At my stepson's school, we don't even find out for a week or so into the year all of the supplies they will need. I can't believe that public schools expect so much. The only good thing here, is that you can muster the resources to buy the supplies. What about all the families who can't??

Rebecca said...

Actually that's about what it was for me nearly 10 years ago in high school math...

But the schools at least had some that students who couldn't afford their own could use, only down side was I had to do all my homework and studying in class.

JAM said...

Sounds like ye olde Texas Instruments TI-83 or whatever model they have out now.

It's not right that they choose such an expensive one, but they ask that everyone get the same one so that through the different math courses the teachers can all teach on using the same exact calculator. When necessary they can tell the student(s) an exact set of keystrokes to do.

It helps in the long run, but it's painful for parents to buy. I'm sure there are many parents that CANNOT buy them.

I wouldn't worry about being a few days late if you can get two of them cheaper over the internet and have them shipped to you. I'm sure that many student's won't have them yet by Friday as well.

They can tell the teacher that they've been ordered but haven't arrived yet.