Math is a luxury we can barely afford

Trent needed a calculator for his math class. Of course, it wasn't just any calculator.

We were told to purchase him a TI-84 graphing calculator. It would be around $100.00.

$100 for a stupid calculator?

It's 2013. Why the hell do calculators cost anywhere near $100?

We have computers that can do all this fancy stuff, don't we?

I have an app that can tell me exactly how far I walk, at what speed, at what elevation and how many calories I burn according to my weight on that particular day.

I have an app that can tell me what music is playing in the background. It gives me the artist, the album title and the song name with a link to buy it on Amazon.com.

I have an app that can calculate the calories, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals of everything I eat that day and then predict what I'll weigh in 5 weeks.

All of these apps were free.

Isn't there an app that can do all this graphing calculator stuff for $1.49? I'd even be willing to pay $4.99 for such an app.

So, we go to three different stores on Sunday looking for this calculator. No one has the calculator. In fact, I'm told at one store that a lady just bought 15 of those calculators and they're sold out and would not be getting anymore in for awhile.

We end up at Staples (the fourth store) and they only have the super duper TI-84 Silver Classic 456-2187BXI model (I added extra numbers to make it sound fancier) with awesome color screen.

Really? We need to see our numbers in colors?

They have two of these models left. One in blue and one in hot pink. $150.00.

I ask if they price match and they do. So, we walk out of Staples with the blue super duper TI-84 Silver Classic 456-2187BXI model (that I added extra numbers to make it sound fancier) with awesome color screen for $119.

I also paid the extra $10 insurance in case he loses it or drops and breaks it.

Which bring me to my next point about this calculator...

Is a 12 year old really responsible enough for this expensive electronic?

My son forgets to brush his teeth if I don't tell him.

I don't know if I would want to walk around with such an expensive item in my backpack all freakin' day long.

They don't get lockers so he has to carry 47 pounds of paper on his back and try not to squish his lunch while removing items and placing them back for each class. At lunch, he still has to carry his backpack and be responsible for it and it's contents (including that blue super duper TI-84 Silver Classic 456-2187BXI model (that I added extra numbers to make it sound fancier) with awesome color screen for $119) while he eats lunch and whatever he does for break. At PE, his backpack sits unattended on a bench because it doesn't fit in a locker.




Before he left for school today, he showed me how he could write, "hi" on his calculator.

That's just awesome.

I asked him if he had brushed his teeth.

Without saying a word, he got up and went to the bathroom to take care of that issue, taking his
blue super duper TI-84 Silver Classic 456-2187BXI model (that I added extra numbers to make it sound fancier) with awesome color screen for $119 with him.