It is no secret that I am always in search of a good deal. We've had this conversation before. However, I realize that some things in life are expensive and that's just the way it is--Dr. visits, Mary Kay makeup, watermelon out of season, and Starbucks just to name a few. Even so, there are some things that can still make my jaw drop.
Take swimming lessons, for instance. Neither of my boys have taken swimming lessons yet, and I decided this summer would be the year to start. Now that Nathan is 3, they can both take lessons together. Landen wasn't too excited about the idea last summer, so I wanted to make it as pleasant as possible. I had a great idea! Even though lessons will be offered 20 miles away in Faulkton, I thought I would take the boys to the Aberdeen Y for their first lessons. I thought an indoor pool, and a controlled environment with no wind, rain, etc. might make for a more pleasant first experience. I called for information and they were offering 2 sessions a week for 3 weeks in June. Perfect! I was so excited, but would have to wait to sign them up.
Fast forward about a week when I see the information on swimming lessons sign up in the newspaper. To sign my boys up to learn how to blow bubbles in the water, it was going to cost me $50 for each of them. Now, maybe if they were working toward their lifeguard training or had Michael Phelps as a teacher I could swing that, but sorry. They will have to deal with whatever weather is thrown at them on 10 chilly summer mornings. If they complain, I will tell them that I was not lucky enough to swim in a heated pool when I was their age. I had to learn to swim in a lake. In the cold. With moss. Yeah . . . I'm still working through that . . . give me a few more years.
With swimming lessons figured out and my school duties over for the year, I was starting to think of possible ways to collect continuing education credits this summer. Even though I have not taught since 2004, I have been taking classes to keep my teaching license current. I get paid a bit more to sub with a license and it saves a lot of hassle to keep a license current versus of getting it back. I have 2 years to get 2 more credits, but I am not one to wait around until the last minute--or year.
One day I saw an email for a speech class being offered online through SDSU. I contacted the instructor and it looked to be what I was looking for--speech methods, some oral interp, and curriculum mapping, which I have missed out on in my teaching sabbatical. Tonight when I went online to sign up, I read that it is about $337 per credit hour. I know college credits are expensive, but I was not expecting that. I am used to classes being offered to renewing teachers for less than $100 a credit. The class I took last summer through NSU cost $40 for 1 credit. Obviously this is not one of those classes. Wham--another blow to another plan.
Since I am not taking home a teacher's salary, and don't know if/when I ever will again, I just cannot justify throwing that kind of money at 2 credits. I can go to the Speech Convention this fall instead and pick up a credit (with valuable information about oral interp) for a reasonable amount. The only problem is that falls right in with the start of school and possible harvest--a very busy time of year.
I don't know--maybe I am just cheap or have been out of college for too long.
I do know one thing. Landen and I are going to start working on that ACT practice test ASAP.
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