Cash Cow??????

Well I had my “Ah-ha!” moment last night. Do you remember my post titled “A Learning Experience?” ? It is subtle little blog post that may have alluded to a teeny tiny issue with my son’s Grade 9 math class and teacher.

Soooooooooo………………………..in that whole episode, at approximately 4:37 pm (didn’t check how many seconds!) on June 25th “School Principal” called us;  we had called to find out our son’s final mark hours earlier. In that little conversation she indicated that we could put our son in St. Gabe’s for High School Math Prep even though both “School Principal” and “Superintendent of Schools” are adamant our son Alex received appropriate instruction.

Sooooooo………..let’s analyze this…….the “officials” declare appropriate math instruction is given in the grade 9 math classes………………………however…………………..this very same division offers a Math 10 Prep Course through St. Gabriel’s Cyber School which is part of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools school division.

Mixed messages? You decide.

By the way math prep costs a COOL ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Real cash money.

So let’s do a little basic math. Now I should warn you I myself am a product of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. I attended the very same schools my children are attending. So clearly don’t expect a whole lot from my math skills either. (Hey, by the way did you read my blog post about math in the school system?!)

Please solve the following math problem: (showing your work is not necessary)

My son says he had 32 students in his class.  Assume 50% of his class population were male (were, as in school is over, not that they had sex-change operations!) . Assume 10% of his male classmates are math genius’. Assume the balance of male math students fit “math teacher’s” description of “most of the boys are struggling in math” (as seen in my blog). There were 4 classes of grade 9 students at St. Thomas Aquinas School for the 2012-2013 school year. Let’s say, hypothetically, every parent of these resulting BOYS was brain-washed or bullied (see the comment by a reader in the previous blog post ) by the administration, principal or teacher to put their child in Math 10 Prep Course through St. Gabriel’s Cyber School. What do we end up with? (multiple choice of course, it takes too long to mark it otherwise!)

a) 42 (hitch-hiker anyone?)

b) union sanctioned stress leave

c) a profit of $5,760

d) a giraffe

………… oooh, aaaah, soo hard to work this one out………shoot

Well I will give you the answer, if you haven’t guessed…..d) a giraffe ……hey, I told you I was a product of this school system.

When we break it down, on the above guesstimate, based on BOYS only, we have the potential for 57.6 grade 9 BOYS being affected by the situation this year only.

The real number to look at is the cash revenue this creates $5,760.

KA-CHING!!!!!!!!

Let’s do the recap:

1) the “officials” declare appropriate math instruction is given in the grade 9 math classes

2)  “math teacher” says of “most of the boys are struggling in math”

3) Math 10 Prep Course through St. Gabriel’s Cyber School is offered

So could someone tell me why a Math 10 Prep Course NEEDS to be offered if the “officials” declare appropriate math instruction is given in the grade 9 math classes.

KA-CHING!!!!!!!!

Cash Cow?

You decide.

I just present what is possible or maybe not. Maybe it’s fiction or maybe its real, and for those who are in the know the answer is of course 42.

(Has anyone EVER heard of a sport’s team throwing a game? Usually happens when there is cash to be made.  OOPs….not a sports blog!!! Can never keep these blogs straight. LOL!)