July Update

Post date: Jul 8, 2010 4:06:34 PM

Can you believe that we are halfway through our summer break? I hope you have been enjoying your summer; I certainly have. My family made a brief trip down to Sarasota, Florida and spent a few days on the beautiful beach there. This week we are enjoying a visit from my son Thomas and his wife Julie.

It seems like by mid-July the back-to-school sales start happening. Hopefully you have already purchased your textbook. I have already purchased your notebooks. You may want to think about a calculator if you don't already have one. You will probably want to have a scientific calculator on hand that can handle square roots and trig functions. If you have an older brother or sister that will let you borrow a TI- 83 Plus, that is great, and I will be happy to help you learn how to use it. But don't go out and buy a new one. If you don't already have a scientific calculator around the house, then I would suggest either the TI-30XS, TI-30X IIS, or TI-30XA. You will probably find good deals on them once the back-to-school sales begin.

I usually have two or three of my calculators on the table when I am teaching my classes, but many students prefer to use their own.

Finally, you might want to consider a mechanical pencil with replacement lead and erasers. I prefer that my students do all their work in pencil. I don't have a handy pencil sharpener, so mechanical pencils work best.

As always, contact me if you have any questions, and enjoy the rest of your summer! I look forward to seeing you on August 31.