These two iPads were to be paid for with grant money generously provided by the BBH Schools Foundation. This is the 3rd time in 4 years that the Foundation has chosen one of my grants, and I am honored that they agree to support items for my classroom year after year.
So, I set out, Christmas carols blaring. I heard my favorite Christmas carol by a group called Straight No Chaser and I'm thinking "life couldn't be better."
I get to Crocker Park before the Apple Store opened and decided to do a little Christmas shopping in Barnes & Noble. And I find an Educator's table where I get free coffee, a free kids' DVD, a free B&N tote, AND 25% off my purchases!
Life is good!
And then I realized it.
I forgot my credit card. I had little cash.
Little cash = no iPads.
OOOOOOOOooooooh nooooooooOOOOOOOO.
Before I start to cry, I think to myself, "wait, I can solve this problem." Where's the nearest bank?
I go to the bank. I take out the cash because, after all, I had just deposited the check from the Foundation.
And I get to the Apple Store just in time to have a nice, cute saleman named Alan helping me with my purchase. I tell him the deal, ask lots of questions, and get ready to buy! I feel like bells and whistles should be going off with this purchase.
And then, the second wrench in my day.
As I give him the paper for my tax exemption, he says he has to go ask his manager a question. I play around with the display as I wait...
He comes back.
"Do you have your teaching license with you, by chance?" he says.
"Um, no. That's not just something you carry around. Why?" I respond.
"How were you planning to pay for this?" he asks.
"Cash."
"We would need your teaching license to give you the tax exemption," he says. "See, we can't prove that you are buying this for school and not for your personal use, so we would need to see your teaching license number."
"I have a union card. Can that count?"
"Can you just run home and get it?" he says.
Um, no dude, I think, I just drove 25 minutes to get here. And I'm lazy when it comes to anything but doing my work for kids. Seriously, I'm lazy.
So, to make an even longer story slightly shorter, I PAID FOR THE TAX ON TWO IPADS!
Then I also paid for a cleaner and a case. But only ONE case because I did not have enough cash for two of them (because I forgot my credit card, remember?).
So, what started as an entirely blessed and amazing day turned into something that gave me an 8 hour headache...
And now I cannot wait to share the iPads! I cannot wait to share with my students and my aides!
And I plan to share the rest of the process here as well.
I am so blessed; bad day or not. :)
3 comments:
You did what I would have done, paid the tax, took the easy way, even if the money came out of my pocket. Save your receipt and use it for a tax deduction in Jan. Get ready to also spend some of your own money on apps, save receipts on that too! I have been using two Ipads with my young adult transition group. Proloqutogo is AWESOME! The only glitch I have with the Ipads, which were grant funded also, is that our district will not let me hook them into our network or let me use 3g service, so therefore I sync them at home all the time, and they are not used to full capacity in the classroom or on a mobile basis in job sited. Good luck and I look forward to hearing your discoveries with them!
I am so jealous, Morgan! I'll be eagerly following your progress as you integrate the iPads into your teaching. I really think the tablets are where it's all headed. Thanks for sharing your less than ideal shopping experience:-). I always think that stuff only happens to me.
Awesome!! I'd like one myself. Congrats on the grant!
Post a Comment