That won't be on the test

In precalculus, we've spent the last few days looking at various solution techniques for systems of equations. If you are a math-o-phobe, all you need to get from the last sentence is "looking at various solution techniques." In street lingo, it means we've been solving problems by hand and building up to the crescendo (in my mind anyway) of getting the calculator to do it for us. I prefer setting the stage for the Magic Button Method by first working problems by hand and analyzing why the steps are done and why they are allowed, etc. etc.

Today was the moment. What had been taking a minimum of 15 minutes of arithmetic agony took a mere minute of set-up and a second of waiting for the calculator to spit out the answer. One student immediately asked, "Are we going to be able to solve these with the calculator on the homework?"

What I wanted to say was, "Once the genie's out of the bottle, it's impossible to put him back."

What I heard myself say was, "It's like finding out that the wizard is just a creepy old man behind a curtain. There's no going back once you've seen that."

Six days and counting before break begins. Not a second too soon, me thinks.