Square the circle?
Once the kids got out of the school system, we stopped having to purchase certain things. Today, I was sent off to find what we used to call a “geometry set” and a pencil sharpener. Still early in the back-to cycle for merchants; I did fill my list, but I learned a bit more about the difficulties for a retailer in that domain.
You see, schools (or more exactly, parent groups) have despaired the lists published by classroom teachers. Too much, too fast. Trying to find the seventh “different colour scribbler”, or the box of pencils from a particular manufacturer… the people have spoken, and now you may just receive a bill for your progeny’s share of a bulk buy.
Turns out that the local general store used to sell “math sets” (the alias), and finally got out of the field, because the path to the door grew up in tall grass. I understand. And I did find one set, on the back of a shelf at the local pharmacy. Somewhat cracked on the top, but filled with all the pointed instruments we learned to hate. After all, if a bully can stab, he will. We now have a few spares at home, in case the need to protract a circle suddenly go to Code Red.
As for the pencil sharpener… I haven’t seen anyone use a pen knife on a pencil in decades. I guess that hand hewn lead points also went out of style. Or else we stopped using pencils. I think it’s more that than anything else.
