I decided to try my hand at sewing and quilting back in October. My aunt showed me her Singer she bought at Walmart for $79. My friend showed me her Kenmore that she paid a couple hundred for. I hadn't even found this board yet. My mom always had Singers, so I took myself down to Joann (I didn't even know LQS even existed! LOL) and bought the nicest Singer I could afford, the Confidence Stylist. It ended up being more machine than I would've paid for, but it was 50% off, so I ended up with a nicer machine than my actual budget allowed for. I'm pleased as punch with it. I know the newer ones have a reputation, but this thing does everything I need it to, and isn't so basic (like my aunt tried to talk me into) that I'll outgrow it soon. I use it just about every day and I love it. Don't be ashamed of your machine; your LQS should be ashamed of the way they treated you!
I'm a wedding photographer. If I treated one of my brides who couldn't afford my biggest collection the way you were treated, I'd be out of business soon enough! We all have a choice; mine, in this situation, would be to finish this class and move on to a shop that values ALL their customers equally.