We are dumbing down our kids today. How? By giving them a calculator in the third grade, we are depriving our children of a critical component regarding their academic career. Why do we do this? To ensure Benchmark test scores are proficient and our schools receive funding? Well I suppose someone has to pay the bills.
Most of my seventh and eighth graders can’t add or subtract without a calculator. Heaven forbid I ask them to divide or multiply without one! It’s either they can’t do it or it never enters their mind that they could add seven and two faster in their head than punching it in a calculator. (I’m trying to be optimistic here.)
Am I the only one who feels it is an injustice to these children? What happens when these same children attempt college entry exams, where the use of programmable calculators is prohibited? Will we acknowledge the system failed the student then?
To clarify something, I do not feel calculators should be banned. Like all things, they’re fine in moderation.
More Later-----------------
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