Here are some talking points that will a) probably get me fired up quickly or b) I will disagree with you completely on c) make us both shake our heads in sorrow:
1. "Kids that are in school today can't even multiply numbers in their head."
My response: look in YOUR pocket/purse/bag/hand (more than likely some of you are holding a device in your hand that you are reading this off of...just sayin). If you don't take a cell phone with you everywhere you go, then I'll be glad to tell you that you are the EXCEPTION, not the RULE!!
My point is that if you are an adult reading this blog over the age of 40, you probably did not grow up with computers and calculators surrounding you. It was not your normal, so you didnt grow up with calculators in the classroom.
Anyone born between 1970ish and 1990ish is really a dual citizen. You remember life before everyone had a cell phone but you also cannot fathom how we lived without. Am i right??? You aren't afraid of technology--it grew as you grew up, and fortunately, you're pretty accustomed to it.
Guess what? Kids today don't know what it's like to live without a cell phone!!!! Read that AGAIN. AND AGAIN. We can tell them they need to learn to multiply numbers in their head, but folks, let's face it....they will probably always have access to a calculator of some sort (usually their phone that also has a tip calculator and a converter...). Don't roll your eyes. This is their normal.
Should they always use a calculator? of course not. But until they realize that it's quicker to just do the math in their head (and also so they don't look silly [read: dumb]), they will continue to use a calculator.
I am not saying it's ok that kids don't know their basic facts, but there is also a lot of stuff that I don't have memorized (ex: periodic table of elements, historic dates of wars/battles, etc) because I know I can find it -- and now with something called The Google, it's now readily available folks.
My battle to pick is not about the basic facts. Yes, kids need to know them, but getting rid of calculators is not the answer. I'd like to see YOU operate without your cell phone for a day and not use the technology it affords. Teaching with calculators is ok. They're not going anywhere.....that's for sure. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Pick up some flash cards and work with your own kid on them, but dont tell me that there are no longer any kids that know their basic facts. It's just not true.
{{{CAN YOU TELL IM PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS??}}
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