[Homer]

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OK, This isn't a question, but a request

I teach remedeal math at my university (the only class they let grad students teach here). Could you for the love of god please get your students to be able to do math without a calculator. I have students who can't tell me what 7*6 is without using a calculator. Others can't do long division.
Basically, without a calculator they cannot do any sort of math. I blame the HS math programs for most of this. They have gotten the students into the habit of using a calculator on every single simple math problem.

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...and the high school teachers are blaming the middle school teachers, and so on. The real problem is with the administration, in my opinion. When I was teaching an "Integrated Math" class for which the first chapter was "number logic", I absolutely refused to give out calculators because it completely defeated the purpose. The kids fought it and most refused to even try because they knew all the other teachers gave out calculators. I stuck to my guns until a couple kids complained to the math supervisor, who told me to "just give out the calculators because at least then the kids would be doing something instead of nothing". It really is an uphill battle even for teachers who understand that allowing students to use calculators as a crutch is a big mistake.