Carrigan H.

A photo of a math calculator and math paper.

The use of calculators before they are needed leads to the inability to perform basic math skills. It makes students reliant on the calculator to solve the problem for them, and unable to solve it on their own. Many kids are using calculators too soon before they even know their multiplication tables. 

According to “Math Mammoth,” “The first years of elementary school is the time to build mental math skills and number sense — the ability to work with numbers flexibly — and a calculator therefore has almost no place in the math class during those years.”

Many children disagree with this, but in the long run, it will help. Later in life, there will be no calculator to aid them. Many jobs have components that involve basic math skills, like waiters, cashiers, and baristas. They must figure out prices, and measurements, without having the time to check on their phone’s calculator. Just because we are in an age of technology does not mean we have to use it for everything.