Betsy, I completely agree with you. 

Betsy wrote:
I'll never forget the time a student reached for a calculator
to do 27 - 22.  While this was an extreme case, 


Very frequently, every semester, I see people in introductory physics labs
using calculators to multiply a number by 1 or by zero. How extreme is that?
I remember a situation when I was buying an item for $400, 75% off, and
sales computer was down. It took 45 min and 3 sales people to figure out how
much I need to pay including tax. 

This is embarrassing. It is not only embarrassing; it also slows down people
in learning subjects where math is a tool, a language. I believe that the
only way to deal with it is stop using calculators at the elementary level
(which is beyond our authority), and have students to pass a rigorous
entrance exam, where those skills are thoroughly tested. You have to have
certain language skills to become a college student, well, math is a
language too.

Sincerely,
Tatiana (who doesn't allow her 6th grader to use a calculator)

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