With college professors and the NCTM on one side pressing for universal availability of calculators, and a majority of parents and colleagues on the other side urging that basic skills be taught first, what is the typical elementary teacher or curriculum designer to do? Ironically, guidance may come from an unlikely source. Jennifer Wand, who feels that the time spent teaching basic arithmetic skills is wasted, tries to justify her position by comparing it to running. She points out that many people avoid running in spite of the well known health benefits because modern technology gives us other transportation options. She claims that "with the inventions of the bicycle, automobile, and in-line skates, running has become somewhat obsolete" (Wand, 1996). But running is not obsolete, and neither is the need to learn basic arithmetic facts or how to perform manual arithmetic. Running has benefits that make it more than merely a mode of transportation. We encourage children to be active, and to develop good fitness habits while they are young so they will reap health benefits later on. And children should learn basic arithmetic facts and skills before they begin to use calculators because there are benefits that go beyond merely "getting the right answer" that cannot be duplicated by calculator use.

Eventually, students should be taught to use calculators. But there simply are not any compelling reasons to use calculators at the early elementary level. The research is inconclusive, and the potential for harm is great. There will be plenty of time to learn how to use calculators later, but early elementary school may be the only time in the typical child's life to learn arithmetic.