Arithmetic vs. Math—There is a Difference, but We Conflate the Two

What is the punishment for being bad at arithmetic? Being denied the beauties of math. But that need not be so. Calculators can replace number skill. It is time to stop telling children who can’t add, subtract, divide or multiply well, that they are “bad at math.” We don’t know that. All we know for sure is that telling people they are bad at math because they have trouble calculating prevents anyone from finding out whether some of the number-challenged among us might be talented at higher mathematics.

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