Brains, Calculators, and the Purpose of School

In the 1970s, when personal calculators first started showing up in homes, schools almost universally banned them. Parents could use calculators for taxes or balancing the checkbook, but students couldn’t bring them into math class. The fear was simple and understandable: if kids had calculators, they’d skip the hard work of problem-solving. They’d miss out on learning how to think.

A professor back then named Dr. Robert McKinney summed it up well in the New York Times saying: “ I have yet to be convinced that handing them a machine and teaching them how to push the buttons is the right approach to teaching math. What will they do when the battery runs out?” At the time, it was a fair concern. But batteries gave way to solar panels, then calculators on cell phones, and now artificial intelligence that can solve nearly any problem instantly. The “battery dying” is no longer the issue.

Still, the bigger question remains: what happens to learning when tools do the work for us?

Why We Banned Calculators (and Why That Still Matters)

The logic of banning calculators wasn’t about punishing kids. It was about making sure students learned the process of thinking. Anyone who has watched a child wrestle with long division or fractions knows it isn’t easy. But that struggle creates growth.

I was reminded of this with my son Jack. One night, he was working on finding common denominators and hit the familiar wall of frustration: “Dad, why do I even have to do this? Can’t I just use a calculator?”

The easy answer would’ve been yes. But the truth is, the point isn’t the denominators. It’s what’s happening in his brain. Neuroscience calls it neuroplasticity, the brain forming new pathways when it’s challenged. That kind of growth doesn’t come from shortcuts. Repetition builds automaticity, making problem-solving faster and more intuitive.

So, yes, I told him, you’ve got to push through the hard work.

No calculator.

Not because you’ll spend your adult life finding common denominators, but because doing hard things makes your brain stronger for everything else.

But We Can’t Resist Innovation

Here’s the twist: while I want Jack to do the hard work, I also know he has tools I never had. When I get stuck helping him, I can pull out my phone, open ChatGPT, and ask it to explain fractions “like I’m a fifth grader.” Suddenly, I’m equipped to coach him again, and he learns better.

That’s innovation at work. It doesn’t replace teaching or brain-building. It adds value to it. Just like calculators eventually became standard on AP exams, new technology like AI is here to stay. Schools can’t just resist; we have to figure out how to use it well.

True innovation, in my mind, isn’t throwing out tradition whenever something shiny comes along. It’s adding value to what already works.

Tradition, Innovation, and the Arts

I was reminded of this balance when I spent time with a group of art and music teachers this summer. Their classes aren’t just about painting or playing an instrument. Neuroscientists will tell you that when students engage in the arts, they’re activating the left and right sides of the brain at the same time. They’re connecting the analytical left side of the brain with the abstract, creative right side. They’re also practicing collaboration, empathy, self-expression, and confidence.

These are transferable skills. They’re life skills. Art and music remind us that not everything in school is about efficiency or immediate utility. Some practices have deep, enduring value that shapes who students become.

And that’s the point: we need both. The timeless practices that grow brains and hearts, and the innovative tools that make learning richer and more accessible.

The Litmus Test for Innovation in School

So how do we decide what to keep and what to change? For me, it comes down to a simple litmus test:

Does this practice or innovation help students develop into their full potential?

If banning calculators helps build brain power, great. Sometimes we need to restrict technology. If using AI as a tutor helps a student catch up, also great. If art and music grow empathy and collaboration, they’re essential. The goal isn’t tradition for tradition’s sake, or innovation just because it’s new. The goal is to help students become the graduates, the people, we know they can be: creative, resilient, collaborative, empathetic, and prepared to thrive.

School needs to evolve with the times, but not at the expense of what makes it meaningful. It should hold onto what’s timeless and embrace what’s new, as long as both help students grow into their full potential.

That’s the purpose of school.