The Cissna Park Education Foundation has provided the funding for a classroom set of calculators. Calculators enhance learning and allow for great discoveries when students aren’t bogged down with tedious calculations.  Calculators are a valuable tool in the mathematics classroom and having a complete set of identical calculators makes instruction easier for Mrs. Chrastka.  “When all the students are using the same calculator, less time is spent on how to properly enter the necessary information into each child’s calculator, and more time is spent understanding mathematics.”  Students “check-out” a calculator from the pocket wall hanging when needed in the classroom for their daily activities. The bright yellow coloring and “school property” label clearly identify the calculators as belonging to the school and ensure the calculators stay in the classroom.

These calculators have already made an impact. Eighth grader Mason Blanck says, “Having the calculators in the classroom is great.  Its so much easier using them instead of remembering my own.” Fellow classmate, Carter Ferguson agrees, “These are really nice.” The calculators are getting used every day; whether they are used to check a student’s paper-and-pencil calculations or to make more complex mathematics such as solving equations quicker to accomplish, students are benefiting from the accessibility and functionality of this technology.  Calculators are immensely valuable for validating work and are helpful tools that students can turn to for help, not just fast answers.