http://voices.washingtonpost.com/x-equals-why/2009/05/is_math_fun_should_it_be.html
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/11/why_does_engine.html

After reading these articles I am more confused. Can we do both, rote memorization and enhanced creativity? Are teachers prepared, parents prepared, US prepared for all this hard work? History of math education in the US has swayed back and forth like a pendulum. We have never fully done both at the same time. As I went through school we were steered away from rote memorization. So our generation has difficulty with mental math.

I think we should approach it like English class. Not everybody is a writer but everyone must learn how to write a decent essay. Likewise, not everyone is a mathematician but everyone must know how to solve any type of differential equation. There is no question about whether a child should memorize the multiplication tables. A child's math growth is stunted without rudimentary mental math. The war rages on. We will have many more casualties until the US decides the comprehensive direction that it needs to go in.