While I can agree that in the later years, the math becomes unnecessarily prescriptive, as a mathematician myself, I am categorically not in the 'what is mathem

While I can agree that in the later years, the math becomes unnecessarily prescriptive, as a mathematician myself, I am categorically not in the 'what is mathematics anyway' camp, at least not for kids. For children, it is fundamental that they calculate. Learning arithmetic is the first introduction into the idea of infinity, which is a vital concept all children must come to terms with. The natural numbers pop up everywhere and is a basic life skill. Mathematicians and philosophers can pontificate later as to what the exact nature of mathematics is, and if the real numbers are actually real, but none of that means that kids shouldn't learn how to count.