That was also the case when I was in school. It wasn't so much that calculators were prohibited, but that they were useless, because the problems were designed to be solved without one. That was still the case when I taught the college math class in 1997. One student asked me if they could use graphing calculators, and my response was: "You may use one, but I've seen the exams, and a calculator will be of no help."
But I'm of two minds about it. I love manipulating expressions by hand. It's a relaxing hobby. But it limits the choice of problems that can be solved, which in turn narrows the range of things that can be taught, and even creates a false sense of what is possible in math. And it doesn't reflect how math is used by most people, i.e., with a computer.
I'd rather incorporate more computers into the math curriculum, and maybe merge math and programming into a single subject.
But I'm of two minds about it. I love manipulating expressions by hand. It's a relaxing hobby. But it limits the choice of problems that can be solved, which in turn narrows the range of things that can be taught, and even creates a false sense of what is possible in math. And it doesn't reflect how math is used by most people, i.e., with a computer.
I'd rather incorporate more computers into the math curriculum, and maybe merge math and programming into a single subject.