IMO memorizing those multiplication tables was one of the most useful things they taught in elementary school. They are teaching tricks now that separated the kids who were good at math from the ones who weren’t (since the ones who were good could figure out a lot of these tricks on their own to get through the grind of pages of questions quicker), but knowing my multiplication tables was and still is an essential part of doing quick math in my head.
IMO memorizing those multiplication tables was one of the most useful things they taught in elementary school. They are teaching tricks now that separated the kids who were good at math from the ones who weren’t (since the ones who were good could figure out a lot of these tricks on their own to get through the grind of pages of questions quicker), but knowing my multiplication tables was and still is an essential part of doing quick math in my head.