IN ADDITION
Manuella Kanter writes:
“So what do you teach?” “Secondary maths.”
“Oh my maths is awful, I couldn’t possibly understand anything you do. I always hated maths and I’m rubbish at it.”
This is usually how the conversation goes when anyone asks what I do, be it the hairdresser, a friend or fellow teacher. Irrespective of the fact that these people are highly qualified and confident in their own field, the mere mention of maths makes them happily proclaim their uselessness with all things numerical.
After a few of these encounters, it began to irritate — and then concern — me. Negative self-perceptions in maths are so common, they are almost fashionable. But worse than that, they are frequently inaccurate.
It is a self-fulfilling prophecy, much like childhood food dislikes.
Suppose you are made to eat lots of broccoli as a child — and hate it. As soon as you have control over what you eat, you never eat broccoli. If someone else eats broccoli, you remember how much you hate it, and reaffirm your opinion even without taking another taste. There is little incentive for you to ever try it again.
The problem is, most adults do not remember many of their maths successes — the thrill of solving a problem correctly, or even just getting 10 out of 10 on a times tables quiz. They remember only the struggle of not understanding something, perhaps feeling like the only one in the class who didn’t get it. And as a result, they understandably avoid all things mathematical.
All through my (very mathematical) childhood, my mum was insistent that she could not do maths.
Being as stubborn as I am, I wanted to prove her wrong — by giving her another go and letting her make some new — hopefully positive — memories of the subject.
As the grades on past papers crept up, so did her confidence. Every correct answer was evidence against her negative self-perception.
Have I managed to vanquish my mother’s maths anxiety? Maybe she is still not a broccoli fan, but I hope I have at least proved that it is not too late to give maths another taste.