I’ve never considered myself a “math person.” How should teachers handle students who feel the same?

This series will examine that question ...

‘Math Anxiety Is Real’

Vanessa Vakharia is the author of Math Therapy: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Overcome Math Trauma and Build a Better Relationship With Math, host of the Math Therapy podcast, and founder of The Math Guru, a tutoring studio:

The biggest lie students believe is that math is only for “math people.” That myth alone is responsible for so much math trauma—and my mission is to rewrite it.

The thing is, knowledge is gained through experience, and our physical environment shapes our experience. At my tutoring studio, The Math Guru, everything is designed to disrupt the belief that math is sterile, rigid, and perfection-oriented—yes, including the velvet couches and scented candles. The vibe matters. If math feels different from what they expect, students are already more open to engaging.

From there, I ask two key questions: “What even is math?” and “What even is a math person?” These spark real conversations that allow students to redefine math in ways that are broader, more inclusive, and more personal. They start to see math as more than just equations—it becomes about patterns, problem-solving, logic, creativity, even communication. Making friendship bracelets? That’s math! Spotting the pattern behind the latest fashion trend? That’s also math! Suddenly, they start seeing how they might fit into that picture.

I also ask students about their earliest math memories, when they started to feel “bad” at it, and who told them they weren’t good enough. This helps them reflect, feel seen, and begin to separate who they are from what they’ve been told. Asking instead of telling is THE most powerful way to reach students. 

And finally, I acknowledge the feelings. Math anxiety is real. When students feel like their struggle is valid—and that there’s no judgment—they start to believe they can figure it out. And they can.

‘Just Be a Person’

Ralph Pantozzi, Ed.D., is a Presidential Awardee in Mathematics Teaching and has been a classroom teacher and supervisor in New Jersey schools for 32 years:

Some individuals don’t consider themselves “poetry people.” I, for one, infrequently read poetry, rarely write poetry, and almost never attend poetry events. I don’t actively seek out poetry. I am comfortable with not considering myself a “poetry person.” I just want to be myself.

However, poetry has crossed my path in positive ways over the years. So, when in the mood, I pick up the books that I do own and enjoy the experience. I have loved (some) poetry. I’m also glad no one is chasing me down the street demanding that I read a certain poem because it is good for me. I’m also glad people don’t speed-test my knowledge of poetry at parties.

In this vein, I empathize with my students who don’t consider themselves “math people.” So as a classroom mathematics teacher, I suggest a version of the following activity.

Students pick something that they identify with: poetry, reading, math, art, music, dance, sports, and more. They write in response to the questions:

• “How did you become a ____ person?”
• “What are the feelings you have when you are doing this activity (and not just the positive ones)?”
• “What does it mean to you to be a ____ person”

Out of activities like this come a variety of stories that help us understand each other as individuals and members of groups that we have associated with—for a variety of reasons. With poetry again as the example, students observed others enjoying poetry, found poetry to be a welcoming place, and encountered a piece of poetry that they found compelling. For these and many other reasons, they identify as a “poetry person.”

In the classroom, we reflect on what it means to be a “language person,” “art person,” or “music person.” We recognize that a wide range of emotions go with all these school subjects, both positive and negative. We recognize the need for a welcoming space, time for enjoyment without evaluation, latitude to both like and dislike a particular example of a subject, and the opportunity to experience success.

As a math teacher, I have found it essential for students to be able to experience a sense of wonder, happiness, excitement, anticipation, puzzlement, and relaxation. Students can and should also be able to feel disaffection, disengagement, disinterest, hostility, trepidation, and fear. All are valid human emotions that people experience across a variety of activities in their lives.

I have observed a variety of student reactions to math. Wide-eyed youngsters building towers of colored cubes in a pattern. Kids getting happily worked up arguing over a logic puzzle. Students eagerly hopping on paper lily pads and debating their next move. Learners deep in concentration, hushing others with an admonition to “not spoil the answer.” Students nodding off from boredom, giving up in frustration, and skipping class out of anxiety.

To engage students who don’t consider themselves “math people,” present mathematics as very much similar to most of the rest of their lives. Recognize that engagement can ebb and flow for various reasons. Communicate that it is OK to get turned off to a subject. Let students know that comparison with others can be the thief of both joy and achievement.

While understanding there is more pressure to compete for high math scores than for poetry scores, an approach that validates all the emotions that come with learning is essential. Present the whole spectrum of math as a human activity. Give students time to think and feel. Present math in all of its glory. Show how math has been used to diminish or exclude others.

Forget about being a “math person”—just be a person. We need all types!

‘Make Math Relatable’

Randi Webb is an assistant principal at Oregon Elementary School in Illinois with 14 years of experience in education and a strong background in teaching math:

“I’m not good at math.” A statement made by one student that turns into a ripple effect: “Math is so hard.” “My parents aren’t good at math, and neither am I.” “I just don’t have a math brain.”

More and more often, and at younger ages, students are walking into classrooms with the idea that they are not “math people,” and teachers are charged with helping students see that everyone has a math brain. We just have to use the right strategies to reveal this to students.

First, make math relatable. If students can’t or don’t see how math relates to their life, it seems useless to them. When math seems useless, students become disengaged. Helping students see the connections between math and their interests can go a long way in moving students past having a fixed mindset around it. There are so many math connections in the real world that students might never think of. From sports to music to gaming, math is everywhere.

This brings me to my next point: student voice. Giving students a say in how they apply newly learned math skills helps build confidence and gives them ownership over their learning, along with seeing math beyond worksheets and assessments. For example, if I am a Taylor Swift fan who also enjoys traveling, calculating travel distances and times between tour stops and converting time zones may be opportunities to apply and showcase math skills relating to distance, time, and measurement conversions.

If I enjoy soccer, I can calculate both Lionel Messi’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s average goals per game and compare them, display a team’s performance on a bar graph or line plot, or compare shots on goal vs. total shots. Depending on the age of students, teachers may have to offer a variety of ideas for them to choose from or to at least get them thinking, but I am confident that with high-interest topics and activities, we can begin to shift the paradigm some students have around math.

A student may find algorithms laborious or challenging. Another engagement strategy for all students, not just those lacking a math identity, is the use of manipulatives. Anytime we can make math more concrete for students, we should. Manipulatives offer this opportunity by allowing students to explore, visualize, and make meaning of the math they are learning.

It is amazing what students can achieve when math makes sense to them. It is amazing what students can achieve when they start to see themselves as a “math person.” Put the two together and imagine the possibilities.

Thanks to Vanessa, Ralph, and Randi for contributing their thoughts.

Responses today answered this question:

For math teachers, what strategies do you use to engage students who don’t consider themselves “math people”?

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social

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