September 4, 2025 • 28 mins
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Today we celebrate back to school week with ... the official launch of Math Therapy as a weekly podcast!
On today's episode, Vanessa catches you up on everything going on in Math Therapy-land, and shares 5 very simple and quick strategies that teachers can employ to make this year's classroom more empowering - both for students and themselves.
5 low-lift Math Therapy strategies for the new school year:
- Watch your facial expressions
- Watch your language
- Ask students about their thinking process
- Get on your student's level - literally
- Ask students about their "math story"
Announcements
- Weekly format - tell us what you'd like to hear!
- Math Therapy is now an Audiobook!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Vanessa Vakharia (00:03):
Hey guys, it's Vanessa, AKA, The Math Guru, and
welcome to Math Therapy.
Okay, this isn't just anotherepisode, because as of today,
Math Therapy is officially aweekly podcast.
If you've been listening to thepodcast for a while, which I
know so many of you have, youknow that normally we've only
done 10 episodes a year, andwhile that was amazing, I always
(00:24):
felt like, ugh, there are somany other people I want to
interview, there's so many ideasI have, there's so many episodes
I wanna do, but I felt sorestricted and I've been working
a long time to get this going sothat we can just have a new
episode for you every singleweek.
So every single Thursday you canexpect a new episode of Math
Therapy.
So make sure you're subscribedon whatever podcast app you use
(00:46):
so you never miss a week.
Now to kick off the season, Iknow it's back to school and
some of you have already been inschool for like a month, but as
of today, every single educatoris back in the classroom.
And I know it's such a stressfultime.
You're getting used to your newclassroom, your students, like
your new coworkers, if you'vechanged schools, like new
routines, there's so much goingon and I wanted to make my first
(01:10):
episode something that could bereally useful and practical
without like, overloading you.
So I thought, because so many ofyou have been doing math therapy
book studies with my book, whichI have loved by the way, I've
also gotten so many messagesfrom you being like, I love this
so much, there are so manythings I can use in the
classroom, and I'm wonderingwhat the one quick thing I can
(01:32):
do right away is.
I get that question all thetime.
What's one quick thing I can doright away?
And I get that.
You know, as educators we're sostrapped for time.
We have so much going on andmath therapy's about healing
relationships with math.
It's about mitigating mathanxiety.
It's about deeply healing mathtrauma.
And yeah, there are some thingsthat take a little more time.
(01:55):
But there are things we can doin literally five seconds that
will totally change the game forus and our students.
And on today's episode, I'mgoing to share five low lift,
five second strategies, liketiny teacher moves that will
have a huge impact on healingmath trauma, and lowering
anxiety.
(02:16):
I'm actually so pumped becauseyou guys can use these right
away in the moment, and theywill have a huge impact, and
they will take you literallyfive seconds.
So before we get to those, Ialso wanna tell you a couple of
other like announcements.
The first is the audiobook formath therapy is done.
It is finished.
It should be available onAudible and every single other
(02:39):
audiobook platform very, verysoon.
I, I don't know when it justkind of drops and there's no
like warning.
So I don't know.
It might be out right now.
Go check.
Also so excited to tell you guysthat I have created an entire
Math Therapy merch line, whichwill also be available soon.
You can go to math therapy.comand click merch, and you're
gonna see that all very, veryshortly.
(03:01):
So now you can wear your lovefor Math Therapy.
Okay, one more thing.
You can now text the podcast.
So this year, you know, now thatwe're a weekly episode, or
sorry, a weekly, uh, podcast,we're gonna be doing all sorts
of cool things.
I've got a ton of interviewswith incredible guests that
you're gonna love, but I'm alsogonna be doing solo episodes,
like today's episode where I'mjust talking and sharing.
(03:22):
We're also gonna be asking forquestions from you guys and
doing mailbag episodes where weask for your stories.
So if at any point you have aquestion or a suggestion or
something you want us to do anepisode on, you can now text the
podcast by clicking the link inthe description of this episode
in whatever app you're listeningto right now.
You can also like DM me at theMath Guru on Instagram.
(03:43):
Email me vanessa@themathguru.ca.
Okay.
Those are all the things Iwanted to tell you.
But let's do it.
Let's get into it.
You know, you don't have time.
I already just said that.
So I want to share right now,five low lift, five second
strategies, five tiny teachermoves, that have a huge impact
on healing math trauma, andlowering anxiety that you can
use right now.
(04:03):
And if you've got friends,teacher friends, district
leaders, colleagues who arelike, Ugh, I really wanna do
some math therapy this year.
I really wanna make math anxietya focus.
Make sure you send them thisepisode because this is totally
gonna change the game for youand for them.
Okay.
Let's get into it.
Low lift Math Therapy strategynumber one, watch your facial
(04:27):
expressions and body language.
Okay guys, I have been learningso much about the nervous system
for the past two years.
It is literally my obsession andit has changed my life.
And one of the things I'velearned is we are designed, we
have evolved biologically toco-regulate with one another.
I just, here, let me explainwhat that means.
(04:47):
You know, when you kind of saylike, you can feel someone's
energy, or you're like, thatperson has bad energy, or their
energy is off, or, I just lovethat person's energy.
It's not a woo woo thing.
It's actually science.
We have evolved to be able tosense somebody else's energy so
we can feel safe and we knowwhen to feel scared.
So that's actually often why welike partnership or we have
(05:10):
these really great friends andwe like spending time with them
because when we're around them,our entire body's relaxed.
You know, there are those peoplethat like, you're relaxed when
you're around them.
Your shoulders drop down a bit,you breathe a bit easier.
And then there are those peoplewhere you're around them and you
like get really tense and yourback is literally up, like your
shoulders are raised and you'relike, Ugh, like I just, I,
everything feels tighter.
(05:31):
Well, it's a real thing.
And because it's a real thing,it happens in our classrooms and
our students actually regulateoff of our cues, and our nervous
systems regulate off of theircues.
So what that means is our bodylanguage and facial expressions
actually have a visceral effecton somebody else, right?
Like if we are feeling tense andour faces show that we're
(05:54):
feeling tense.
Our students can sense that, andthey tense up alongside with us.
In fact, when they say, you guysmay have heard that like math
anxiety is, uh, contagious, partof what that means is literally
when we're really, reallyanxious because our students are
co-regulating with us, thatanxiety is contagious.
Now, what this means is, it'sactually really, really quick.
(06:18):
It's a quick fix for you todeescalate when a student is in
a state of anxiety.
I'm gonna give you an example.
The last episode, uh, werecorded when I was in Bali,
actually was with this womannamed Charizma.
She's amazing.
She was 30 and I helped her likework through her relationship
with math.
And so she's on this journey,she's healing her relationship
with math, and she had this,like episode where she was doing
(06:41):
math in her house and herboyfriend was testing her and
she got the wrong answer tosomething.
And she remembers and describesthis moment so perfectly where
she's like, everything was goingwell.
And then he scrunched up hisface.
And she said it threw her into aliteral spiral.
Like he crunched up his face andsaid, how did you get that
(07:01):
answer?
You know, you know exactly whatI'm talking about because I've
done this so many timesinadvertently to students.
Like, I'm like, what?
How did you do that?
She said it completelydysregulated her.
She had been in this state oflike trying to actually do math
and like feeling good about itand being okay with making
mistakes, but as soon as he didthat, it sent her entire nervous
system into dysregulation, andthat's a very real thing that
(07:24):
happens.
She ended up like spending thenight crying.
She talked to ChatGPT, who likegave her some of its own math
therapy and eventually she endedup, up having like a really big
talk with him and being like,this is what happened, and why
you threw it, threw me off.
And it was, it's, it's anamazing romcom story.
He was like, oh my God, Itotally get that and like I'll
watch my facial expressions inthe future.
(07:45):
What this means for you is, wecan't help it, right?
Sometimes we just have thesefacial expressions, like our
face scrunch up, or you know,like our body language, like we
cross our arms.
Just from this point forward, bemindful, right?
Like when a student seems likethey're really flustered, for
example, or a student gets awrong answer or does something
in a way that like you didn'texpect them to, or that
(08:07):
surprises you, just take a, thebriefest pause before you react.
Check yourself, check what yourface is doing, check what, what
your body language is saying andjust adjust.
And the key things to keep inmind are stay neutral.
Calm and open, even if you'reconfused or surprised.
So just like really pause andjust say the words neutral,
(08:29):
calm, open in your mind reallyquick, and relax your face.
Relax your, you know your arms,make sure you're not crossing
your arms and just be in arelaxed position so that the
student who's trying toco-regulate with you senses
safety instead of danger.
When you do that, you're tellingstudents you're safe here.
Struggle is normal.
And that is the first step whenit comes to Math Therapy.
(08:54):
You are the safe space.
You're creating that spacesimply by your facial
expressions and your bodylanguage.
And you can do that in fiveseconds.
Okay, Math Therapy, low liftstrategy number two is to watch
your language.
Words shape our identity.
You know, there's a lot ofresearch that shows the way we
talk to ourselves and the waythat people talk to us.
(09:14):
That really makes its way intoour narrative, into our general
story about who we are and whatwe're capable of.
But more than that, words havepower.
They can either reinforce orrebuke stereotypes.
And often, even when we arewell-meaning and trying to be
positive, we might inadvertentlyreinforce a stereotype that we
(09:35):
absolutely didn't mean to.
I have a guest coming up thatyou guys are gonna hear from.
She was actually on the MelRobbins podcast.
Her name is Dr.
Sarah McKay.
She's a neuro neuroscientist.
And we had a fascinatingconversation about how it's
these tiny little micro, likethese micro movements we do that
can give students the idea thatthey're not capable of math,
(09:56):
therefore reinforcing their mathtrauma.
Because so much math trauma forso many students actually comes
from the fact that they weremade to feel like they don't
belong in math class.
And actually, this can happen togroups of people, right?
Like girls are often made tofeel like they can't belong by a
lack of representation that hasfollowed them historically.
(10:17):
And in this example, she gives,she talks about how, so often we
say the phrase, well, of coursegirls can do math too.
And she pointed out that thatphrase, which is obviously
well-meaning, and we're tryingto say, girls can do math.
Just the word too at the end ofthat sentence makes it sound
like boys are the defaultcategory of people who can do
math, and sure, of course girlscan do it as well.
(10:40):
But if we just hook out the twoand we said girls can do math,
look at the difference of thosetwo statements, right?
Think about the message we'regetting.
Imagine someone just said, girlscan do math too, versus girls
can do math, right?
The second one is a statement ofpower.
It's a statement of fact.
It's a statement of obvious,like, no, they're not the
(11:01):
secondary group.
So I'm using that example justto say that, it really is this
very subtle thing, you know?
I know it's really hard to belike, oh my God, we've gotta
watch every single word we say,but that's not what it's about.
To me, it's just aboutreflecting and really thinking
about how we use language,right?
Being really purposeful with thewords we use and being open to
(11:23):
examining them.
So when we replace limitinglanguage with just more
inclusive phrases like, youknow, another one I love, like I
used to always say to students,oh, this is really easy, don't
even worry about it.
Or we'd get to like a moredifficult concept that I knew
most students might strugglewith, and I'd say, oh, this is
really hard for everyone.
And what I thought was when Isaid, this is really easy, I
(11:44):
thought that was gonnadeescalate students.
And when I said, this is reallyhard for everyone, I thought it
would make them feel like, youknow, less like icky if they
didn't, if they struggled withit.
But what I didn't realize is.
Those two words, easy and hard,was actually setting them up for
feeling anxious.
Right?
When I said, this is reallyeasy, don't worry.
(12:06):
The message is, well, ifeveryone else thinks it's easy
and I don't, then maybe there'ssomething wrong with me.
And when I said, this is reallyhard, don't worry about it, the
message was, oh my God, allthese other students think it's
hard.
I'm never gonna be able to getit.
So it just made me really thinkof like, I'm not perfect, you
know, I'm not saying I know theexact words to use, but I really
(12:27):
try to think about my languagebefore I say something, right?
Especially to students who mightbe generally anxious with math,
but to students in general.
So, this low lift strategyreally is just about watching
your language, right?
It doesn't say police yourlanguage, it just says watch it.
Think about the words you'resaying.
Reflect about, you know, we asteachers have phrases we say
(12:48):
often, we say all the time, likewe all have like our thing.
Just think about those thingsand make sure that the intention
is really matching the result.
So watching your language isreally just about that.
Just watching our phrases, oureveryday language to make sure
the intention we have behindsaying what we're saying matches
(13:08):
the impact that they're havingon our students.
Just remember every word you sayis a part of rewriting your
student's math story, andthey're so lucky to have someone
there to help them do that.
And don't be hard on yourselves.
Remember, this is about watchingyour language, that's it.
That's all you have to do.
All right.
Math Therapy, low lift strategynumber three, ask students to
(13:29):
explain their thinking.
I know we've heard so much aboutthis, right?
Like we are all about studentthinking now and that is so
amazing.
But here's what I want you toknow.
Anxiety actually peaks whenstudents think that math is just
about right answers.
We've seen it firsthand andthere's so much research to
support it, but anxiety actuallypeaks for teachers.
(13:52):
When they think that math isjust about right answers too.
So this strategy is for you aswell as your students.
I don't know about you, but Iused to always get super
flustered when a student wouldget to an answer in a way that I
didn't know how to get to orlike even actually, I think this
is worse when they don't get theright answer, but that I can't
(14:13):
understand what it is thatthey're doing.
And I feel like I, you know, Ifeel like I would just be like,
no, that's wrong, just do it myway.
Instead of, maybe they wereactually on the right track but
I actually couldn't see themgetting there because I didn't
know what they were doing.
And in my flustered like wholething, I'd just be like, just do
it the way I taught you how.
And what was happening in thosemoments when I look back is my
(14:34):
math anxiety was totally flaringand so was theirs because there
was this disconnect where theyfelt misunderstood and I was
just so scared that, I didn'tknow, you know, what was going
on, I didn't have a real firmunderstanding on the math and
that they were gonna figure meout.
In a few weeks, you're gonnahear from Mike Flynn, and we had
an incredible conversation abouthow asking for thinking builds
(14:55):
identity in both teachers andstudents.
When a student feels like theirthinking is valued, it breaks
the walls down, right?
Because often our students justfeel like my only job here is to
get to the right answer, and ifI can't get to the right answer,
and if I can't do it quickly,I'm not a math person and I
don't belong here just like Ithought.
(15:16):
But when we, instead of askingfor the answer, ask about a
student's thinking, all of asudden there's this huge sigh of
relief, right?
You'll see them become more ableto communicate.
Their guard drops, they feelvalued, they own the math.
And for us as teachers, when wemove from, what's the answer to
tell me how you were thinkingabout this, the same thing
(15:38):
happens to us, right?
Instead of getting all flusteredor you know, feeling like
insecure about the fact that wedon't know what a student is
doing on their page, we openourselves up to becoming the
learner.
We no longer have to be theexpert in the room.
Suddenly it's okay in theclassroom for nobody to know
what the answer is.
And with math, that is one ofthe greatest sources of anxiety,
(16:01):
is not knowing the answer.
And when we focus on thinking,we normalize not knowing the
answer because all of a suddenthe focus is on the thinking.
So the teacher move I'm gonnagive you is simply this.
I want you to swap the question,what's the answer for, tell me
how you thought about this.
And I would go so far as to say,you don't just have to do this
(16:21):
when you feel like a studentisn't getting it.
I would try to replace this asmuch as possible, make this kind
of the classroom code that,yeah, answers are important, but
the thing you care about firstbefore the answer is the
thinking.
Put that in the driver's seat,like put the spotlight on the
thinking and the answers comelater.
(16:42):
This shifts students fromperformers to valued thinkers.
It shifts them from thisperfection oriented sense to a
progress, process drivenpurpose.
It really changes everything,I've seen it happen so many
times, and it'll change stufffor you too, honestly.
It opens everyone up to justchilling out, talking, being
(17:05):
curious, noticing and wonderinglike we want them to, and if we
want them to, we have to takethe focus away from the answer.
So your quick teacher move isjust that, swap"what's the
answer" for"tell me how youthought about this".
Okay.
Strategy number four.
This is about body language, butit's actually so specific that I
(17:25):
wanted to give it its ownstrategy.
Strategy number four is actuallyabout positioning yourself at
the same height of the studentthat you are helping.
Now, let me explain.
I, we interviewed one of my oldstudents, she's in grade 11
right now, and you're gonna hearfrom her in a few weeks.
It was such an incredibleconversation because obviously
(17:47):
she hasn't read like BuildingThinking Classrooms, right?
Like she doesn't, she's notreading math education, books or
going to pd.
But she was explaining to me howher relationship with math
shifted and she was talkingabout a lot of the different
teachers she had.
And she said that this year shehad a teacher, and she said that
something that stood out to herand actually made such a
(18:08):
differences when her teacherwould help her, you know, with a
math question, she would kind oflike crouch down next to her
next to her desk, so she washer, you know, her eyesight,
they, they were eye level kindof, and would help her from that
vantage point.
And she was like, it made such adifference.
(18:28):
She was like, normally teachersare like towering over me and
they're like shifting around andmaking it so, you know, they're
kind of like above me and makingit clear that they don't really
wanna be there or that like theyhave power over me or something.
And she was like, when thisteacher would crouch down next
to me or even like, take a seatnext to her, she was like, it
completely relaxed me.
(18:49):
And it's really interestingbecause, this works because
power dynamics matter.
Standing over a kid can actuallyfeel really intimidating.
I even think about this weekend,my sister brought her new dog
over and I, okay guys, I have tosay I'm not like great with
animals.
I, I, it was a really cute smalldog, so I went down to pet it.
Now, if you have a dog, you knowthat the worst thing you can do
(19:12):
is from your height as a human.
Bring your hand down to pet thedog.
The dog almost bit me.
Like she freaked out and I waslike, oh my God, what's going
on?
And my sister was like, youcan't like calm down from over
top like that, right?
Like it intimidates the dog.
So then I crouched down and Iwas like eye level with her
little cute dog and like pet herthat way.
And I was totally fine.
Obviously our students are notdogs, I'm not like comparing
(19:33):
them, but you can kind of likesee what I'm talking about,
right?
For somebody who's low whenwe're high, there's a very
distinct power dynamic.
And you have to remember that somuch math trauma has
unfortunately happened inclassrooms for students, right?
Like they have had badexperiences with math.
They're in our classrooms withbaggage from their previous
(19:54):
experiences.
So a lot of them do have anegative relationship or
perception of what being a mathteacher is and what the role of
the math teacher is in theirlives.
So just by doing this simplemove, again, five seconds just
by crouching or sitting beside astudent when helping, it
completely changes that dynamic.
It reduces any anxiety that astudent is already feeling from
(20:18):
having to ask like this expertin the room, that they may
already feel intimidated by, aquestion.
It changes the entire dynamic.
When you do that, you'resignaling I'm with you instead
of I'm above you.
I'm really curious for you totry this one out.
When, when Taylor said it on thepodcast, I was just struck by
(20:38):
like, oh my God, she didn't readthis in a book somewhere.
Like she experienced it andshe's living proof that it can
completely change a student'srelationship with learning math.
Okay, guys, we are down to thelast strategy, low lift, Math
Therapy strategy number five ismy favorite one, one that I have
used for the past 15 years andit's simply to ask students
(21:02):
about their math story.
And honestly, guys, I'm gonna,I'm gonna break it down even
further because that you'reprobably like, that's not gonna
take five seconds.
You know what will take you fiveseconds?
Saying the words, have you everhad a bad experience with math?
Here's the thing.
Most of us, not only students,most adults assume that they've
always been bad at math or theyhave just always hated math.
(21:26):
And they never unpack why.
Right?
We kind of assume that's justthe way it is.
Like I, I don't know.
I just hate math.
I don't like it.
Uh, it's really interestingbecause I've met so many adults
who when I ask why, they'restunned.
They're like, I, I don't know.
I've just always hated it.
And then I'll say, have you everhad a bad experience with, and
everything changes in thatmoment.
(21:48):
Here's the real fact of it.
We as humans are not good atasking questions.
Like I, I'm serious.
I want you to ne the next timeyou go out with friends, I mean
maybe not your best friends, butlike you go out with
acquaintances or you meetsomeone and you have a coffee or
like you have a casualconversation, I want you to
clock how many questions thatperson asks you.
I have noticed that people askshockingly few questions.
(22:11):
It's like my new obsession inlife.
I won't go that far into it.
My point is that most studentsand most adults.
Are experiencing the same thing.
They are not being asked thatmany questions, that many
probing deep questions by thepeople in their lives.
And most people never think toask, have you ever had a bad
experience with math?
Because most people assume thatif somebody doesn't like math,
(22:34):
it's a totally normal thingbecause most people don't like
math, right?
Like we've heard the story timeand time again.
So.
By you simply asking, have youhad a negative experience with
math, the next time a studentexhibits math anxiety, they tell
you they hate math, they don'twanna do math, like you know,
all the signs.
Let me tell you what's gonnahappen when you ask that
question.
Number one, it's going tovalidate their feelings.
(22:57):
Number two, it's gonna open up aconversation where they can
reflect on why they have anegative relationship with math,
possibly for the first timeever.
Number three.
In that conversation, you aregoing to be able to see where
their math trauma might lie.
You're gonna hear stories,right?
Not only are they unpacking thisfor themselves, here's the other
thing, when they unpacksomething for themselves like
(23:18):
this, they start realizingthere's a reason why I feel the
way I do, and that is such apowerful moment.
Instead of feeling like I wasjust born hating math, all of a
sudden there's a reason.
And when there's a reason,there's an opening to solve a
problem.
And we as teachers need to hearthe reason, right?
Like if somebody, if a studentsays something like, yeah, this
(23:39):
one time this thing happened tous, or this one time my
boyfriend actually told me that,you know, girls suck at math,
all of a sudden we have anopening to be like, oh my God,
well now that I can see that,let me help you with it.
Right?
Like, now we know where ourentry point is.
And when that happens, it givesyou an entry point to reframe
their identity, to help themrewrite their math story.
(24:00):
We can't help a student rewritetheir math story unless we know
what math story they've beencarrying this entire time in the
first place.
So your teacher move here issimply to ask the question, have
you ever had a negativeexperience with math, and to see
what unfolds?
You know, guys, I'm gonna tellyou, I know, I know I said these
things could be done in fiveseconds, and you're probably
thinking, well, thisconversation can't happen in
(24:22):
five seconds.
Asking the question can happenin five seconds, but let me tell
you something.
I have often found that bysimply asking the question, even
if a student is kind of like,Hmm, I'm gonna have to think
about this, or they say a couplethings and it doesn't seem that
impactful, later on you're gonnafind out that you asking that
question actually unlockedsomething for them.
(24:43):
Seriously, it is the asking thatvalidates a student's experience
and allows them to reflect, andthat opens up to the possibility
of maybe something beingrewritten.
When you ask that question,you're saying your feelings
about math make sense?
And guess what?
They can change, and I'm here tohelp you change them.
(25:04):
Okay guys, so there you have it.
Five low lift, five secondstrategies you can use right
away to bring math therapy intoyour classroom.
I'm gonna recap them all for youso you don't forget.
Strategy number one was watchingyour face and body language
strategy.
Number two, watch your language.
Strategy number three, ask for astudent's thinking instead of
the answer.
(25:25):
Strategy number four, getting ona student's level physically
when you're helping them out.
And strategy number five, askinga student if they've had a
negative experience with math.
Each of these take five seconds,but honestly, they send a
massive message about safety,belonging, and identity.
Like they're gonna make a hugedifference.
And because they're, I knowthey're gonna make a huge
difference, I'm gonna give youguys, not homework, but like a
(25:47):
challenge for the week.
I want you to pick one of thesefive and try it this week and
notice how it shifts yourclassroom.
Pick any one of the five andthen I want you to text me, text
the podcast and let me know howit went.
Remember, you can text thepodcast by clicking the link in
the show description, theepisode description right in
your podcast app.
You can also DM me@themathguruon Instagram, email me,
(26:11):
vanessa@themathguru.ca.
I really wanna know whathappens.
And honestly, if you'relistening to this and thinking,
oh my God, I was just chattingwith my friends about how we're
gonna tackle math anxiety thisyear.
I want you to send this episodeto them right now.
Literally, your teacher friend,your district leader, your
supervisor.
Anyone who you think couldbenefit.
(26:31):
'cause I really wanna make thisyear about making math feel
safe, human, and healing for ourstudents and ourselves.
And we can start with these fivestrategies right away.
Okay.
Now that we've wrapped all thatup, I kind of need some
feedback.
If you know me, if you've seenme in a presentation, you always
know how I talk about needingvalidation, and it's something I
am working on with my therapist.
(26:52):
But for now, because we haveinfinite episodes ahead, I
really wanna know what youthought of this podcast, and if
you thought it was useful.
I, I honestly get veryself-conscious about recording
solo episodes.
Like I'm always like, oh my God.
Does anyone want to hear metalking for like 30 minutes
straight?
I wanna know if you think thiswas useful and if you did, and
(27:13):
great, and if you didn't, justsay it nicely.
Um, I'm gonna be doing a lotmore of these and I wanna know
what kind of tips you want, whatstrategies, what you wanna hear
about.
So again, you can text that tome as well.
Next week you are gonna behearing from, I'm so excited to
tell you this little sneak peekright now.
You're gonna be hearing fromEugenia Cheng.
(27:34):
I know I've been trying to gether on the podcast forever.
I have been successful.
Our conversation blew my mind.
And that is the next episodeyou're gonna get.
So remember, we're weekly now,so make sure you're subscribed
to, you don't miss a singleepisode.
They drop every Thursdaymorning.
Okay.
I think that's it for this week.
Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Thank you so much for all thework you are doing to help
(27:56):
students build a betterrelationship with math.
And if you're not a teacher,thank you for all the work
you're doing to help uscollectively heal, to be open to
these conversations, to healyour own math trauma.
I always say we may not all beteachers of math, but we are all
teachers of math attitude.
Seriously.
So thank you for being here, fordoing the work, for reflecting,
(28:17):
for working on yourselves, forbeing you.
And now I will conclude byreminding you that Math Therapy
is hosted by me, VanessaVakharia.
It's produced and edited byDavid Kochberg.
Our theme music is by our bandGoodnight Sunrise.
And if you guys know anyone whoneeds math therapy, please share
this podcast with them.
Rate or review it on whateverpodcast app you use.
Those things make a hugedifference because they help
(28:38):
Math Therapy reach more people.
I'm as determined as you are tochange the culture surrounding
math, and I need your help.
So spread the word and untilnext time, until next week,
peace, love pi babes.
Hey guys, it's Vanessa, AKA, The Math Guru, and
welcome to Math Therapy.
Okay, this isn't just anotherepisode, because as of today,
Math Therapy is officially aweekly podcast.
If you've been listening to thepodcast for a while, which I
know so many of you have, youknow that normally we've only
done 10 episodes a year, andwhile that was amazing, I always
(00:24):
felt like, ugh, there are somany other people I want to
interview, there's so many ideasI have, there's so many episodes
I wanna do, but I felt sorestricted and I've been working
a long time to get this going sothat we can just have a new
episode for you every singleweek.
So every single Thursday you canexpect a new episode of Math
Therapy.
So make sure you're subscribedon whatever podcast app you use
(00:46):
so you never miss a week.
Now to kick off the season, Iknow it's back to school and
some of you have already been inschool for like a month, but as
of today, every single educatoris back in the classroom.
And I know it's such a stressfultime.
You're getting used to your newclassroom, your students, like
your new coworkers, if you'vechanged schools, like new
routines, there's so much goingon and I wanted to make my first
(01:10):
episode something that could bereally useful and practical
without like, overloading you.
So I thought, because so many ofyou have been doing math therapy
book studies with my book, whichI have loved by the way, I've
also gotten so many messagesfrom you being like, I love this
so much, there are so manythings I can use in the
classroom, and I'm wonderingwhat the one quick thing I can
(01:32):
do right away is.
I get that question all thetime.
What's one quick thing I can doright away?
And I get that.
You know, as educators we're sostrapped for time.
We have so much going on andmath therapy's about healing
relationships with math.
It's about mitigating mathanxiety.
It's about deeply healing mathtrauma.
And yeah, there are some thingsthat take a little more time.
(01:55):
But there are things we can doin literally five seconds that
will totally change the game forus and our students.
And on today's episode, I'mgoing to share five low lift,
five second strategies, liketiny teacher moves that will
have a huge impact on healingmath trauma, and lowering
anxiety.
(02:16):
I'm actually so pumped becauseyou guys can use these right
away in the moment, and theywill have a huge impact, and
they will take you literallyfive seconds.
So before we get to those, Ialso wanna tell you a couple of
other like announcements.
The first is the audiobook formath therapy is done.
It is finished.
It should be available onAudible and every single other
(02:39):
audiobook platform very, verysoon.
I, I don't know when it justkind of drops and there's no
like warning.
So I don't know.
It might be out right now.
Go check.
Also so excited to tell you guysthat I have created an entire
Math Therapy merch line, whichwill also be available soon.
You can go to math therapy.comand click merch, and you're
gonna see that all very, veryshortly.
(03:01):
So now you can wear your lovefor Math Therapy.
Okay, one more thing.
You can now text the podcast.
So this year, you know, now thatwe're a weekly episode, or
sorry, a weekly, uh, podcast,we're gonna be doing all sorts
of cool things.
I've got a ton of interviewswith incredible guests that
you're gonna love, but I'm alsogonna be doing solo episodes,
like today's episode where I'mjust talking and sharing.
(03:22):
We're also gonna be asking forquestions from you guys and
doing mailbag episodes where weask for your stories.
So if at any point you have aquestion or a suggestion or
something you want us to do anepisode on, you can now text the
podcast by clicking the link inthe description of this episode
in whatever app you're listeningto right now.
You can also like DM me at theMath Guru on Instagram.
(03:43):
Email me vanessa@themathguru.ca.
Okay.
Those are all the things Iwanted to tell you.
But let's do it.
Let's get into it.
You know, you don't have time.
I already just said that.
So I want to share right now,five low lift, five second
strategies, five tiny teachermoves, that have a huge impact
on healing math trauma, andlowering anxiety that you can
use right now.
(04:03):
And if you've got friends,teacher friends, district
leaders, colleagues who arelike, Ugh, I really wanna do
some math therapy this year.
I really wanna make math anxietya focus.
Make sure you send them thisepisode because this is totally
gonna change the game for youand for them.
Okay.
Let's get into it.
Low lift Math Therapy strategynumber one, watch your facial
(04:27):
expressions and body language.
Okay guys, I have been learningso much about the nervous system
for the past two years.
It is literally my obsession andit has changed my life.
And one of the things I'velearned is we are designed, we
have evolved biologically toco-regulate with one another.
I just, here, let me explainwhat that means.
(04:47):
You know, when you kind of saylike, you can feel someone's
energy, or you're like, thatperson has bad energy, or their
energy is off, or, I just lovethat person's energy.
It's not a woo woo thing.
It's actually science.
We have evolved to be able tosense somebody else's energy so
we can feel safe and we knowwhen to feel scared.
So that's actually often why welike partnership or we have
(05:10):
these really great friends andwe like spending time with them
because when we're around them,our entire body's relaxed.
You know, there are those peoplethat like, you're relaxed when
you're around them.
Your shoulders drop down a bit,you breathe a bit easier.
And then there are those peoplewhere you're around them and you
like get really tense and yourback is literally up, like your
shoulders are raised and you'relike, Ugh, like I just, I,
everything feels tighter.
(05:31):
Well, it's a real thing.
And because it's a real thing,it happens in our classrooms and
our students actually regulateoff of our cues, and our nervous
systems regulate off of theircues.
So what that means is our bodylanguage and facial expressions
actually have a visceral effecton somebody else, right?
Like if we are feeling tense andour faces show that we're
(05:54):
feeling tense.
Our students can sense that, andthey tense up alongside with us.
In fact, when they say, you guysmay have heard that like math
anxiety is, uh, contagious, partof what that means is literally
when we're really, reallyanxious because our students are
co-regulating with us, thatanxiety is contagious.
Now, what this means is, it'sactually really, really quick.
(06:18):
It's a quick fix for you todeescalate when a student is in
a state of anxiety.
I'm gonna give you an example.
The last episode, uh, werecorded when I was in Bali,
actually was with this womannamed Charizma.
She's amazing.
She was 30 and I helped her likework through her relationship
with math.
And so she's on this journey,she's healing her relationship
with math, and she had this,like episode where she was doing
(06:41):
math in her house and herboyfriend was testing her and
she got the wrong answer tosomething.
And she remembers and describesthis moment so perfectly where
she's like, everything was goingwell.
And then he scrunched up hisface.
And she said it threw her into aliteral spiral.
Like he crunched up his face andsaid, how did you get that
(07:01):
answer?
You know, you know exactly whatI'm talking about because I've
done this so many timesinadvertently to students.
Like, I'm like, what?
How did you do that?
She said it completelydysregulated her.
She had been in this state oflike trying to actually do math
and like feeling good about itand being okay with making
mistakes, but as soon as he didthat, it sent her entire nervous
system into dysregulation, andthat's a very real thing that
(07:24):
happens.
She ended up like spending thenight crying.
She talked to ChatGPT, who likegave her some of its own math
therapy and eventually she endedup, up having like a really big
talk with him and being like,this is what happened, and why
you threw it, threw me off.
And it was, it's, it's anamazing romcom story.
He was like, oh my God, Itotally get that and like I'll
watch my facial expressions inthe future.
(07:45):
What this means for you is, wecan't help it, right?
Sometimes we just have thesefacial expressions, like our
face scrunch up, or you know,like our body language, like we
cross our arms.
Just from this point forward, bemindful, right?
Like when a student seems likethey're really flustered, for
example, or a student gets awrong answer or does something
in a way that like you didn'texpect them to, or that
(08:07):
surprises you, just take a, thebriefest pause before you react.
Check yourself, check what yourface is doing, check what, what
your body language is saying andjust adjust.
And the key things to keep inmind are stay neutral.
Calm and open, even if you'reconfused or surprised.
So just like really pause andjust say the words neutral,
(08:29):
calm, open in your mind reallyquick, and relax your face.
Relax your, you know your arms,make sure you're not crossing
your arms and just be in arelaxed position so that the
student who's trying toco-regulate with you senses
safety instead of danger.
When you do that, you're tellingstudents you're safe here.
Struggle is normal.
And that is the first step whenit comes to Math Therapy.
(08:54):
You are the safe space.
You're creating that spacesimply by your facial
expressions and your bodylanguage.
And you can do that in fiveseconds.
Okay, Math Therapy, low liftstrategy number two is to watch
your language.
Words shape our identity.
You know, there's a lot ofresearch that shows the way we
talk to ourselves and the waythat people talk to us.
(09:14):
That really makes its way intoour narrative, into our general
story about who we are and whatwe're capable of.
But more than that, words havepower.
They can either reinforce orrebuke stereotypes.
And often, even when we arewell-meaning and trying to be
positive, we might inadvertentlyreinforce a stereotype that we
(09:35):
absolutely didn't mean to.
I have a guest coming up thatyou guys are gonna hear from.
She was actually on the MelRobbins podcast.
Her name is Dr.
Sarah McKay.
She's a neuro neuroscientist.
And we had a fascinatingconversation about how it's
these tiny little micro, likethese micro movements we do that
can give students the idea thatthey're not capable of math,
(09:56):
therefore reinforcing their mathtrauma.
Because so much math trauma forso many students actually comes
from the fact that they weremade to feel like they don't
belong in math class.
And actually, this can happen togroups of people, right?
Like girls are often made tofeel like they can't belong by a
lack of representation that hasfollowed them historically.
(10:17):
And in this example, she gives,she talks about how, so often we
say the phrase, well, of coursegirls can do math too.
And she pointed out that thatphrase, which is obviously
well-meaning, and we're tryingto say, girls can do math.
Just the word too at the end ofthat sentence makes it sound
like boys are the defaultcategory of people who can do
math, and sure, of course girlscan do it as well.
(10:40):
But if we just hook out the twoand we said girls can do math,
look at the difference of thosetwo statements, right?
Think about the message we'regetting.
Imagine someone just said, girlscan do math too, versus girls
can do math, right?
The second one is a statement ofpower.
It's a statement of fact.
It's a statement of obvious,like, no, they're not the
(11:01):
secondary group.
So I'm using that example justto say that, it really is this
very subtle thing, you know?
I know it's really hard to belike, oh my God, we've gotta
watch every single word we say,but that's not what it's about.
To me, it's just aboutreflecting and really thinking
about how we use language,right?
Being really purposeful with thewords we use and being open to
(11:23):
examining them.
So when we replace limitinglanguage with just more
inclusive phrases like, youknow, another one I love, like I
used to always say to students,oh, this is really easy, don't
even worry about it.
Or we'd get to like a moredifficult concept that I knew
most students might strugglewith, and I'd say, oh, this is
really hard for everyone.
And what I thought was when Isaid, this is really easy, I
(11:44):
thought that was gonnadeescalate students.
And when I said, this is reallyhard for everyone, I thought it
would make them feel like, youknow, less like icky if they
didn't, if they struggled withit.
But what I didn't realize is.
Those two words, easy and hard,was actually setting them up for
feeling anxious.
Right?
When I said, this is reallyeasy, don't worry.
(12:06):
The message is, well, ifeveryone else thinks it's easy
and I don't, then maybe there'ssomething wrong with me.
And when I said, this is reallyhard, don't worry about it, the
message was, oh my God, allthese other students think it's
hard.
I'm never gonna be able to getit.
So it just made me really thinkof like, I'm not perfect, you
know, I'm not saying I know theexact words to use, but I really
(12:27):
try to think about my languagebefore I say something, right?
Especially to students who mightbe generally anxious with math,
but to students in general.
So, this low lift strategyreally is just about watching
your language, right?
It doesn't say police yourlanguage, it just says watch it.
Think about the words you'resaying.
Reflect about, you know, we asteachers have phrases we say
(12:48):
often, we say all the time, likewe all have like our thing.
Just think about those thingsand make sure that the intention
is really matching the result.
So watching your language isreally just about that.
Just watching our phrases, oureveryday language to make sure
the intention we have behindsaying what we're saying matches
(13:08):
the impact that they're havingon our students.
Just remember every word you sayis a part of rewriting your
student's math story, andthey're so lucky to have someone
there to help them do that.
And don't be hard on yourselves.
Remember, this is about watchingyour language, that's it.
That's all you have to do.
All right.
Math Therapy, low lift strategynumber three, ask students to
(13:29):
explain their thinking.
I know we've heard so much aboutthis, right?
Like we are all about studentthinking now and that is so
amazing.
But here's what I want you toknow.
Anxiety actually peaks whenstudents think that math is just
about right answers.
We've seen it firsthand andthere's so much research to
support it, but anxiety actuallypeaks for teachers.
(13:52):
When they think that math isjust about right answers too.
So this strategy is for you aswell as your students.
I don't know about you, but Iused to always get super
flustered when a student wouldget to an answer in a way that I
didn't know how to get to orlike even actually, I think this
is worse when they don't get theright answer, but that I can't
(14:13):
understand what it is thatthey're doing.
And I feel like I, you know, Ifeel like I would just be like,
no, that's wrong, just do it myway.
Instead of, maybe they wereactually on the right track but
I actually couldn't see themgetting there because I didn't
know what they were doing.
And in my flustered like wholething, I'd just be like, just do
it the way I taught you how.
And what was happening in thosemoments when I look back is my
(14:34):
math anxiety was totally flaringand so was theirs because there
was this disconnect where theyfelt misunderstood and I was
just so scared that, I didn'tknow, you know, what was going
on, I didn't have a real firmunderstanding on the math and
that they were gonna figure meout.
In a few weeks, you're gonnahear from Mike Flynn, and we had
an incredible conversation abouthow asking for thinking builds
(14:55):
identity in both teachers andstudents.
When a student feels like theirthinking is valued, it breaks
the walls down, right?
Because often our students justfeel like my only job here is to
get to the right answer, and ifI can't get to the right answer,
and if I can't do it quickly,I'm not a math person and I
don't belong here just like Ithought.
(15:16):
But when we, instead of askingfor the answer, ask about a
student's thinking, all of asudden there's this huge sigh of
relief, right?
You'll see them become more ableto communicate.
Their guard drops, they feelvalued, they own the math.
And for us as teachers, when wemove from, what's the answer to
tell me how you were thinkingabout this, the same thing
(15:38):
happens to us, right?
Instead of getting all flusteredor you know, feeling like
insecure about the fact that wedon't know what a student is
doing on their page, we openourselves up to becoming the
learner.
We no longer have to be theexpert in the room.
Suddenly it's okay in theclassroom for nobody to know
what the answer is.
And with math, that is one ofthe greatest sources of anxiety,
(16:01):
is not knowing the answer.
And when we focus on thinking,we normalize not knowing the
answer because all of a suddenthe focus is on the thinking.
So the teacher move I'm gonnagive you is simply this.
I want you to swap the question,what's the answer for, tell me
how you thought about this.
And I would go so far as to say,you don't just have to do this
(16:21):
when you feel like a studentisn't getting it.
I would try to replace this asmuch as possible, make this kind
of the classroom code that,yeah, answers are important, but
the thing you care about firstbefore the answer is the
thinking.
Put that in the driver's seat,like put the spotlight on the
thinking and the answers comelater.
(16:42):
This shifts students fromperformers to valued thinkers.
It shifts them from thisperfection oriented sense to a
progress, process drivenpurpose.
It really changes everything,I've seen it happen so many
times, and it'll change stufffor you too, honestly.
It opens everyone up to justchilling out, talking, being
(17:05):
curious, noticing and wonderinglike we want them to, and if we
want them to, we have to takethe focus away from the answer.
So your quick teacher move isjust that, swap"what's the
answer" for"tell me how youthought about this".
Okay.
Strategy number four.
This is about body language, butit's actually so specific that I
(17:25):
wanted to give it its ownstrategy.
Strategy number four is actuallyabout positioning yourself at
the same height of the studentthat you are helping.
Now, let me explain.
I, we interviewed one of my oldstudents, she's in grade 11
right now, and you're gonna hearfrom her in a few weeks.
It was such an incredibleconversation because obviously
(17:47):
she hasn't read like BuildingThinking Classrooms, right?
Like she doesn't, she's notreading math education, books or
going to pd.
But she was explaining to me howher relationship with math
shifted and she was talkingabout a lot of the different
teachers she had.
And she said that this year shehad a teacher, and she said that
something that stood out to herand actually made such a
(18:08):
differences when her teacherwould help her, you know, with a
math question, she would kind oflike crouch down next to her
next to her desk, so she washer, you know, her eyesight,
they, they were eye level kindof, and would help her from that
vantage point.
And she was like, it made such adifference.
(18:28):
She was like, normally teachersare like towering over me and
they're like shifting around andmaking it so, you know, they're
kind of like above me and makingit clear that they don't really
wanna be there or that like theyhave power over me or something.
And she was like, when thisteacher would crouch down next
to me or even like, take a seatnext to her, she was like, it
completely relaxed me.
(18:49):
And it's really interestingbecause, this works because
power dynamics matter.
Standing over a kid can actuallyfeel really intimidating.
I even think about this weekend,my sister brought her new dog
over and I, okay guys, I have tosay I'm not like great with
animals.
I, I, it was a really cute smalldog, so I went down to pet it.
Now, if you have a dog, you knowthat the worst thing you can do
(19:12):
is from your height as a human.
Bring your hand down to pet thedog.
The dog almost bit me.
Like she freaked out and I waslike, oh my God, what's going
on?
And my sister was like, youcan't like calm down from over
top like that, right?
Like it intimidates the dog.
So then I crouched down and Iwas like eye level with her
little cute dog and like pet herthat way.
And I was totally fine.
Obviously our students are notdogs, I'm not like comparing
(19:33):
them, but you can kind of likesee what I'm talking about,
right?
For somebody who's low whenwe're high, there's a very
distinct power dynamic.
And you have to remember that somuch math trauma has
unfortunately happened inclassrooms for students, right?
Like they have had badexperiences with math.
They're in our classrooms withbaggage from their previous
(19:54):
experiences.
So a lot of them do have anegative relationship or
perception of what being a mathteacher is and what the role of
the math teacher is in theirlives.
So just by doing this simplemove, again, five seconds just
by crouching or sitting beside astudent when helping, it
completely changes that dynamic.
It reduces any anxiety that astudent is already feeling from
(20:18):
having to ask like this expertin the room, that they may
already feel intimidated by, aquestion.
It changes the entire dynamic.
When you do that, you'resignaling I'm with you instead
of I'm above you.
I'm really curious for you totry this one out.
When, when Taylor said it on thepodcast, I was just struck by
(20:38):
like, oh my God, she didn't readthis in a book somewhere.
Like she experienced it andshe's living proof that it can
completely change a student'srelationship with learning math.
Okay, guys, we are down to thelast strategy, low lift, Math
Therapy strategy number five ismy favorite one, one that I have
used for the past 15 years andit's simply to ask students
(21:02):
about their math story.
And honestly, guys, I'm gonna,I'm gonna break it down even
further because that you'reprobably like, that's not gonna
take five seconds.
You know what will take you fiveseconds?
Saying the words, have you everhad a bad experience with math?
Here's the thing.
Most of us, not only students,most adults assume that they've
always been bad at math or theyhave just always hated math.
(21:26):
And they never unpack why.
Right?
We kind of assume that's justthe way it is.
Like I, I don't know.
I just hate math.
I don't like it.
Uh, it's really interestingbecause I've met so many adults
who when I ask why, they'restunned.
They're like, I, I don't know.
I've just always hated it.
And then I'll say, have you everhad a bad experience with, and
everything changes in thatmoment.
(21:48):
Here's the real fact of it.
We as humans are not good atasking questions.
Like I, I'm serious.
I want you to ne the next timeyou go out with friends, I mean
maybe not your best friends, butlike you go out with
acquaintances or you meetsomeone and you have a coffee or
like you have a casualconversation, I want you to
clock how many questions thatperson asks you.
I have noticed that people askshockingly few questions.
(22:11):
It's like my new obsession inlife.
I won't go that far into it.
My point is that most studentsand most adults.
Are experiencing the same thing.
They are not being asked thatmany questions, that many
probing deep questions by thepeople in their lives.
And most people never think toask, have you ever had a bad
experience with math?
Because most people assume thatif somebody doesn't like math,
(22:34):
it's a totally normal thingbecause most people don't like
math, right?
Like we've heard the story timeand time again.
So.
By you simply asking, have youhad a negative experience with
math, the next time a studentexhibits math anxiety, they tell
you they hate math, they don'twanna do math, like you know,
all the signs.
Let me tell you what's gonnahappen when you ask that
question.
Number one, it's going tovalidate their feelings.
(22:57):
Number two, it's gonna open up aconversation where they can
reflect on why they have anegative relationship with math,
possibly for the first timeever.
Number three.
In that conversation, you aregoing to be able to see where
their math trauma might lie.
You're gonna hear stories,right?
Not only are they unpacking thisfor themselves, here's the other
thing, when they unpacksomething for themselves like
(23:18):
this, they start realizingthere's a reason why I feel the
way I do, and that is such apowerful moment.
Instead of feeling like I wasjust born hating math, all of a
sudden there's a reason.
And when there's a reason,there's an opening to solve a
problem.
And we as teachers need to hearthe reason, right?
Like if somebody, if a studentsays something like, yeah, this
(23:39):
one time this thing happened tous, or this one time my
boyfriend actually told me that,you know, girls suck at math,
all of a sudden we have anopening to be like, oh my God,
well now that I can see that,let me help you with it.
Right?
Like, now we know where ourentry point is.
And when that happens, it givesyou an entry point to reframe
their identity, to help themrewrite their math story.
(24:00):
We can't help a student rewritetheir math story unless we know
what math story they've beencarrying this entire time in the
first place.
So your teacher move here issimply to ask the question, have
you ever had a negativeexperience with math, and to see
what unfolds?
You know, guys, I'm gonna tellyou, I know, I know I said these
things could be done in fiveseconds, and you're probably
thinking, well, thisconversation can't happen in
(24:22):
five seconds.
Asking the question can happenin five seconds, but let me tell
you something.
I have often found that bysimply asking the question, even
if a student is kind of like,Hmm, I'm gonna have to think
about this, or they say a couplethings and it doesn't seem that
impactful, later on you're gonnafind out that you asking that
question actually unlockedsomething for them.
(24:43):
Seriously, it is the asking thatvalidates a student's experience
and allows them to reflect, andthat opens up to the possibility
of maybe something beingrewritten.
When you ask that question,you're saying your feelings
about math make sense?
And guess what?
They can change, and I'm here tohelp you change them.
(25:04):
Okay guys, so there you have it.
Five low lift, five secondstrategies you can use right
away to bring math therapy intoyour classroom.
I'm gonna recap them all for youso you don't forget.
Strategy number one was watchingyour face and body language
strategy.
Number two, watch your language.
Strategy number three, ask for astudent's thinking instead of
the answer.
(25:25):
Strategy number four, getting ona student's level physically
when you're helping them out.
And strategy number five, askinga student if they've had a
negative experience with math.
Each of these take five seconds,but honestly, they send a
massive message about safety,belonging, and identity.
Like they're gonna make a hugedifference.
And because they're, I knowthey're gonna make a huge
difference, I'm gonna give youguys, not homework, but like a
(25:47):
challenge for the week.
I want you to pick one of thesefive and try it this week and
notice how it shifts yourclassroom.
Pick any one of the five andthen I want you to text me, text
the podcast and let me know howit went.
Remember, you can text thepodcast by clicking the link in
the show description, theepisode description right in
your podcast app.
You can also DM me@themathguruon Instagram, email me,
(26:11):
vanessa@themathguru.ca.
I really wanna know whathappens.
And honestly, if you'relistening to this and thinking,
oh my God, I was just chattingwith my friends about how we're
gonna tackle math anxiety thisyear.
I want you to send this episodeto them right now.
Literally, your teacher friend,your district leader, your
supervisor.
Anyone who you think couldbenefit.
(26:31):
'cause I really wanna make thisyear about making math feel
safe, human, and healing for ourstudents and ourselves.
And we can start with these fivestrategies right away.
Okay.
Now that we've wrapped all thatup, I kind of need some
feedback.
If you know me, if you've seenme in a presentation, you always
know how I talk about needingvalidation, and it's something I
am working on with my therapist.
(26:52):
But for now, because we haveinfinite episodes ahead, I
really wanna know what youthought of this podcast, and if
you thought it was useful.
I, I honestly get veryself-conscious about recording
solo episodes.
Like I'm always like, oh my God.
Does anyone want to hear metalking for like 30 minutes
straight?
I wanna know if you think thiswas useful and if you did, and
(27:13):
great, and if you didn't, justsay it nicely.
Um, I'm gonna be doing a lotmore of these and I wanna know
what kind of tips you want, whatstrategies, what you wanna hear
about.
So again, you can text that tome as well.
Next week you are gonna behearing from, I'm so excited to
tell you this little sneak peekright now.
You're gonna be hearing fromEugenia Cheng.
(27:34):
I know I've been trying to gether on the podcast forever.
I have been successful.
Our conversation blew my mind.
And that is the next episodeyou're gonna get.
So remember, we're weekly now,so make sure you're subscribed
to, you don't miss a singleepisode.
They drop every Thursdaymorning.
Okay.
I think that's it for this week.
Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Thank you so much for all thework you are doing to help
(27:56):
students build a betterrelationship with math.
And if you're not a teacher,thank you for all the work
you're doing to help uscollectively heal, to be open to
these conversations, to healyour own math trauma.
I always say we may not all beteachers of math, but we are all
teachers of math attitude.
Seriously.
So thank you for being here, fordoing the work, for reflecting,
(28:17):
for working on yourselves, forbeing you.
And now I will conclude byreminding you that Math Therapy
is hosted by me, VanessaVakharia.
It's produced and edited byDavid Kochberg.
Our theme music is by our bandGoodnight Sunrise.
And if you guys know anyone whoneeds math therapy, please share
this podcast with them.
Rate or review it on whateverpodcast app you use.
Those things make a hugedifference because they help
(28:38):
Math Therapy reach more people.
I'm as determined as you are tochange the culture surrounding
math, and I need your help.
So spread the word and untilnext time, until next week,
peace, love pi babes.
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