Mathematics is wrongly portrayed throughout people’s lives as a negative subject that only some people have the mind for, whereas, others will never be able to fully think mathematically.

I believe people judge the subject from their own experience with certain teachers and their success in the class. Personally, I had two contrasting mathematics teachers, one was very enthusiastic about the topic, however, was not supportive with those who did not understand the lesson first time. I experienced this and felt embarrassed to ask for help, the result being I did not pass the exam. I opted to sit again with a new teacher who was extremely supportive and was able to explain maths in a way I understood, which created a more positive learning environment, and allowed me to excel in her class and pass the exam. This comparison of teachers led me to discover that it is not always the subject that people don’t ‘click’ with, it could be that the learning strategies set by the teacher aren’t ones that certain pupils find easy to follow. This is important to bear in mind as not all children learn the same ways, and some may require extra help on certain subjects than others.

I will take this learning with me into my professional practice and be as enthusiastic about teaching mathematics as I can. It is not a subject that pupils should be dreading as maths is used in everyday lives and the language is very important to understand.