I recall my dad spending what seemed like hours with me trying to help me to understand negative numbers and how to calculate them – unfortunately, his pictures of eggs and egg cups didn’t help at all although I appreciated his efforts! My favourite ruse was to offer to tidy up the teacher’s cupboard – I even clearly remember stacking the maths textbooks neatly on the shelves, feeling inwardly smug that I did not have to open them and attempt the questions inside. I remember finding ways to get out of maths lessons as a youngster. Other people reading that statement are sitting there saying ‘That’s me!’? From tortuous to teaching: How I dealt with my own maths anxiety Some of you may not even know that it’s a real thing. Well, that is the definition of maths anxiety, according to the Maths Anxiety Trust, but reactions to the concept of maths anxiety among adults may be divided. “ A negative emotional reaction to mathematics, leading to varying degrees of helplessness, panic and mental disorganisation that arise among some people when faced with a mathematical problem.” Maths anxiety is as a negative emotional reaction to mathematics, leading to varying degrees of helplessness, panic and mental disorganisation that arises among some people when faced with a mathematical problem. Here former mathematics leader and Deputy Head shares what he’s learnt about how to overcome it. Maths anxiety is a phenomenon that has been around for more than 50 years, and it is something that affects many young mathematicians throughout primary school and beyond.