Teach Secondary 13.8

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Colin Foster (@colinfoster77) is a Reader in Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University, and has written many books and articles for teachers; find out more at foster77.co.uk Masking the issue Putting a brave face on it, all day every day, is going to be extremely draining – and most likely, ultimately unsuccessful. Children have a knack for seeing through adults’ attempts at concealing things. They may be able to detect that something’s not quite right, even if they can’t put their finger on what it is. Unless the teacher is a highly proficient actor, there’s a good chance that they’ll see through the well-meaning deception. Where does this attempt to conceal come from, and what is it likely to lead to? It could be that teachers have internalised a view that the ‘best teacher’ is some flawless individual who effortlessly masters every skill and situation, but this is a fiction that’s unhelpful to everyone. Maintaining a conspiracy of silence and denial over conditions such as maths anxiety will only lead to stigma and shame, and is unrealistic and unhealthy for everyone – students and teachers alike. Do we wish to protect our students from ever knowing that such a thing as maths anxiety even exists? By doing so, don’t we end up communicating that ‘No one with maths anxiety should expect to succeed in becoming a teacher?’ Honesty is the best policy These are all deeply unhelpful messages. Amore positive one might be, ‘ Some people get anxious about all sorts of things, and that can include maths. You don’t need to be maths anxious, but we should all try to understand. ’ Perhaps schools should start viewing a maths anxious teacher as a great resource, rather than a problem. After all, here’s someone with lived experience, who understands a condition that’s very common in society and often found among students. Rather than attempting to hide or deny it, schools should instead value amaths- anxious teacher’s perspective and seek to support them, while benefiting from their experience. Because they could well bring understanding and wisdom that other teachers would find it hard to provide. 59 teachwire.net/secondary P E D A G O G Y