Anyone can heal their math trauma and build a better relationship with math.
The Book
Anything is possible – even building a better relationship with math!
Most people have experienced math trauma at least once, but by early-mid elementary school, many students have gotten the message that either they are a math person or they are not. In Math Therapy™, I show you that with the right tools and strategies, teachers can foster a culture in which every student is capable of building a better relationship with math – and with themselves.
Through the five M’s of Math Therapy™—Mythbust, Moderate, Motivate, Makeover, and Measure—teachers can help their students overcome math trauma, cultivate a positive math identity, and develop a mathematical mindset.
This book is about empowering students to develop the skills they need to live a life in which they truly believe that anything is possible, even a better relationship with math!
The Podcast
If you’ve ever felt negative about numbers, help is here! Let Math Hacks show you the way, step-by-step, with addition, subtraction, positive and negative numbers, multiplication, division and more! PLUS it’s loaded with advice so you can reduce your stress and anxiety over math.
Professional Development
Whether you’re looking for an impactful keynote, small group coaching, or an intensive professional development series, I have something for all audiences! I love to speak to educators, parents, and students and some of my favourite topics include becoming BFF with failure, how to be a life-changing teacher, how to MEANINGFULLY motivate ALL students - and of course - how to heal math trauma with Math Therapy! Expect to be engaged, entertained, and leave with strategies to implement in your classroom right away!
Meet Vanessa
Hi hi hi, I am SO happy you’re here! You might know me as The Lady Gaga of Math Education or The Math Guru, but If we’re meeing for the first time, my name is actually Vanessa Vakharia, and I am a Math Therapist!
I’m also the founder and director of The Math Guru, a super-cool math and science tutoring studio in Toronto, which I created to break stereotypes about what it means to be a “math person” and to show ALL students that anything is possible - even building a better relationship with math. I’m also the lead singer and keytarist in a rock band called Goodnight Sunrise, perpetually in love with Keanu Reeves, believe in magic, am a Gemini through and through, and charcuterie is my absolute fave food.
I believe in my heart of hearts that ANYONE can be rock-star good at math. I lowkey failed Grade 11 math twice — which was the best thing that ever happened to me — and went on to receive a Masters of Math Education where I studied the intersection of math education, gender, and media stereotypes, and wrote a Master’s Thesis called Imagining a World Where Paris Hilton Loves Math.
I can’t wait to heal our collective math trauma together. For real, I am SO happy you’re here.
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Get in touch!
Whether you want to work together, rant about all things math ed, share a thought about my book or podcast or a workshop of mine that you’ve attended, let me know about an amazing strategy you’ve used to help heal math trauma in your classroom, or just make a connection - I want to hear from you!