The Book

Anything is possible – even building a better relationship with math!

This is much more than a book about math. This is a book about hope. Imagine failing 11th grade math – twice! – and going on to be known affectionately as The Lady Gaga of Math. That is the story of ME: Vanessa “The Math Guru” Vakharia. Thanks to an inspiring teacher who helped me heal her own relationship with math, I was able to see math in a way that literally changed the trajectory of my life.

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 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.

Written in a fun and conversational style, and grounded in research on math education and neuropsychology, this book

  • Provides practical, hands-on strategies and tools that make it easy and fun for teachers to implement each step of Math Therapy™ in their classroom

  • Helps teachers unpack their own math history before diving in to what they can do to help their students

  • Addresses the trauma-induced stumbling blocks that many students face when tackling mathematics

  • Includes humorous and engaging real-life vignettes—from celebrating Pi Day by visiting a prison, to setting off a confetti cannon to celebrate a student’s milestone, to the time my band opened for Bon Jovi, and more!

Much more than a book about helping students kick butt in math class, 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!

Already have the book? Time to snag all the FREE resources and templates I mention in the book by hitting the button below!

 

What People Are Saying About The Book

  • Reading this book feels like having a conversation with a wise and caring friend, the one and only Lady Gaga of math education. Enjoy it, reflect on the words, and let Vanessa help you make real, actionable changes that can improve the lives of those you work with—and maybe even your own.

    Jo Boaler, Nomellini and Olivier Professor in the Graduate School of Education in Mathematics (Stanford University, CA)

  • Vanessa has captured the essence of Math Trauma in such a way that we can recognize and normalize our own trauma as well as the trauma of our students. What’s more, she gives us concrete strategies for not only treating trauma, but changing our practice so as to avoid creating it in the first place. Every math teacher should read this book and implement its strategies. Our students need it and deserve it.

    Peter Liljedahl, Author of Building Thinking Classrooms (Vancouver, BC)

  • I feel seen, as I know many will, in this book and WOW . . . I can read it. I’m tired of heavy academic language just to sound smart. Vanessa Vakharia is smart AND I can follow what’s going on!! I love it.

    Crystal M. Watson, Educator, Cincinnati Public Schools (Cincinnati, OH)

  • This book is a gift to society. For too long, many people have believed that they are not “a math person." Vanessa’s book helps normalize these feelings, unpacks why the trauma has happened, presents a plan for healing the trauma, and paints a picture of what’s possible.

    Robert Kaplinsky, President of Grassroots Workshops (Long Beach, CA)