"The Hardy Personality in Theory, Research, and Practice,"
	Creating A Positive Math Climate - Chiyoko Niimi, Spurgeon Intermediate
	The overarching goal of this paper is to apply what I have learned from the seminar strand, "The Hardy Personality in Theory, Research, and Practice" with Drs. Khoshaba and Maddi (UCI - Santa Ana Teachers Institute, 1999) in the context of the phenomenon, "math anxiety." I am integrating the knowledge I have learned from the seminar with research related to the topic and what I have learned from my experience as an educator and counselor working with students ranging from preschool age to adulthood over the past twenty-four years. I have also taken the liberty to weave in some of my own personal experiences to illustrate some of the principles being discussed. As a secondary education counselor, I am planning to work in collaboration with an intermediate school algebra teacher this fall. The research and curriculum writing for this UCI-Santa Ana Teachers Institute seminar is written in preparation for teachers who teach math, and for counselors. The main objective for this paper is to explore how students can learn to overcome their fear of mathematics and be able to face and enjoy the challenges that mathematics presents with a renewed sense of confidence. Understanding what "math anxiety" is from various perspectives, dispelling myths about math, and suggestions for strategies for reframing the relationship between the student and mathematics will be reviewed. How teachers, parents, and counselors can provide a community of support will also be explored. Because of the complexity of "math anxiety" and the multitude of variables that may be related to the cause, discussion on student achievement, general attitudes about school and identity will be covered. As the title of this paper, "Creating a Positive Math Climate," suggests, prevention of math anxiety will be an underlying theme.