This letter was written in response to the May 2 NYT article Fending Off Math Anxiety (online title) which was called “An Antidote to Math Anxiety” in the print version. This letter was not published but is being shared here online.
To the Editor
Thank you for featuring Math in the Science Times (“An Antidote to Math Anxiety”, 5/2/17). When I named my website in 2003, I took the opposite approach of a local newspaper ad that said “Overcome Math Anxiety” and put a positive spin on it with www.mathconfidence.com.
People can build their confidence in any discipline with practice and effort. One way to improve in Math is to solidly learn the times table to make mental Math easy (and fun!!) and anchor the foundation for problem solving.
Renaming the article “Building Math Confidence” would encourage more people to learn and enjoy Math.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin A. Schwartz
Adjunct Professor, College of Mount Saint Vincent
Founder, www.mathconfidence.com
Author Build Math Confidence e-newsletter
Math Confidence by Robin the Math Lady 
I wish they’d published it, though they might have considered it too close to a plug for your website. They said lots of good things but… pretty much seemed to accept that “not being a math person” is the norm.
Thank you. It is also the headline writers as Andrew Hacker says that his idea for the title was “How much Math is too much?”: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html
We need to promote how Math can build critical thinking and persistence as well as fortitude.
http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/confidence