Mathematics, when viewed as a subject to be studied, is a long-established polarising discipline; people's feelings are always passionate and deeply rooted in their identity. Self-identified 'maths people' may end up in careers driven by their fascination with numbers; engineers, architects, analysts, whilst those on the opposite end of the spectrum may avoid the subject entirely. The latter are considered to have mathematics anxiety. In this article, Alanna Maguire discusses the negative impact of shame within the primary mathematics classroom and provides some strategies for teachers to reduce moments of shame in their mathematics teaching.