Research suggests that math anxiety correlates directly with individuals' views of mathematics-related experiences. Research also suggests that math anxiety may begin in early elementary grades and remain into adulthood. This study examined how teachers' experiences, perceptions, and mathematics confidence levels influence mathematics instruction. To understand teachers' perceptions of mathematics, the researcher used a qualitative phenomenological approach to probe into their earliest memories of mathematics before entering school and their experiences during formal education. Seven 5th-grade teachers with two to fourteen years of experience agreed to participate in the study. The participants responded to ten open-ended questions focused on mathematics instruction and seven interview questions examining participants 'experiences with mathematics. The researcher also observed mathematics instruction in each teacher's classroom. The results indicated that teachers recalled fond early memories of mathematics and felt reasonably confident about their math instruction. Some teachers struggled with mathematics as elementary students, while others excelled. The majority of participants completed the basic requirements for mathematics in high school. Most teachers did not engage in a mathematics methods course focused on standards-based elementary mathematics. Teachers' weak areas in mathematics corresponded with similar studies regarding complex mathematics topics. Several key components of mathematics instruction were absent during observations. Future research may need to increase the number of observations and the sample size.