Narrative accounts construct and reconstruct stories of school experiences in order to make meaning of them. This document reports the results of narrative inquiry in the mathematics experiences of 7 women and 15 eighth-grade girls in an effort to determine why women and girls avoid mathematics. Memories and reflections were gathered using narrative-based tools, such as letters and stories, and interviews. This data was examined for underlying themes and images relative to the research question. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) the influence of teachers' behaviors on students (teachers who made students feel special, cared for, honored and liked, were remembered fondly); (2) the influence of parents' behavior (their support or lack of support) on students' (wish to do well to please parents); (3) personal decisions regarding attitudes toward mathematics; and (4) attitudes of boys toward girls. Results indicated that teachers were the focus of the stories told by the participants. Participants recounted how teachers affected the way the participants felt in the mathematics classroom and how teachers who made connections to real life situations were the best teachers. Participants expressed frustration in dealing with help from their parents. Results suggest that having students tell the stories of their experiences may need to be an integral part of the classroom environment and curriculum. (Contains 68 references.) (MDH)