Faculty of the Week: Diana Davis

By IZYAAN BURNEY, ROXANE PARK, LIANNA YANG, and CHENGYUE ZHANG

Donning one of her flannel shirts with a red Exeter zip-up sweatshirt on top, Math Instructor Diana Davis enjoys breakfast with her wife before walking across Tan Lane to her classroom, the place where she first fell in love with the Academy.

Walking into her room for the first time and hearing the conversation sparked amongst her students, one thing is apparent: Davis was born to teach. Teaching math, as Davis described, is “the communication of different ideas to cultivate a situation to allow for something to…happen in [a student’s] mind…for them to learn math.” From the books she has published, to the math research she has conducted, and the many students she has taught and inspired, Davis is an asset to the Exeter community.

Davis is an Exeter alumna, having graduated as a four-year senior in 2003. Chair of the Math Deparment Gwyneth Coogan reminisced that “Davis was a senior the year that I arrived at Exeter to teach. I met her then, and then again when she came back as a Summer School Teacher and regular session intern in between college and graduate school.” After finishing her studies at Exeter, Davis earned her undergraduate degree from Williams College, before going on to Brown University for her M.S. and Ph.D.

Specifically, Davis possesses a deep affection for Harkness math—she’s even collected data and written a research paper comparing Harkness math to lecture math. Before teaching at Exeter, Davis worked at Williams University and Swarthmore College and tried to introduce problem-based, discussion-based math class there. “There was some pushback. I had to convince the students to buy into [Harkness Math], and the other professors were also constantly skeptical,” Davis said.

Math Instructor Dale Braile commented on Davis’s special relationship with math through Harkness. “Davis is the only person in the math department that learned math through our math method,” Braile said. “She comes to us with not only having done this way of learning math, but with a love of it, and a commitment to it. The rest of us enjoy teaching it that way, but have no clue what it would’ve been like to be a student in that program, and with Davis, she knows exactly what it was like cause she was a student here, and that just gives a nice perspective in the department.”

As a teacher, Davis always makes learning math interactive and fun. “It’s not always easy to learn a new piece of math, so I have done a lot with mathematical illustration,” she said.

Upper Daria Ivanova shared an anecdote that happened in Davis’s class last year. “In her multivariable calculus class, Davis brought bagels from D-Hall into class,” Ivanova said. “There’s this very interesting way to cut a bagel with one cut that it separates into two interlocking rings. It’s really hard to execute. She told us how to do it. Unfortunately, most of the bagels broke apart, but a couple might have survived.”

Described by Design Lab Coordinator Nico Gallo as “a power user of the design lab”, Davis also collaborated with Mr. Gallo on a hands-on project for students in one of her classes to learn math interactively by using the three dimensional printers.

“In my opinion [Davis] definitely embodies Harkness,” Gallo said. “I sat in on one of her classes. I like that she’s not afraid to show her excitement about the subject matter. I think that’s really important. She’s really inspiring to me in that way. I want to be a teacher like her.”

Davis’s unapologetic passion for math inspires her students as well. “Davis is really playful about math, almost childlike,” upper Charlie Scales said. “It sounds like an insult, but it’s not. She’s just really exuberant and joyful… I have learned from her the love of math that I didn’t know I had.”

“I wish I had Davis from my math classes when I was in high school. I just dig her vibe,” Gallo continued. “There’s a certain kind of quiet reservedness that I see in some really, really smart people that don’t want to give too much away. I like that she leaves space for students to figure things out themselves, but then when she comes in to lay down some knowledge, she’s got a really beautiful way of describing things. And it just clicks.”

Davis’s classroom has a large collection of math toys.“There’s fun things everywhere… Her classroom is just a ton of super cool math toys packed into a very small area,” Ivanova said. “This year she made a tiny ‘Math Museum’ in an alcove in the wall where she has a lizard tiling, an angle trisector, and a drawing by M.C. Escher.”

“Davis has boundless energy. I honestly do not know how she accomplishes all she does in a day. And any time I have a project that I need help with, like coming up with a scoring system for an all cross country meet we had in the early stages of the pandemic or needing to fit furniture into an oddly shaped room, I know that I can call Davis. She will help me find a solution and have fun searching for it,” Coogan reflected.

As the head coach of the Cross Country team, Davis brings her spirited presence to every practice. “ Davis came into this season very prepared to foster a supportive, fun environment, balancing helping us run our fastest to preventing and recovering from injuries,” captain and senior Tristen Crotty said. “She pushes us as a team but in a way that is positive and brings us closer together. I know my mindset around competition has shifted away from self-deprecation and towards encouraging and believing in myself, in large part because of Davis’s attitude at practice.”

Ivanova agreed on Davis’s commitment to build a healthy, welcoming environment within the team. “She always, or most of the time, runs with us, and not many coaches do that. I got to run alongside her. You feel a closer connection to her because she is participating in the sport with you,” Ivanova explained.

Davis also builds meaningful relationships with students as the dorm head of Gould house, where she plans a variety of activities, such as donut-frying or Sunday story night with cookies and milk. “I can see how she put so much effort into making us feel welcome and included within the dorm,” Bailey Cooper ’22, recollected. “[The dorm activities she hosts] really helped me find a place within the school community outside of my classes.”

“One time she shared this old family donut recipe with the dorm, and we just cooked it in her apartment in the morning and ate donuts for breakfast,” senior Alysha Lai said. “She also put pictures of us on the walls to make it more like a home, like family pictures almost.”

Being able to live in a close-knit community is one of the reasons she came to teach at Exeter. “I wanted a place where I could teach discussion-based classes, where the kids do most of the work and live in the community, and where I could eat meals with people,” Davis explained.

Davis especially enjoys how living on campus allows her to spend time with her family. “One of the big joys of working here is that I get to have lunch with my colleagues and also my wife. My wife, Ms. Angelopolis, works from home and lives right in Gold House, so we can see each other throughout the day, which is just really wonderful and not something everybody gets to do,” Davis said.

Davis makes herself available for students whether for math help or random conversations. “She is able to empathize in a way that a lot of other teachers can’t, especially dealing with issues that I’ve had with this system or the institution of Exeter. I think Davis was able to explain why this, why the institution works, the way it works and how it works,” Cooper reflected.

“She is amazing at helping me with math. She’s a very reliable resource,” prep Anna Keeling, a resident of Gould House added.

With her determination, kindness, and enthusiasm, Davis has inspired many students on campus. “She is one of the most energetic, passionate people I’ve met. As I’ve spent time with her she’s become a really strong role model for me, especially as a female runner and leader.” Crotty said.

As Coogan said, “Davis is a thousand percent committed to doing the best job she can do and being the best educator of teenagers she can be.”