Upper School Math Teacher Dr. Amanda Curtis has worked at Sidwell since 2022. She currently teaches Precalculus and Calculus.
In her younger years, Curtis did not immediately gravitate towards mathematics. “If you were to ask me what my favorite class was when I was growing up, I would have struggled to name one,” she wrote in an email. However, towards the end of high school, it “became clear to me that I should embrace my interest and abilities in mathematics.” She noted that taking Precalculus was a “game changer” for her, making it clear to her that she should pursue the subject.
As a first-generation college student, Curtis overcame many obstacles to pursue higher education. She attended Wellesley College with financial aid and explored subjects such as astronomy, religion and mathematics, completing twice the required classes for mathematics majors. While at Wellesley, Curtis discovered classes unavailable in high school, such as topology and abstract algebra, which furthered her interest in mathematics.
[I]t became clear to me that there were still many people who felt unwelcome in mathematics class, especially in the so-called higher-level courses. I wanted to help with that.
— Amanda Curtis
The transition to teaching mathematics was a natural progression for Curtis, who worked a work-study job at a math help room and as a nighttime lab assistant for astronomy at Wellesley. Both led her to discover her passion for teaching.
“Getting to help my peers move from anxiety or disinterest toward understanding and appreciation was deeply rewarding,” Curtis explained. “While this was a bit easier to accomplish in the astronomy lab (who doesn’t want to see Saturn through an old telescope?), it felt extra special and important with classes like Calculus that were required for so many courses of study.”
Following her time at Wellesley, Curtis pursued a mathematics Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara, intending to become a mathematics professor. She developed her teaching prowess at UC Santa Barbara as a teaching assistant for courses such as Calculus II, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra. She also taught her own classes in Calculus for humanities and social sciences, driven by the desire to make mathematics more accessible and welcoming to all students.
“It was fun and rewarding to help others see the beauty in mathematics,” she said, “but it became clear to me that there were still many people who felt unwelcome in mathematics class, especially in the so-called higher-level courses. I wanted to help with that, but teaching at the college level felt a little too late.”
Before coming to Sidwell, Curtis taught at the French-American International School of San Francisco and later at The Madeira School. She was drawn to Washington because she wanted to be closer to home after experiencing the Pandemic and significant wildfires in the Bay Area.
At Sidwell, Curtis has found joy seeing students’ enthusiasm and passion. “The time you all spend to understand your courses, the dedication you have to your sports and extracurriculars (I see you robotics team!), the internships and work you do outside of school — you all work hard,” she said.
Curtis also enjoys how Sidwell does not place pressure on teaching solely for the sake of assessment, which “can be an issue when the focus of a course is covering enough material fast enough to prepare [her] students for a particular test.”
“Our departments can decide on important material together and teachers have some flexibility in how we approach topics,” she explained.
While Curtis finds grading assessments challenging, especially when she has “seen just how much effort a student puts into a class and that effort and ability isn’t perfectly captured by the grade on the assessment,” she remains committed to supporting students’ growth and understanding.
