Panama Geer
As a child, Math Instructor Panama Geer did not believe in infinity. “I think I was pretty little. I remember my dad telling me about infinity, and I just said, ‘That's not possible. Things have to end.’ I decided I would prove him wrong,” she recounted. “I would just start counting, and, eventually, I would get to the end… In the mornings, I would wake up and write down the number that I left off on. Then, I would keep going. At some point, it dawned on me that I was not getting anywhere.” This experience left Geer with an appreciation for mathematics.
As she grew older, she realized her desire to pursue mathematics, though her passions lie both in it and fine arts. “In my mind, they’re so much the same thing. I've always thought of math as a language in which you can describe the world, and I think art is very much the same,” she said. “Both my parents were artists, and I grew up with dinner table conversation that was [about] the arts and art history. [Art] has shaped how I view the world.” In college, Geer pursued both interests, earning a dual degree.
To this day, Geer remains highly artistic. “Her father was a talented painter. She can repair antique furniture, sew anything imaginable and create interesting pieces of artwork,” Math Instructor and colleague Laura Marshall said. “She once told me she completed a PhD in mathematics just to annoy her dad, a hippy artist, but she is passionate about mathematics and brings her creativity to it.”
After college, Geer spent two years at the Hotchkiss School, where she discovered a desire for more knowledge. “I wanted to learn more to be a teacher… I wanted to learn more math, and that was something I didn't have. I think the more you teach, the more you realize how much there is to know,” she said. For her area of study, Geer picked applied mathematics, hoping to better explain how math could be used in other realms. After earning graduate, postgraduate, and postdoctoral degrees, Geer returned to education.
As a teacher, Geer delves deeply into every problem that she assigns. “I think that's probably a hallmark of what I do… I [want students to] understand the why behind a concept,” she said. “[Mastery] allows you, if you really understand the core of an issue, to extrapolate, to use those ideas in some totally novel way. I think that's the value of studying math.”
Furthermore, she tries to accommodate different styles of thinking. “It wasn't until I became a teacher that I really appreciated the variety of ways that people absorb information… the different ways that people come to understanding,” she said.
Many students consider Geer one of the most caring faculty members on campus. “One time, I went to Dunbar [for help]… I told her how I was struggling to speak in the discussions, and, afterwards, she would actually help to include me in class,” upper Erin Ahern said. Though Ahern had struggled in previous courses, Geer helped her “fall back into love with math,” providing her with a support system.
Geer’s support transcends beyond the academic. In the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump, Geer took the time to address the wounds that some students were carrying. “It was a difficult and extremely divisive time for the country, and that tension was reflected in our class… Emotions were fraught. She noticed that, put aside her role as a math teacher, and became, most simply put, a life teacher,” upper Tatum Schutt recalled. “She addressed the climate in the room, facilitated a difficult conversation about the direction of our country, and demonstrated to my class what grace and compassion looks like in trying times… I am thankful that our paths crossed.”
Her kindness has further been felt in her role as an advisor. “One night, someone took my food out of the [Dunbar] refrigerator—I was planning on eating that for dinner. Upon hearing this, Ms. Geer went into her house and made me pasta so I wouldn’t go hungry,” upper Serene DeSisso said. “Where I am from, kids tend not to have good relationships with adults because they don’t trust their intentions. Ms. Geer has been the greatest rebuttal to this belief by being an amazing advisor, teacher, and friend.” Geer’s compassion has allowed DeSisso to trust adults on campus.
While Geer’s affability goes above and beyond, they come naturally to her. “We have this incredible group of students who really want to learn… The kind of kids who have that desire are just kids I want to be around and work with. I can't help but like them because they’re enthusiastic about things that I'm enthusiastic about,” she said. “I do care deeply about my students, but I can’t imagine why anybody wouldn't.” In eight years at the Academy, Geer has seen students blossom, and she has enjoyed supporting them in that process.
In addition to her teaching, Geer has served on the Curriculum, Appointment and Leaves, Hiring, Retirement Planning, and Admissions Reading Committees at PEA. “[Committee assignments] change a little bit year to year… They all serve different purposes, and the thing that I like about [them is that] I get to see different avenues of the school,” she said. “[With this awareness,] I also get to interact with students in different ways.” Beyond that, she also advises Fight Club and Random Acts of Kindness club.
Over the summer, Geer also participates in constantly evolving the Math Department’s materials. “There's a purpose [to everything.] It's very carefully constructed, and I really wanted to understand it,” Geer said. “I knew there [were] a lot of brilliant colleagues who had spent a lot of time doing that. And the more I got into it, the more I appreciated the subtleties of what we were doing. I wanted to contribute and continue to hone it.” This work allows Geer to engage with her colleagues on a purely mathematical level, all the while improving her ability to probe her students on all aspects of a given problem.
Despite these responsibilities, Geer prioritizes her family above all else. “For me, the biggest thing is my family. We put a lot of time just getting my kids back and forth to soccer practices… We spend time on the weekends going to soccer games,” she said. “Every weekend is taken up by going away to a soccer game, sometimes as far away as New Jersey. That's a great family pastime, to just get all of us together so we can root for each other.”
Her ability to strike a work-life balance has brought her the admiration of her colleagues. “She throws herself into her work, [where she] is serious and thoughtful and engaging…, but she is also fiercely protective of her personal life and her family,” Chair of the Department of Mathematics Gwynneth Coogan said. “She sets a great example for all working humans, especially those on [boarding] school campuses, of how to find the balance that allows you to give your all to more than one endeavor.”
Geer is able to devote herself to the community because of all the joy it has brought her. “I feel really privileged to be working with these students and with the colleagues that I have here, to have the opportunity to do something that I feel can make a difference in other people's lives,” she said. “I think a lot of us here feel that kind of privilege. It’s hard not to in this community.” This appreciation is reciprocated in each student whose life she has touched.