Patricia Davidson has and always will be a renowned teacher at Lake Mary High School. Being a student in her AP English Literature and Composition class, it isn’t hard to tell that she has a deep-rooted passion and knack for teaching.

She’s been a teacher for more than 40 years, teaching in various states such as, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and finally (fortunately), Florida.  When asked why she became a teacher, she said her brother was her biggest inspiration. “He was my confidant, and the best teacher I’ve ever known.”

In her earlier years, she danced for the Martha Graham dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as “one of the greatest dance companies of the world” by the New York Times and as “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe” by the Washington Post.

Senior Kylee Eppl said, “Mrs. Davidson has and always will be the teacher I can count on. She prioritizes teaching her students lessons that we can carry with us, preparing us for life outside of high school.”

Students have learned to love each and every second they’ve spent with her, but now that she’s retiring, we know there will never be a teacher who will be able to replace her. Senior Jenna Maier said, “I love Mrs. Davidson so much that I chose her for my honor grad teacher. She impacted my viewpoint on literature and on life, in the most humorously positive way. Honestly, I don’t want her to leave.”

She recalled her favorite memory as a teacher, “I’ve had too many great memories, but the most significant to me was when students came to my house at night and serenaded me for our love poem test.” However, LMHS holds a special place in her heart, her favorite memory being when students made hand-written notes for her wishing her happy birthday, to surprise her.

Senior Bailey Cadden said, “Mrs. Davidson is by far the most caring, thoughtful teacher I have. She shows compassion for her students, but keeps things interesting with her subtle roasts. I’m so sad to hear that she won’t be here when I come back to visit in the future.”

She isn’t nearly done with teaching, but now that she’s retiring, she’ll have more time to visit her family more often, read as many books as she can, and write more. Maybe future literature students will see and study her works one day.

“Follow your bliss, when you find a passion, don’t let go of it. It’ll take you everywhere.” ~ Patricia Davidson