Poplar Bluff High School teacher Pamela Davis “leads by example for students,” which is one of several reasons she was named the campus Teacher of the Year for 2021-22.
“She gives grace when needed and encourages students to be better,” said Crystal Huddleston, who is also a PBHS teacher. “She not only teaches her class, but she knows several students through her involvement of various school activities.”
Davis has taught at PBHS and in the Poplar Bluff R-I school district since 2018. Before that, she coached basketball and softball and was a substitute teacher with the Ripley County R-IV School district. She also owned and operated a T-shirt business for 15 years before entering the teaching field.
Huddleston also praises Davis for incorporating multiple instructional strategies in her lessons.
“She uses traditional methods, such as lectures, and enhances them with fun modern methods,” Huddleston said. “Mrs. Davis is sought out by her colleagues for her expertise in using instructional strategies and ideas on how to keep students engaged and excited about learning. Mrs. Davis uses technology to engage and collaborate with other teachers and students. She is always willing and eager to help.”
Another colleague, Andrea Cox, said that she has seen the hard work and dedication Davis brings to her job — and that she inspires both students and faculty to be the best they can be.
“Pamela Davis brings enthusiasm, innovation and determination to her position,” Cox said. “This inspires and motivates students to do their very best for themselves and for her.”
Davis also is very supportive of the PBHS student body and their extracurricular activities.
“You can find her many nights at one of our high school athletic events,” Cox said. “She is the one with the camera taking pictures of the athletes and students supporters. Not only does she find time to attend PBHS activities, but she also attends her daughter’s softball and basketball games.”
Two of Dawn Hicks’ children have had Davis as a teacher at PBHS.
“She always made learning fun for them by giving them real-world applications to every lesson,” Hicks said. “Mrs. Davis is a real asset to the Poplar Bluff district and this shows by the example which she provides everyone around her, not only to the students, but to her colleagues as well. She makes sure the students know they can talk to her if needed and ask questions at any time.”
Shanna Carr echoes Hicks’s sentiments.
“She is great with the students and is very interested in supporting their activities,” Carr said. “You can tell that the kids really love her. I have had two kids of my own that have been in her class and I really enjoyed her class and how personable she is.”
One of Davis’s students, Trista Judd, said that Davis even told her students that she was willing to serve as a reference on a job application if they needed her to do so.
“If someone was having a bad day, she talked to them to figure out what was wrong and help them,” Judd said. “If someone was struggling in her class, she would talk to them personally about what they could do together to do better and get their grades up.”
Huddleston might have best summed Davis up as arguably one of PBHS’s most beloved teachers.
“The students at PBHS love Mrs. Davis,” Huddleston said. “They would say she is a ball of energy and she always makes her lessons fun. The students would say that Mrs. Davis is respectful to every student and creates a welcoming environment.”