This is an excerpt from an article that was originally posted by WWAY. Read the full article here.
The year was 1956 and schools were segregated. Tools used for learning were mainly books, pencils and a chalkboard. Today, computers, tablets and digital whiteboards dominate. Although a lot has changed since Everlene Davis began teaching one thing hasn’t, her love for students and the profession.
A teacher of Family and Consumer Sciences at South Columbus High School in Columbus County, Davis has dedicated almost 70 years of her life to being an educator. She has taught and touched the lives of many students as the world has changed around her.
“For me, this is not a job but a passion,” said Davis, a National Board Certified teacher who has been a member of NCAE since 1988. “I take pride in educating children to become successful adults. And it makes me happy to know I have taught something in my class that has contributed to the success of their jobs. That means a lot to me.”
Davis, who has spent her entire career in Tabor City -- a small town close to Myrtle Beach with a population of more than 4,200 citizens -- began her teaching journey at Douglass High School, which was an all-black high school at the time. When schools integrated, she relocated to Tabor City High School (now home to Tabor City Elementary) and then to South Columbus High School.
As someone who shows no signs of slowing down, Davis roots for every child who sits in a desk in her classroom. She makes connections not only with the students but their families, sharing she is familiar with parents and in some instances grandparents and great grandparents. Also, she’s quick to inform you she still knows how to command a classroom! “If students plan to pass this course, they have to work! And I work them hard. I guess it’s a result of the way I was trained.”
When people discover she is a teacher, they often ask her age and boy does she have a response ready! “I tell them I am a very seasoned senior citizen in education as well as in other areas.”
Davis, who has been recognized as one of the longest-serving educators in the state with hundreds of accolades spanning the course of her career, said as long as her health allows she will continue to live out her passion as a teacher.
