[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 28466-28467]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO PATRICIA TATE OF HOWEY IN THE HILLS, FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 25, 2007

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, each year the 
President of the United States presents the Presidential Award for 
Excellence in Science and Mathematics to outstanding teachers in the 
disciplines of math and science from the 50 States and 4 territories. 
This year, Patricia Tate from Lake County, FL, is 1 of the 3 math 
finalists for the award from the State of Florida.
  Established in 1983, the Presidential Award for Excellence is 
sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The award recognizes 
outstanding kindergarten to 12th grade math and science teachers in 
each State who are models for their colleagues and leaders in the 
improvement of science and mathematics education.
  For the past 42 years Patricia Tate has taught math at the high 
school level. A current teacher at South Lake High School, she teaches 
AP Calculus, trigonometry, integrated Math III and Algebra II. In 
addition to her classroom experiences, Patricia goes out of her way to 
volunteer as a mentor for other Lake County math teachers. She has also 
been an online guide for Connected University and has taught at Lake-
Sumter Community College.
  An avid fan of math from an early age, Patricia really took it on as 
a passion while her older brother was in college. When he returned home 
during vacations, he would work

[[Page 28467]]

with Patricia on math, challenging her to solve more and more complex 
problems. It was through these exercises that she saw the educational 
and teaching possibilities that math could create.
  Patricia has seen a marked change in the way students are taught 
throughout her forty-plus years in the classroom. Instead of using the 
blackboard as the primary tool of instruction, as she did for many 
years, today Patricia uses multimedia presentations and PowerPoint 
presentations to reach the current tech-savvy student body. While the 
classroom experience has gotten more challenging over time, she still 
enjoys getting letters of appreciation from former students who valued 
her math teaching and want to thank her for making a difference in 
their lives.
  While Patricia will not find out if she is a winner until next March, 
I can tell you that her record of accomplishment teaching math to high 
school students is unmatched in my congressional district. Patricia 
Tate serves as a role model for other teachers throughout Florida. I 
wish her the best of luck in the competition and hope that she 
continues her exemplary work on behalf of Lake County students.

                          ____________________