Haston named top substitute

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Patty Sue Haston, left, accepts Tennessee Substitute Teacher of the Semester honors from Kelly Services local office manager Audrey Morgan, center, and district manager Pamela Vaughn. (Will Stewart photo)

Longtime county elementary school teacher Patty Sue Haston has been named Tennessee Substitute Teacher of the Semester by Kelly Services, the company responsible for the county’s substitute teacher service.

Haston, who taught 42 years at Morrison Elementary before retiring, returned to the classroom in the fall of 2000 to fill a vacancy at Hickory Creek Elementary. Since that time she has worked as a full-time teacher with all the responsibilities of that position, said local Kelly office manager Audrey Morgan.

“She does all of the planning and all of the teaching in her first-grade classroom. And she does it all for substitute pay,” Morgan said.

In winning Substitute Teacher of the Semester honors Haston bested nominees from 40 other schools across the state in which Kelly operates its substitute service. Along with state bragging rights, she also received a certificate and a $100 gift card. She is now eligible for Kelly’s national Substitute Teacher of the Year Award.

Haston’s award was presented to her by Morgan and Kelly district manager Pamela Vaughn at Thursday night’s School Board meeting. Board chairman Mike Holland, who was Haston’s pupil during his fourth-grade year, congratulated her and said she was most deserving.

“It’s what I love to do,” replied Haston.