Liberal’s Ralston Wins State Award

Edustaff would like to congratulate Karen Ralston for receiving the 2021-22 Kansas Substitute of the Year Award.  Karen has covered 136 assignments through  Liberal Unified School District 480 this school year alone.  She has been working with Edustaff since 2019 and has taken the most jobs as a substitute teacher.

Before entering the classroom Karen taught tap, ballet, and jazz dance for 40 years.  When the dance studio closed, she knew she still wanted to work with kids.  the flexibility of being a substitute was a great fit.  The advice Karen would five to a new substitute teacher would be, “Try it.  Establish control of the classroom and don’t be afraid to ask questions.  The team teachers, the students-everyone wants you to be successful.  Also, be flexible and go with the flow.”

She stated she loves the enthusiasm the students have and how eager they are to learn new things,.  Working with grades K-5 is her favorite, and seeing a variety of assignments with different age groups is a rewarding experience.  In her free time, Karen likes to travel and spend time with her family.  She has five children and loves road trips to visit them.

Edustaff press release