Patsy Hughes, a geometry, algebra III and dual enrollment college algebra teacher at Poplarville High School, has been selected as Nissan of Picayune’s Teacher of the Week.

She has been teaching for the past 28 years, starting her career in the Hattiesburg School system and later moving to Poplarville High School in August of 1996.

Her favorite part of being a teacher is that it affords her the opportunity to work with every type of student.

“It is exciting to watch a student who has always struggled with mathematics be successful in my classroom. It is also very rewarding to help those students who are exceptional at mathematics to learn the difficult material that they will need for college,” Patsy said.

The most important thing she wants her students to learn while in her class is that she cares for them.

“I want them to know that I am available to help them with math, or just listen if they have a problem,” Patsy said.

Her students may not know that she did not attend college with the plan to teach.

“I graduated from USM with a degree in mathematics in 1990. I worked as a banker throughout college and after I graduated from college. It was not a career that I was happy with. I feel like God led me to be a teacher. He placed me at PHS in 1996 and I have been happy here ever since,” she said.