By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Each morning, Kim Stevens greets her eighth graders with a joke and a virtual trip around the country — small rituals that reflect the big philosophy she has carried through 34 years of teaching: connection comes first.
Recently honored by the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club as an inspirational educator, the Bowling Green Middle School language arts teacher is preparing to retire at the end of the school year. As she reflects on more than three decades in the classroom — including the last 25 years in Bowling Green City Schools — Stevens is quick to say her proudest accomplishments have little to do with lesson plans (though her lesson plans are extensive).
“To me, teaching is a lot more than reading and writing,” Stevens said during her presentation. “It’s about the relationships that you’re building, the empathy that you are giving your students and trying to teach your students to have.”
That philosophy shows up in the small moments that open every class. Stevens begins most days with a usually student-approved joke and a nod to the day’s national holiday (National Chocolate Mint Day). Thursday’s joke was: The autopsy club was excited for tonight’s meeting. It was open “Mike” night.
“It’s a great joke when it takes a little while to sink in,” she said. “Also, it’s a great way to build vocabulary because some kids did ask, ‘What’s an autopsy?’”
On longer block days, she takes students on virtual “trips” to different states, weaving in geography, fun facts and the occasional bizarre law. The goal, she said, is simple: spark curiosity and help students see a world beyond their own backyard.
“I found that students don’t always get a chance to explore the world the way we’d like them to,” she said.
The approach works. Students often ask her to post recipes from the food videos she shares, and some have even brought in homemade treats — including one ambitious attempt at macarons.
Behind Stevens’ classroom philosophy is a deeply personal inspiration: her father, a middle school math teacher for 30 years. In her room hangs his worn wooden yardstick, a quiet symbol of the legacy he left behind. He carried it with him as he walked the hallways, and he would often reach out and tap a student’s desk to get their attention.
“This symbolizes being a good teacher,” Stevens said. “It’s not about what you’re teaching.”
She recalls some of her father’s former students recognizing the yardstick at his funeral decades after he left the classroom — a moment that reinforced the lasting impact teachers can have.
“That’s why I do what I do,” she said.
She has always been one of those teachers who step up and step in when needed.
“Kim is always willing to help, frequently mentoring new teachers to the district and gives up her personal time,” Eric Meyers said while introducing her.
She has also been a scorer for wrestling, volleyball, and basketball, mostly at the middle school, but also at the high school. “I do that because I want to be interested and involved with the kids. That’s what teaching means to me,” she said.
Beyond her language arts classroom, Stevens built another legacy through the middle school drama club, which she initially was reluctant to accept when two students urged her to take on the role of adviser. She told them she would if no one else agreed. She was pretty sure they never asked anyone else.
“What began as a small volunteer effort grew into an inclusive program that recently featured a cast of about 50 students.
“I’m very proud that it includes students that normally aren’t included in other activities,” she said. “These are kids who just like to be together and have fun.”
Creating spaces where every child feels seen has been a consistent thread throughout her career. Stevens said she and her fellow eighth-grade teachers make a point to be visible in the hallway each morning — coffee in hand — so students know someone is always there for them.
“I know that when the students see us together, they know that they’re not alone,” she said.
In fact, Stevens credits much of her own success and job satisfaction to the colleagues she calls close friends, particularly her long-standing eighth-grade Team Phoenix.
“The highlight for me has been working with the team of teachers that I work with right now,” she said. “Just being with good people and working with them — it’s been awesome.”
Though retirement is approaching, Stevens hopes the culture she helped build — in her classroom, the drama club and the middle school hallway — will continue.
Her advice to educators is straightforward: stay involved, keep a sense of humor and always put students first.
“Kids know if you’re interested,” she said.
After 34 years, Stevens’ final lesson may be her simplest — and most enduring: when students feel they belong, learning follows.
