‘K-Money,’ a special ed teacher focused on helping kids stay the course

DIXON – If there’s a way to get students more engaged in the classroom, chances are Kimberly Munson has tried it.

Munson is a special education teacher at Dixon High School and has dedicated the past 29 years to finding innovative ways to keep kids coming back to class.

“Kim has been a longtime special education teacher for Dixon Public Schools and has worked at both Reagan Middle School and Dixon High School,” DHS Principal Jared Shaner said. “Kim’s passion for kids and education can be seen daily. She cares about her students, and her classroom is always welcoming and inviting to all students.”

Munson is a hip-hop fan who sometimes raps for her students to break the tension and gain their attention. Munson’s students love this so much that one of them affectionately dubbed her “K-Money.”

“I said, ‘You can call me what you want so long as you do your work,’ " Munson laughed. “I just try to be a calm and kind presence in their day, and some days that’s enough to get them to engage with the curriculum, and other days I do dumb stuff to get them to smile, like calling Friday ‘Fri-yay.’ I sit at home and think of weird things to try this week and see where it gets me.”

Although Munson takes a lighthearted approach with her students, she dedicates herself to understanding them. Munson advocates trauma-informed classrooms – a mindset where teachers stop asking what is wrong with a student who refuses to come to class or engage in the curriculum and starts asking what might have happened to make the child behave that way.

I just try to be a calm and kind presence in their day, and some days that’s enough to get them to engage with the curriculum, and other days I do dumb stuff to get them to smile, like calling Friday ‘Fri-yay.’ I sit at home and think of weird things to try this week and see where it gets me.”

—  Kim Munson, Dixon Public Schools teacher

“If more schools could turn to this, I believe it would revolutionize teaching,” Munson said. “For me, it’s about the challenge. I think, ‘What am I going to do differently to get her to engage,’ or ‘What am I going to do to get him to start attending?’ Then, you figure out how you are going to counteract that thing for the six and a half hours you have them that day.”

Munson even keeps a particular painting hanging in the classroom at the request of her students. “Ghost Malone” was a Halloween-inspired painting of a ghost with tattoos covering the face – a spoof on one of Munson’s favorite rappers, Post Malone. Munson was going to take the artwork down after the holiday when one of her students said they would come to class every day to see the painting.

“It’s funny because they all laugh and comment on how dumb it is, but every April, watch and see their eyes scan the wall for him,” Munson said.

Munson’s role as a special education teacher was born from a childhood desire to help someone close to her who struggled with school because of a disability.

“I always thought to myself that even though I couldn’t help in that instance, maybe I could learn to go on and help others,” Munson recalled.

Every teacher’s hope and joy is seeing their students cross the graduation stage. For Munson, that joy continues with the children of her former students.

“I’m on second-generation students now, and it’s been neat to know that I’ve taught some of my students’ parents,” Munson said. “If they had a pleasant experience with me when they were here, they are much more likely to reach out and work with me to give their child the best education possible.”