Decades of Dedication: Kay Coulson Reflects on a Storied Teaching Career as She Embraces Retirement

For Kay Coulson’s students, school felt like magic—a place to belong, to create, and to explore. 

From whimsical writing prompts to Eric Carle-inspired art projects, mastering the basics of reading, writing, math, and science was both playful and formative during the nine months under her guidance.  As children under the age of eight, they didn’t know it, but those building blocks built the foundation for their continued education and professional life. 

This approach was mirrored in Coulson’s own home, where her mother, also a teacher, held education in high regard.

Coulson started her teaching career in Walnut, Illinois, as a second-grade teacher. Nearly five years later, she relocated to Mahomet, where she initially worked as a substitute teacher for a year and a half. She then took a position in Gifted Education at Sangamon and Lincoln Trail Elementary Schools, where she remained for four years. Following this, she dedicated 27 years to Sangamon and Middletown Prairie Elementary Schools, focusing on remedial reading, first grade, and serving as a Reading Specialist.

But whether in the classroom or through intervention programs, Coulson’s decades-long steadfast commitment to fostering children’s belief in their abilities remained unwavered.

“As a classroom teacher and reading teacher, I loved watching my students become better readers,” she said. “It always made me sad when a student would say, ‘I can’t read’ or ‘I’m not a good reader.’ 

“I would always say, ‘You can read, and I am going to help you read even better!’ 

“Reading is hard, but it is such an amazing feeling when you see your students start to feel successful and see themselves as readers – especially when they struggled at the beginning.”

So much of that success came from building a community of learners both inside and outside of the classroom. Coulson allowed students to share their successes and thoughts during “Daily 5”, hosted in-school celebrations such as “Poem in My Pocket” for families, and Literacy Nights at Sangamon with several co-educators. 

“I have always worked hard and been very dedicated to my career and the children I worked with. I always looked for new and creative ways to make school/learning fun,” she said.

After 34 years, Coulson’s last day as part of the Mahomet-Seymour staff was on May 21. 

Aside from not waking up at 5:15 a.m. to get to work on time, she is unsure of what retirement will look like. 

“I am excited to share slow mornings with my husband (who she met after a hamster got loose in her classroom for a week). I plan to exercise more, read, garden, bake, travel, and hang out with friends.”

“I hope to volunteer a little at Middletown Prairie Elementary next fall. I have some dear

friends who are still teaching, and I would love to help in their classroom. I am very passionate about literacy for young children so I would love to spend some time reading with children who don’t get to read much at home.”

Giving students confidence and opportunity runs to the very core of who Coulson is. 

“I hope my students will know that I cared for them a LOT,” she said. “I prayed for them and lost sleep over them. At night, I would worry about the students who were struggling academically or emotionally. 

“I was always looking for ways to do more to help them. I hope my students knew I enjoyed coming to school and I looked forward to spending my days with them. Young children are so fun and eager to learn.”

Filling in those gaps for students is more than handing them a worksheet, though. 

Coulson brought mystery readers into the classroom, hosted a Gingerbread Math Open House and even made it possible for young readers to come to school on a firetruck.

Being able to work under Principal Mark Cabutti at Sangamon Elementary for the first 29 years of her career really solidified who she wanted to be as an educator. Teachers were encouraged to build an educational community through relationships with co-workers, families and students. Working under the leadership of Mark Cabutti for 29 years was a highlight of her career, and she greatly enjoyed the time they spent collaborating.

With great organizational skills, attention to detail, and a love for students and teachers alike, colleagues suggested Coulson become an administrator. It was too much, though, to give up working with children. 

“I hope that my students left school each day knowing they were special and they were loved. We did a lot of academic work in my classroom, but I tried to mix in fun, laughter, and love. I wanted school to be a safe place where children wanted to come each day,” she said. 

Coulson’s ability to speak to the heart of students is evidenced in the fact that she still has relationships with some of the students in her first class in Walnut, Illinois. 

“My first class of second graders will always have a special place in my heart,” she said. “They were my FIRST class, and we had a wonderful year together. There were 16 children in my class that year, and I can still recite their names in ABC order.”

But some of her favorite memories are from her first grade class at Sangamon.

“I loved seeing children become readers and writers over the year in first grade,” she said. “For many years, I put together a writing binder for each student. This binder was a collection of writing from the beginning of first grade to the end. It was such fun to watch the children look through their binder at the end of the year and see the progress they had made. Their faces were filled with joy.”