KANSAS CITY, Mo. — FOX4’s Teacher of the Month for November has more energy than her students, and she’s been teaching longer than they’ve even been alive.

Kim Sixta teaches in her hometown, in the district where she grew up, at Ruskin High School in south Kansas City.

“It was just something I knew I always wanted to do. I love working with young people,” Sixta said.

Sixta has been teaching for 26 years, all of them in the Hickman Mills School District, where she went to school as a kid. She says she’s had great teachers, mentors, and bosses along the way, and most of all, great students.

“They’re fun, they’re creative, they’re smart, they’re resilient. I just love it,” Sixta said.

She teaches social studies, psychology, government and social justice, plus additional programs on leadership and culture.

“They get to go on field trips, community trips, college trips. It’s about networking, social skills. We do a lot of stuff in here for school, and just try to teach them some life skills and things that will help them be successful in what’s coming next,” Sixta said.

One of those leadership and culture club students nominated her. Senior Ariel Fanning says Ms. Sixta leads by example.

“She’s creative, she makes things work, even when they’re not always going the right way. So, even if it’s not necessarily something that she was ahead of or she was involved in, or the leader of, she makes a way to get things done. So, in the best possible way, she makes things connect.”

But Ms. Sixta, like the best of leaders, credits the team she’s part of: Her fellow teachers and staff, and the students themselves.

“I’m just a facilitator for their learning. They are the ones that do the work every day,” she said.

Ms. Sixta has done all that while raising six children of her own. For this honor, she wins $750 in gift cards as our November Teacher of the Month. You can nominate your favorite educator online by clicking on this link.

FOX4’s Teacher of the Month contest is sponsored by Volkswagen Lee’s Summit.