After packing up the last of her things, Kelli Bonar paused to look over her classroom one last time.
Her desk, once covered with papers, writing utensils and other tools of the teaching trade, had been cleared, and the Christmas cards, schedules, pictures and posters that covered the walls had been removed, leaving behind a clean slate for the teacher who will occupy the space come August.
It was Bonar’s 40th time leaving her classroom for the summer — a time that in previous years offered a chance to reflect upon the previous school year while preparing for the next, jotting down ideas at odd hours and reorganizing materials — but this time, she won’t be returning in the fall.
“As I looked around, it really hit me: This time I wasn’t just cleaning up for the summer, I was closing the door for good,” the now-retired special educator said. “It felt like saying goodbye to part of who I’ve been for so long. Still, I walked out with a full heart, knowing I gave it everything I had.”
A Legacy of Impact
And she has. Throughout her career, Bonar has made a profoundly positive impact on countless students and families, not just through teaching, but also through coaching Burlington’s Special Olympics teams.
“What sets Kelli apart, beyond her 40 years, was her extraordinary ability to build meaningful relationships with students, families, and colleagues,” Aldo Leopold Intermediate School Principal Sara Watkins said. “She had a unique way of making each person feel truly valued. Her passion for inclusion extended far beyond the classroom, as shown by her unwavering commitment to the Special Olympics. Year after year, she devoted countless hours to supporting student-athletes. Her work with the Special Olympics not only changed lives but also brought the school community closer together.”
The Winningest Coach
That sense of community has been on full display throughout the years ahead of each state competition, when students gathered outside Aldo to cheer on and send off their classmates en route to the bus that would take them to Ames, where they would compete — and win — in bowling, basketball or track and field competitions. In fact, one could argue that Bonar is the winningest coach in district history.
But Bonar wasn’t in it for the medals or the glory, but for the students.
“This population of students, they’re so thrilled when they learn anything, when they achieve, that it’s really rewarding, or I wouldn’t have done it at the same level for 40 years,” Bonar said. “It is cool. It’s fun to see them learn, and once they get it, you just feel so good about it because they do.”
Finding Her Calling
Bonar’s passion for special education became apparent early on — at least to those who knew her best.
When she graduated from Burlington High School in 1978, she, like so many young adults, didn’t know what her next step would be. Luckily for her — and for the hundreds of individuals who have benefited from Bonar’s compassion and skill since — her mother did.
“It’s kind of funny, because when I graduated high school, I didn’t know what to do, and my mom called for my interview with Hope Haven,” Bonar recalled with a laugh. Beginning in eighth grade and continuing through high school, Bonar had spent her summers as a counselor at Camp Lookout, a summer camp for those with special needs, and Bonar’s mother knew she would be a perfect fit for the Hope Haven Development Center.
Bonar interviewed the following day and landed a job as an associate working with people with special needs.
“It was a job, and I was very comfortable with that population, so it was a great experience, it really was,” Bonar said.
The Path to Teaching
It wasn’t long before Bonar’s coworkers at Hope Haven began urging her to go into teaching. She took their advice and enrolled at Southeastern Community College before finishing her degree in special education at Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State) University.
“I really did not want to do gen ed,” Bonar said. “In fact, you had that option when you went to school to get a minor in gen ed, and I just didn’t want it.”
After finishing her degree, Bonar got her first teaching position in 1985. It was at the Burlington Community School District’s Central Avenue School, which at that time served all special education students in the district.
“That’s where we were all housed and it was so nice because you got to see the progression of kids from little all the way to high school,” Bonar recalled. “We were kind of like a big old family over there.”
A Career Across Schools
After four years at Central Avenue, she moved just up the street to Oak Street Middle School, then to James Madison Middle School, where she remained until 2012, when she moved into the newly constructed Edward Stone Middle School, whose special education classroom layout her input had helped to shape.
It was in that classroom that she had one of her fondest teaching memories.
She was working on a Sunday and one of her student’s parents was coming to drop something off to her. The parent was meeting Bonar at the window of the ground-floor classroom when Bonar had an idea.
“I asked her if her daughter was in the car and she said yes, and I was like ‘bring her in here for a minute.’ She brought her in and I sat her down and we sat in front of the computer and I said, ‘OK, (student), I want you to read,’ and she started reading. Her mom just bawled.
“And that sticks in my head so much because just when you think ‘Am I really making an impression?’ you really are.”
It was also at Ed Stone that Bonar’s daughter, Kate Bonar, first got to see the legendary Mrs. Bonar in action.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
“My entire life, I’ve known my mom as ‘Mom’ and as ‘Mrs. Bonar,’ and she embodied both roles flawlessly,” Kate said.
Now a teacher herself, Kate began working at the middle school next door to her mother as a paraeducator in 2016.
“That’s where my journey began, right in the classroom next door to Mrs. Bonar at Edward Stone,” Kate said. “For the very first time, I truly saw Mom as Mrs. Bonar, and it was an absolutely magical experience.
“Mrs. Bonar was that remarkable teacher — the one who would pick up kids for school, even drive them home, relentlessly advocate for them, meet them exactly where they were, and empower them to soar. She always brought laughter (have you ever been a victim of JibJab on your birthday?), ensured her students were cared for, and most importantly, made sure they knew they were loved in her classroom.”
Working Together
The mother-daughter duo parted ways the following year, with Kate moving to Burlington High School and Kelli migrating to Aldo Leopold Intermediate School in 2018, but they reunited in 2020. This time, Kate was a paraeducator in Kelli’s classroom.
“I’ve often heard, ‘How could you possibly work with your mom?’ or ‘I could never work with my parents!’ My consistent response was always, ‘I thought that, too, at first.’ Yet, once we started, ‘Mom’ wasn’t ‘Mom’ at work. She was ‘Kelli’ or ‘Mrs. Bonar.’
“Being in the room next to her was insightful, but being a direct part of her classroom was a profoundly different experience. I had the privilege of witnessing patience, dedication, passion, so much laughter and grace under pressure in real-time. She truly is the GOAT, as my brother would affectionately say.”
Kate eventually left “Mrs. Bonar’s” classroom in pursuit of her own teaching degree, which she obtained through University of Northern Iowa’s Purple Pathway program. She spent her first year as a teacher at Aldo, just down the hall from her mother teaching STEM.
“Kelli, as I’ve come to fondly call you at work because ‘Mom’ just feels odd in that setting, you’ve not only inspired me but countless others, touching so many lives,” Kate said. “It’s a difficult thing to sum up your 40-year legacy in a few short words, but one thing is for sure, Marcia is so incredibly proud of you… we all are.”
Embracing the Unknown
The decision to retire hasn’t been an easy one for Kelli. While she looks forward to spending time with her family, it’s going to be a significant adjustment.
“It still kind of feels like summer break until I remember I’m not going back,” Kelli said. “That part is a little scary. For 40 years, school was my schedule, my purpose and a big part of who I am. Now that chapter has closed, and while I know I’ve earned this time, it’s hard not to feel a little unsure.”
Reflecting on her career, Kelli recalled a conversation she had with a teacher while she was student teaching.
“I asked her probably at 40 years, ‘Are you going to be retiring?’ and she goes, ‘I wish people would stop asking me that,’ and now I know,” Kelli said. “It’s all you know for 40 years. That’s more than half of my life.”
Thus far, she’s been keeping busy, but “deep down, I’m still figuring out what life looks like without lesson plans, IEP meetings and that steady rhythm I’ve always known.”
While she may not know what comes next, we hope she can take comfort in knowing that the relationships built, the growth she has nurtured and the learning she has inspired will last long after the lights are off and the door is closed.
