For more than 50 years, Marian Moore Sims has worked in education, originally as a teacher with the Fayette County School District and more recently with Morehead State University, where she instructs the next generation of Kentucky teachers.

Over the years, thousands of students – including such notables as Governor Andy Beshear and Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers – have passed through her classroom and benefited from her personal touch and life lessons on kindness and empathy.

“Teachers are in the business of passing along knowledge to students—and what a treasure that is, to be able to pass something of value to someone else,” Sims said.

It’s a role, she said, that’s akin to what KET does for the Commonwealth.

“KET brings the world right into our homes and schools, passing along knowledge in a magnificent and colorful way,” Sims said. “It’s such a wonderful resource that’s free and available for everyone to use. I can’t imagine a world without KET because it’s become such an integral part of my life.”

In her early years, teaching sixth grade at Cassidy Elementary and Morton Middle schools, Sims said KET’s educational resources were an essential part of her classroom routine, augmenting her daily lessons with engaging visual content that captured students’ attention and made them want to learn. Decades later, Sims said she’s still using KET virtually every day, whether pointing new teachers to KET’s professional development courses or unwinding after a long day with some of her favorite Masterpiece dramas.

She says she always enjoys KET’s programs, especially those such as Doc Martin and All Creatures Great and Small that offer a humorous take on cultivating empathy for others.

KET brings the world right into our homes and schools, passing along knowledge in a magnificent and colorful way.

Marian Moore Sims

“When you really get down to it, kindness is a skill that you have to teach just like any other skill,” Sims added. “And programs such as All Creatures Great and Small do such a wonderful job of showing how empathy, both to people and animals, plays such an important role in how we all can get along better.”

KET’s children’s programs, such as Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, likewise play a similar role for Kentucky’s youngest learners, introducing them not only to letters and numbers but also to lessons about community and tolerance, she adds.

“Programs like Sesame Street not only keep a child entertained but also build their interest in the world and expand their vocabulary with new words and concepts that help them grow,” she said.

And KET’s educational resources – such as Let’s Learn Kentucky, which offers helpful tips on preparing toddlers for school, and the many video and animated series on PBS LearningMedia which present lessons on Kentucky’s history, geography and economy – go a long way in helping parents and caregivers bring learning into their homes.

“KET is just such a valuable tool because it has something for everybody, and it’s always there when you need it,” she said.