BOUNTIFUL—Carly Maloney knew at an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. In the first grade she set up an easel, created her own classroom then started teaching the neighbor kids. Now Maloney has her own classroom at Viewmont High and was recently named Utah’s Teacher of the Year.

“My grandpa drove a school bus in the Davis District,” said Maloney, who is a Viewmont graduate. “He would encourage me as a teacher and ask how it was going. In the fourth grade I wrote a Reflections essay about the profession. People go through the classroom and it has an impact on all other professions.”

Maloney has been at Viewmont for nine years. She teaches language arts and social studies, AP psychology, CE and English Language Learners. She is also a Teacher Mentor, Teacher Fellow, Utah Teacher Fellow and Davis Teacher Leader Fellow. During the nine years she was the assistant girls soccer coach and SBO advisor.

“I’m no longer a coach or SBO advisor,” she said. “I have three kids (7, 5, 18 months) and I’m taking them to their own activities. That keeps me very busy.”

As a Teacher Mentor Maloney works with the new teachers at Viewmont. “I’m no longer coaching students now I’m working with teachers,” she said. “I’m also one of the first ever Teacher Leader Fellows.”

It’s a group of teachers who lead from their classrooms, Maloney said. “We help with professional learning in our building and coach teachers in technology and teaching practices. It’s neat to learn from coworkers.”

Maloney also teaches the English Language Learners program (ELL). “I work with Rosie Kendall, she’s an ELL coach here,” she said. “She and I have class periods every day and work with kids who speak six to seven different languages.”

They're multilingual learners, said Maloney. “They’re learning English in a new school and a new community. It’s a neat experience how we become a community doing this together.”

Students in the class speak Spanish, Portuguese, Pashto (from the Afghanistan area), Swahili (Africa), Samoan and Cantonese, she said. Last year the kids became letter buddies with first graders. “In the spring they went to the elementary school and had breakfast with the kids, played games and sang songs from their countries. It was a neat experience that helped the students find a community in Davis County. We hope to continue the tradition this year.”

Maloney is especially passionate about her AP psychology class. “I want to destigmatize mental health,” she said. “It’s important to be aware of teachers’ mental health too. They pour their heart and soul into teaching. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others. We need to know that we are enough. We’re experts that show up every day. We deserve to be treated like professionals.”

In her AP class, Maloney teaches the kids about neurons and the brain. “We talk about all of the organs in the body,” she said. “The students make neurons out of pipe cleaners and models of the brain. We do a lot of hands-on work to make learning come alive.”

Maloney said she’s always trying to learn more. “I have a hunger to improve and always serve myself, colleagues and students well. I love new opportunities and challenges to work on.”

Viewmont has incredible teachers, she said. “It’s every viking every day. They greet kids in the hallway. They go above and beyond to reach every student every day. Our school motto is ‘When the wind doesn’t blow, Vikings row.’ Sometimes the wind isn’t going to blow but keep rowing. It’s going to be gritty.”

Maloney will represent the state on the national level. “It’s been a neat opportunity to speak to different organizations across the state and meet other state winners,” she said. “It’s good to learn from other states and see what they’ve been doing.”

Teaching has been an important part of her family, Maloney said. “I’m incredibly grateful for my family’s support for this passion of mine and a career that I love so much.”