Her Story
About Mallory
I've been in education for 14 years, and my journey has been quite a winding path. I actually started with a bachelor's degree from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in Interior Architecture, but I quickly realized that the corporate world was not for me. I was living in Texas shortly after college, and I took some courses to get an alternative teaching license. I started as a classroom teacher, teaching 5th grade math and science in the beginning. Eventually, I moved back to the Milwaukee area, where I'm from, and that's when I got my Master's in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction. Throughout my career, I've worked as an interventionist and an instructional coach before moving into my current role as Manager of Data and Assessments. Day to day, I'm usually running around the elementary school like a crazy person, coaching teachers, giving professional development trainings, looking at data and trends in assessment data, and providing feedback to teachers. I also work with students through some social-emotional challenges and facilitate assessments. I teach in a very urban area of Milwaukee, and the most challenging aspects of my work are when students have poor attendance because they can't learn if they don't come to school, and we see really big academic gaps as a result. It's also frustrating when students struggle with the appropriate social skills for working with other students in their class, and we have a lot of unnecessary fighting that prevents us from making academic gains.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mallory
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say just determination and hard work. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me when I was very young, so I guess I would say just grit and perseverance. It's about trying to reach the goals that we set as a team at our school and not giving up, even when the work is challenging.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The greatest piece of advice I've received is about being reflective as a teacher. It's something about looking in the mirror instead of out the window. Sometimes we're the problem, and so we have to reflect on how what we're doing can impact the classroom or the school that we're working in, instead of looking out the window and pointing the finger at others. Self-reflection is so important because it helps us understand our own role in the challenges we face.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just know that the work is hard, and it's going to require some extra time. Some people coming into education in the last few years kind of expect a 9-to-5 job, and that's not what education is. We would all love to be able to go home and not work, but that's just not realistic. You have to do what's necessary for your students to grow, and so sometimes that includes working outside the traditional school hours. And just, I guess, to not give up. It's hard work, but eventually you see those light bulb moments with kids where things start to click for them, and it's very rewarding.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The most challenging aspects right now are when students have poor attendance. They can't learn if they don't come to school, and then we see really big academic gaps as a result. It's also frustrating when students struggle with the appropriate social skills for working with other students in their class that maybe they don't get along with. We have a lot of unnecessary fighting that goes on, and if they had better social skills around those things, we'd be able to make more gains academically instead of putting out fires because this other person looked at them the wrong way.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think transparency and communication are probably the biggest things. Respect is probably up there, too. Those are the three values that stand out the most to me in both my work and personal life.
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