Patrick Mallory
Chula Vista High School | 11th and 12th grades, physics and engineering
How long have you been teaching? 20 years
What inspired you to be a teacher? I’ve always wanted to help others, and have been teaching in lower-income/lower-socioeconomic communities since I started teaching at 22. The potential to give others the opportunity to better their lives and the lives of their families is what inspired me to become a teacher.
What is your greatest joy in teaching? The connections I make with students are what make me excited to go to work every day. When a student seeks me out for guidance or shares that I have positively impacted their life in some way…there’s nothing like that feeling, that’s pure joy for me. That and the moment a student starts to believe in themselves. I’ve had so many of those moments over the years and it’s powerful to see what students can do when they believe in themselves.
What about the greatest challenge? The greatest challenge for me is trying to get through to some students who truly don’t want to be there or feel like education isn’t a path worth pursuing (or even, something to value). I have so many students and want to be able to positively impact as many as I can—so it’s a real challenge when I encounter a student who may have “thrown in the towel” before we’ve even begun.
What if a student can have only one takeaway from time spent in your classroom, what would it be?: There’s more to life than books and tests. Not everyone will become a rocket scientist and that’s OK, but I want my students to apply themselves and more than anything to come away from my class feeling like they are heard and they are somebody, whether they got an “A” or an “F.”