Top Photo: Malloy with her husband, Rafael, and daughter, Azaylea

Natalie Malloy teaches fourth grade at Horizon Elementary. This is her fifth year teaching at Horizon and her third year in a fourth grade classroom.

“I love fourth grade. It is not the only grade I’ve taught, but fourth is my favorite for sure,” says Malloy. She likes that fourth graders are becoming more independent, are very funny and “have so many questions!” That leads to interesting and occasionally entertaining conversations, she explains.

Malloy grew up in Prescott. She moved to Washington state for a few years before returning to Arizona to teach in the Valley. Malloy says she always knew that she wanted to work with kids. In her younger days she taught swim lessons and tutored. When a high school English teacher told her that she would be a good at teaching, Malloy was inspired to pursue a job in education.

Away from school, Malloy enjoys country swing dancing, hiking and being outdoors, and being a new mom. Her daughter is “on the move,” scooting more than crawling right now but with enough mobility that “you gotta watch her,” notes Malloy.

At the beginning of each school year, Malloy has students bring an “all about me” bag with five items from home for show and tell. This year, the student presentations happened in October when Malloy returned from maternity leave. When kids “bring these things that are important to them” it lets them open up about their interests and reflects their personalities.

Malloy also provides “opportunities for kids to talk to each other” and holds class meetings to start and end each week. The meetings let everyone get a chance to speak and are a confidence boost for the students.

Student Layla appreciates her teacher and the interest Malloy takes in her pupils. Layla writes, “Ms. Malloy is so nice and takes her time getting to know us. She always answers all of our questions. She compliments us and really cares about us.” 

Malloy advises her students to be kind and to challenge themselves. She wants her students to “keep trying and push (themselves). If something is easy it’s not challenging.”

“I love what I do,” says Malloy. “I love my kids and I think that education is so important.”