Carly Mahlmeister teaches third grade at San Marcos Elementary in Chandler. She has also taught first and second grades, but she says she really loves teaching third grade.
Third graders have “a level of independence that I enjoy,” explains Mahlmeister. She notes that these older students can be called on to lead activities and can read instructions on their own.
Student Brianna notes that her teacher is funny, patient, understanding and kind. Brianna nominated Mahlmeister to be Teacher of the Month.
Mahlmeister is proud to have been born and raised in Arizona. She graduated from ASU and has been teaching since 2003. Before she moved to Chandler, Mahlmeister taught in Tempe. She earned her master’s degree in elementary education in 2008.
When she was a student, Mahlmeister says her favorite subject was math. “I loved math, that was always my favorite,” she says.
She also loved to write even though she did not consider herself a great writer. Now, she enjoys teaching reading and writing. Move On When Reading means the subject is especially important for third-graders, and Mahlmeister says she strives to make her students the best writers they can be.
In her leisure time, Mahlmeister enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and two sons. “We like to go camping in the Mogollon Rim,” she says. “In winter, we do desert camping near Picacho Peak and in Pinal County.”
Mahlmeister also enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She says she has always enjoyed being around kids, whether at family gatherings or when working as a babysitter. As a teen she worked in a senior RV park, and she says that the experience helped her decide that she would rather work with kids in her future career.
An early moment in the spotlight came when she was 4 years old. Mahlmeister modeled some clothing for a community event. She says she doesn’t remember it, though, but it is in her scrapbook.
“My best advice is: you can always learn. There’s always something to be learned,” says Mahlmeister.
On her school webpage, Mahlmeister writes: “I believe every child is capable of learning and I strive to make that a possibility.”
