Montbello High School teacher Malcinia Conley works 12-hour work days most of the time, staying to listen to her students’ personal problems or to make sure they don’t fall behind.
Five people who noticed her efforts nominated her for Stand for Children’s Our Heroes teacher awards.
She was one of 10 teachers from Colorado selected to receive the award. Conley got the good news Wednesday.
“I’m in shock,” Conley said after receiving the award. “I’m just one in a million. This is not for me, but for our kids.”
One of the nominations was from Margarita Bianco, a University of Colorado Denver professor, who now works as a teacher educator.
“I’ve never met a teacher more dedicated to her students,” Bianco said. “Besides student achievement, which is also important, she does so much more for her kids. They use her as a life coach.”
Using money from a Daniels Fund grant, the organization gave the winners a cash award of $1,000 each to use for classroom supplies or professional development.
Stand for Children is an education-policy advocacy group. Conley said she might like to use the money to start a “Malcinia Conley scholarship” for her students. “There are kids out there who really need it,” Conley said. “Just having a scholarship would make them feel like they can go to college.”
