Welcome to Maloland, where Among Us doodles are scattered all over white boards and desks are rearranged almost every week. Despite the odd classroom setup, anyone who has had Ms. Monica Malanoski as a teacher would say that they have learned a lot from her.

From teaching the unit circle to lecturing about supply and demand, Malanoski has taught various topics to many students. Although currently teaching AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Precalculus and Linear Algebra/Discrete Mathematics, Malanoski has taught almost every math class during her 23 years at WCHS and 27 years of her teaching career.

“Mathematics has always come easy for me, and I have always loved the problem solving aspect of [it]” Malanoski said. “I was introduced to economics in college and loved that I could apply mathematics to [it].”

Malanoski grew up in Montgomery County and attended Springbrook High School. She then graduated from Catholic University with a dual degree in Economics and Accounting. Although Malanoski always knew she liked math, she did not always know she wanted to be a teacher; she earned her master’s in education from Salisbury University much later on in life.

“I actually was planning on working as an accountant for sometime and then was going to open a daycare center,” Malanoski said. “When my oldest son was younger, I wanted [to spend] time with him and found that I liked to learn and teach others what I had learned. It seemed natural [for me to become a teacher].”

Known for teaching difficult classes, many WCHS students would consider Malanoski’s teaching style as a combination of interactive and independent learning. Through many collaborative and independent assignments, students are able to assess their knowledge and learn from each other to ensure a full understanding of the content.

“For AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Ms. Malanoski would assign five-minute quizzes at the beginning of class to help her check what we need clarification on and test our own knowledge,” WCHS junior Allison Zhang said. “Even though these quizzes were a bit stressful at first, they actually cemented the information in our brains, which really helped during unit tests and in the long term.”

Malanoski also makes herself available for students who need extra help. In addition to holding office hours before school, during lunch or after school, she also hosts Zoom review sessions for last-minute questions before tests.

“Her weekend Zoom review sessions are very helpful because not everyone has time to visit during office hours and since she posts the recordings,” Zhang said. “Even if you don’t have questions it’s really nice to join and get a quick refresher and learn from the questions asked by other students.”

Malanoski believes anything worth having takes hard work, a message that is very prevalent in her teaching methods. Malanoski consistently challenges her students while aiding them along the way, which has benefited many of her students.

“Ms. Malanoski’s teaching has helped me develop essential skills like willpower and attentiveness not only in her class but in other classes too,” Zhang said. “These skills will definitely help me in college and in the future.”

Malanoski’s teaching has made an impact on students not just in the high school classroom, but in the real world. Malanoski believes in having a growth mindset for one to reach their fullest potential, whether they are a student or not.

“You can learn something new from anyone if you are open to it,” Malanoski said. “That includes me learning from my students.”