H.B. teacher doesn’t seek recognition, though county and state have been giving her plenty of it

Lisa Moloney was surprised when she was told in May that she was one of five teachers from among 20,000 in Orange County selected to be a county teacher of the year.

The Huntington Beach resident was shocked in late October when she was named one of eight semifinalists from among California’s 300,000 teachers for the state teacher of the year award.

“We had an assembly at school and I told the students that if you work for a long time, people recognize you,” said Moloney, 47, who teaches second grade at Perry Elementary School in Huntington Beach. “I don’t do the things I do because I want recognition, but it certainly helps give you motivation to keep doing it.”

Perry Elementary Principal Renee Polk said Moloney’s selflessness not only makes her an amazing educator but also an outstanding person.

“It could be 7 o’clock at night, she could be exhausted and a parent will come and ask for help and she would take the time to meet with those families to make sure their children are fine,” Polk said. “Even if it isn’t a child in her class, she will go above and beyond to make those families feel comfortable and reassured and to make sure that they have all the information they need.”

Moloney was not a finalist for the award from the state Department of Education, which has been recognizing top teachers since 1972.

“The teachers we are honoring are dedicated, energetic, innovative and very effective,” state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement. “Every day in the classroom, they inspire students to learn, excel and realize their full potential. Their work provides a great example for other teachers.”

Moloney, who has taught grades one through five, has been with the Huntington Beach City School District for more than 20 years. She taught at Kettler Elementary for two years and Peterson Elementary for 12 before teaching at Perry the past six years.

She did not always have a goal of being an educator. She was a journalism major at San Diego State University in the late 1980s and wanted to be an advertising executive. However, in 1990, she was hit by a car while walking and suffered serious injuries.

“During that time of recovery, it caused a lot of self-reflection and I realized I wasn’t doing what my heart was saying,” she said. “I was doing what I was good at, but I wasn’t happy. I felt like I had too big of a heart and too much compassion and realized that I loved kids and love Spanish. So I put the two together and became a bilingual teacher.”

Moloney, the mother of a high school student with autism, said she has learned how to work with children with special needs, and she conducts courses at home to teach other parents and educators how to do the same.