Laguna Hills Instructor Among 5 of State’s Best

Dalynn Smith-Malek’s teaching career has none of the grit or glamour of an after-school television special.

The Laguna Hills High School art teacher, who was picked Tuesday as one of California’s top five teachers, didn’t go into education because she was motivated by injustice or consumed by a passion for literacy. She won’t do funny dances to inspire her students or drive them to memorize Shakespearean sonnets.

For the last 23 years, Smith-Malek, 49, has just greeted her students each day with a bright smile and an always-open ear. She listens to them. She says she doesn’t expect them to become great artists, but she does try to teach them to love art, and to appreciate their own capacity for making their world more beautiful--even if it means just helping them dress better.

“They’re going to be making artistic choices throughout their lives--when they paint an apartment, their style of dress . . .,” said Smith-Malek. “I don’t expect to be turning out people who are going to be exhibiting in galleries. I would rather they develop their aesthetic sense.”

She also tries to have them imagine a world without art so they understand its importance.

“A lot of times you don’t know when you’ve made an impact,” Smith-Malek said in a soft voice that carried a hint of laughter. “I just make sure I’m approaching the things I do in a variety of ways. . . . You need to make sure you’re touching all the students.”

She remembers her own art teacher, Mary French, at Corona del Mar High School. When Smith-Malek graduated in 1970, she decided to become a teacher like French, who dressed beautifully every day but was not reluctant to get down and dirty with clay if she thought it would help her students.

“Sometimes it’s not like TV,” said Smith-Malek’s principal, Frank Manzo. “Sometimes, the person doesn’t have all that fancy stuff but can still make a difference.”

Yearbook editor Lisa Tomaino, 17, said Smith-Malek has inspired her to seek a career as a graphic designer.

But it is her teacher’s warmth and sense of caring that Lisa said she values most. “I love her like my mom,” she said.

Smith-Malek’s teaching style is gentle, Lisa said. Often the teacher will make a simple observation that allows the student to discover with her own solution.

“She allows you to tap into your own creativity,” Lisa said.