4 days ago
Daleville's Parrish surprised to receive Excellence in Teaching Award
DALEVILLE — Maleah Parrish does not expect praise or accolades for her work in the classroom.
So Parrish, a first-grade teacher at Daleville Elementary School, was shocked to find out she had received the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Ball Brothers Foundation.
Parrish said growing up in Yorktown Community Schools, there were many people who had an impact on her and made her want to become a teacher.
'I feel like a lot of the coaches I had as a kid, they are a big part of why I ended up in teaching,' Parrish said. 'I have always enjoyed sports and I always saw myself maybe coaching something…but coaching is teaching in sports form. I had a lot of really good teachers at Yorktown and they made school fun.'
Parrish said that while academics is important, she believes students get the most out of their school experience when they're able to socialize with one another and feel comfortable in a classroom environment.
'Our kids, sometimes, this is it,' Parrish said. 'This is what they can do and go outside of home, or it is their safe space. They know it is predictable. I can trust my adult, I am going to get the meals I need, I am going to get somebody who cares about my learning and my well-being.
'You have kids from all different backgrounds and walks of life,' she continued. 'School is truly a hub in your community.'
In her classroom, Parrish said she values the ability to bring 'stability and routine' into the students' day, but also add elements of fun and connect what they are learning with real-life concepts.
Parrish, who has been teaching for 13 years, said she's never had a desire to teach a certain grade, but when she was placed as a first-grade teacher, she immediately felt comfortable with it.
One thing Parrish said she loves to teach the students is how to read and how words work phonetically.
This year, the Excellence in Teaching award had nearly a dozen nominations across Delaware County public schools before being narrowed down to three finalists.
Jenna Wachtmann, the vice president of the Ball Brothers Foundation, said the foundation was impressed by the way Parrish interacts with her students.
'Maleah is an incredibly dynamic teacher,' Wachtmann said. 'She has a very deep and comprehensive understanding of both the subject matter she is teaching, as well as good solid principles of teaching.
'She puts her own spin on things and is so deeply creative and so incredibly talented and gifted in the way she connects with students and the way she individualizes their learning,' Wachtmann added.
Along with the award, Parrish received a $5,000 grant for her classroom, a $5,000 grant that goes to the school building, a $5,000 grant for the school corporation and a $2,500 grant for Parrish's own professional development.
Parrish has decided to apply her professional development grant to Kagan Learning Structures, a program which provides instruction about engagement in the classroom and having meaningful discussions with students.
With the rest of the grant money, Parrish wants to bring virtual reality to her classroom.
'The way I wanted to spend this money was for VR and VR headsets,' Parrish said. 'Field trips can get expensive. (Field trips) are wonderful experiences for kids, and they are important because they build background knowledge for things.
'I thought the VR would be a way to bridge those two gaps of background knowledge and real-life experiences and putting it together.'
Parrish said she was inspired by two other Daleville teachers, Julian Ravenscroft and Melissa Crist, who previously received the award and 'set a good example for how to utilize funds in a big way.' Ravenscroft used his grant money to create an outdoor learning lab and orchard, while Crist used her money to upgrade the broadcast room at the high school.
Brian Hall, a fellow first grade teacher at DES, said Parrish 'has a very strong sense of how to individualize for different kids and include everybody.'
'She's very intentional,' Hall said. 'There is a lot of thought and intention behind her teaching. There is a purpose for it… I think that is a big reason why she deserves the award, because you just do not pull that out of a hat. That comes after really honing your skills after years and years of doing it.'
