Mrs. Michelle Cleary always wanted to teach math. When she heard about an opening at Malvern, its sense of community drew her in.
Growing up in Delaware County and attending Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Cleary was familiar with Malvern and the community that surrounds it.
She had a passion for math from an early age and continued to develop it as her education progressed.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Cleary said. “I always loved math, so it’s always been what I’ve wanted to do.”
Her excitement for math was evident even in elementary school.
“When we graduated from eighth grade my school actually gave us back the letters we wrote to Santa in first grade,” Cleary said. “I wrote on my Christmas list that I wanted a math book from Santa.”
Cleary’s desire to teach led her to pursue it in college and graduate school.
“I went to undergrad at La Salle University, and I got a double major in math and education,” Cleary said. “Then I got my master’s from Villanova, which was in math.”
Cleary then taught at Notre Dame Academy in Villanova for four years before she read about a job offer at Malvern online.
“A lot of my former students at Notre Dame had brothers that go to Malvern and still do, so I knew about the community,” Cleary said. “I was just looking to see what else was out there, pushing myself a little bit more as an educator, trying to see what I could do. When I saw that this job was open online, I applied.”
In addition to this, the change in scenery for Cleary has her thinking about the upsides of an all-boys school.
“Being at an all-girls school the last couple of years we obviously haven’t had a football team, so I’m really excited for some of that kind of stuff again,” she said.
Outside of the classroom, Cleary is passionate about many things other than mathematics and teaching. These passions include her family, the beach, and the outdoors.
“I love spending time with family, I’m from a big family, one of four. My husband is one of five, and we have one daughter right now. We do a lot of family parties and events things like that,” Cleary said. “I like going down to the beach as much as I can. My in-laws have a shore house, so I go down there as often as I can. I also love being outside and hiking.”
Cleary says her move to Malvern has been very smooth because of the wonderful community.
“The community here is incredible. Everybody, including the students, not just the faculty and staff, has been so helpful with making the transition so much easier.”
