Ellie Florek-Grader ’26 | Honors Secondary Education and Mathematics major
Education can take on so many forms, even though it seems like if you study education, you’ll be a teacher. I think that in studying education we can learn a lot about supporting others and building relationships with people.
Unlike most middle schoolers, Ellie Florek-Grader ’26 always looked forward to math class. Looking back, she remembers feeling supported and seen by the seventh-grade math teacher who helped her understand complex equations and formulas. Today, the Secondary Education and Mathematics major looks forward to creating a welcoming, safe, and supportive classroom environment for future students of her own.
What brought you to Saint Anselm College?
One of the biggest reasons was that I wanted to be a double major. I knew if I didn’t end up wanting to go into education for whatever reason, I could still go into the math field as a Secondary Education and Mathematics major. Also, for the same reason everyone says—I really liked the Saint Anselm community.
How did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
I kind of always wanted to be a teacher. It’s been my dream job since I was little. Then, probably in high school, I realized that I really liked math and knew that I wanted to focus on that.
Were there any teachers from your childhood who inspired you?
When I first struggled with math in middle school, I had a seventh-grade teacher who was always there for me and would help me whenever I needed. Then in high school I was a teacher's assistant and the teacher I worked under was very supportive. That was good because I was able to dip my toes into an experience that made me really sure of what I wanted to do.
What is it about math that you enjoy?
Math was my favorite subject in middle and high school, and I just always really enjoyed it. I liked being in math classrooms and the way the lessons were structured. That’s how I knew that was what I wanted to study.
How did you stay involved on campus?
I was on the club ski team, served as co-president of the Education Society, and worked at the Meelia Center for Community Engagement as a coordinator for all four years.
What else did you like to do on the Hilltop?
For a lot of my time at Saint Anselm, I took yoga classes on campus with a bunch of my friends, and then we would get dinner together. I also loved taking walks on campus because it's just so pretty.
What can you share about your student teaching experience?
I taught three different types of math courses in an eighth-grade math classroom in the Bedford School District at Ross A. Lurgio Middle School. I taught pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry so I got a wide scope of different subjects, which was awesome. Before I started full-time student teaching, I did what’s called a bridge experience where you spend 30 hours across the semester in the classroom getting to know the kids and their routines. When I started teaching the next semester, I was ready to go.
What’s your favorite type of math to teach?
I definitely think algebra is my favorite. Geometry can be tricky to get it in some kids' heads.
What was the best thing about being a Secondary Education major at Saint Anselm?
There was a really great group of us who had class together for all four years, so we had a nice little community and carpooled to our student teaching placements. It was a good group to rely on!
What are your postgraduate plans?
I accepted a position at the Hollis Brookline Middle School to teach seventh grade math! I could not be more excited.
Why would you suggest someone study education?
Even if it seems like by studying education, you’ll be a teacher, education can take on so many forms. I think that in studying education we can learn a lot about supporting others and building relationships with people. That can be used in whatever track you take in life. Connecting education to a content area like math provides a lot of different directions you can go in as well.
Thinking about the future, what do you hope your own students’ experience will be in your classroom?
Just that it’s a place where all students can feel supported in their learning no matter where they're at. When they enter my classroom, I want them to feel like they can grow and build upon whatever knowledge they walk in with, and that they'll be supported in no matter how that journey that looks.