Keeping classes interesting and fun is one of Edward Florea’s highest priorities. The veteran Huntington High School science teacher knows that if his students enjoy coming to class, learning will be enhanced and academic performance will be maximized.
“I love the people in the Huntington School District,” Mr. Florea said. “Through the years, I have received offers for more money from nearby schools, but none can come close to the great family we have at Huntington. We help each other and support our community. That’s what being a teacher is all about; showing students how to gain the necessary tools to become lifelong learners.”
A graduate of North Babylon High School, Mr. Florea played football and participated in the marching band and science clubs. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at Stony Brook University and a Master of Science degree in secondary science education at Dowling College, where he also obtained a professional diploma in educational technology and where he studied for his state administrative certification.
Huntington High School science teacher Edward Florea.
Since joining Huntington High School’s faculty on January 5, 2004, Mr. Florea has taught courses in Animal Behavior, Marine Ecology, Science Research and Regents and Honors Chemistry. He handles the high school’s chemical inventory, serves on the technology committee and is co-advisor of The Dispatch, the student newspaper.
“My motivation to become a science teacher stems from being a lab assistant at New York Institute of Technology, where I was the senior lab technician,” Mr. Florea said. “Thinking pre-med track, one day a teacher called and said she was ill and would be out for a week or so. The class was devastated so I stepped in and taught the microbiology lab for week. It was the most fun I have ever have. The students learned and loved the lab. I tried to make it fun and applicable, giving to them mnemonics (the study and development of systems for improving and assisting the memory) that helped me get through the class. The students did well on their exams after that I decided to start the necessary steps to becoming a teacher.”
Mr. Florea soon landed a position at Stony Brook University as assistant lab curator at the Centers for Molecular Medicine and Biology Learning Laboratories, where he taught PhD neurobiology student the undergraduate biology lab they themselves were going to teach college students the following week. He also handled the field collection of necessary marine animals, with DEC permits to dive and utilize the university vessel to obtain the needed specimens.
While his work at Stony Brook was interesting and energizing, something was still missing from his professional life. “I loved the idea of teaching younger aged students to help inspire them to love science,” Mr. Florea said. So he went about completing the required graduate coursework to earn his state teaching certification.
After fulfilling his student teaching requirements at West Babylon High School, where he taught Advanced Placement and regular biology, Mr. Florea landed a faculty position at Huntington High School.
Since coming to Huntington, Mr. Florea has pitched in to help out students both in and out of the classroom. Through his private business he has donated the obstacle course and dunk tank utilized as the high school’s Relay For Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society each June. He pens college recommendation letters for seniors and counsels and mentors many students seeking his advice.
Away from the classroom, Mr. Florea said he loves participating in adventure sports, including skiing, scuba diving and even driving on the beach. He also takes delight in spending time with his “beautiful” wife, Kristen and the couple’s two “amazing” daughters; six year old Julianna and three year old Charlotte.
As the new school year churns along, Mr. Florea is more committed than ever to his guiding philosophy as a teacher. He greets each day as a new adventure.
“I hope that my students remember the fun in education,” Mr. Florea said. “That a teacher is the difference between making a class dry and uninteresting or applicable and exciting. That I tried to learn as much from them as I hope they learn from me. And to always work smarter, not harder. That’s why I fill the class with demonstrations and experiments that make it fun to experience chemistry.”
