When Chelsea Gundrum walks into her third grade classroom at West End Elementary School in Lynbrook, she said she is not just teaching math, she is building a family.

Gundrum, 33, of Massapequa Park, has taught in the Lynbrook school district since 2014, starting as a permanent substitute teacher before moving into Math AIS (academic intervention service), where she provided targeted support to students needing extra help. For the past five years, she’s led a third grade class, where her personalized approach earned her the 2025 Elementary Math Teacher of the Year award from the Nassau County Mathematics Teachers Association. 

“She consistently goes above and beyond — making meaningful connections to her students’ personal lives, celebrating their milestones and serving as their biggest cheerleader,” said Principal Leah Murray.

Gundrum said her classroom is a place where students are challenged and celebrated.

“Starting on Day One, we build a community where every child feels safe to be themselves,” she said. “It’s about creating a space where it’s OK to make mistakes, take risks and know they can come to tell me everything.”

Growing up, Gundrum was inspired by a long line of educators in her family — her mother, grandmother and uncle all taught. From a young age, she knew the profession was more than a job. “It was something I wanted to do to help children grow into who they are meant to be,” she said.

She said working with the AIS program taught her to meet students where they are and make math feel accessible and exciting. That experience now guides her third grade lesson, where students explore concepts like the Fibonacci sequence and celebrate Pi Day.

One of them, Nash Cornicello, recalled being fascinated by a class reading about hummingbirds. Gundrum encouraged students to take their curiosity further by coaching a classwide persuasive writing project to install a birdfeeder on campus. They put together a proposal that was sent to the principal.

“She helped us prepare to go to Mrs. Murray,” Nash said. “We made our idea happen.”

Gundrum’s passion extends beyond her classroom. As committee chair of the school’s Multicultural Team, she played a key role in organizing the school’s annual cultural celebration, where students walk a runway wearing traditional dress and share ethnic food with the school community. “It’s powerful to see kids proud of their backgrounds and celebrated by everyone around them,” she said.

In addition to her elementary role, Gundrum has taught courses in the literacy department at Adelphi University in Garden City, where she earned her master’s degree.

Most of all, Gundrum said she hopes the kindness felt in her class helps prepare kids for the future. “In a world that’s always changing, I want them to remember who they are, and always be proud of that.”

Nominate the passionate, engaging and innovative educators of Long Island to be featured in our Teacher Spotlight series by sending details to [email protected].