Everyone’s Favorite Teacher: Eliakim Littell

By Mia Sitts

March 31, 20211

Years back, Eliakim Littell was a rowing coach in Boston. His team of middle-aged guys wasn’t the best, but they seemed to enjoy his coaching methods. One of the rowers asked him if he had ever considered teaching before.

“I had never thought of it before that, then I began thinking about it,” Littell admitted.

Eliakim Littell has lived in numerous places growing up, such as England, London, New York City, Jerusalem, Terringham and Boston.

When he eventually moved to the Capital Region, he got his master's degree at Union College in teaching.

Littell was a rowing coach at Union College before he joined the school as a student. Union had a teaching program where he could earn his master's degree in one year and could be pretty much guaranteed a job.

“I’ll be a grown-up! I can be a grown-up!!” said Littell.

Eliakim Littell has been a teacher at Colonie Central High School for over ten years. He teaches criminal justice courses as well as social studies courses. Littell also taught at Calculous for a period of time. He found that he really enjoyed teaching math and science.

Littell makes his classes interesting for students by using relatable topics and conversations to grab our attention. He doesn’t just throw up a slide show presentation and say to pay attention.

Littell always gives his class demonstrations of what they learn and creates scenarios for them to understand what they are learning, which is one of the things students love about him.

One of his past students, Ben Ross says “his class was one of the very few classes I actually enjoyed going to.”

His personality is incomparable. As a former student of his, I would walk into his classroom in the afternoon, and he was always smiling or sharing jokes with students.

Littell’s optimism is one of my favorite things about him. No matter the scenario, he will always look at things in a positive light and encourage those around him to do the same.

He is also very caring. If he is having a bad day, he will still make sure everyone else is having a good day because that’s just the type of person he is.

He makes time to ask how everyone is doing at the beginning of class and always aims to get a laugh out of someone.

One thing that very few people might know about Eliakim Littell is that he has a temper which is surprising because many people view him as one of the calmer teachers.

“It’s not something I’m proud of but it’s just something I wrestle with,” said Littell.

Outside of teaching, Littell spends his time doing house work, walking and biking on trails in the back of his house as well as photography. He also uses the NYT Cooking app to find new recipes for when he makes dinner for his family.

“Leftover cheeseburgers sound really good. Do you have slider night at your house too?” asks Littell.

During the spring, summer and fall, Eliakim Littell spends his time rowing. He usually rows on the Hudson River and occasionally races.

Littell is the type of person many students aspire to be when they get older. He is still active, takes any opportunities that come to him as well as enjoying life.

Although he did live in many different places, he still says that he wishes he went to study abroad when he was in college. That was one opportunity that he had as a teenager that he missed.

Littell encouraged me and my fellow students by saying, “you have no idea how long life really is so you should be open to the idea of possibility.”

As a soon-to-be high school graduate, Littell has really impacted my view on the world and the opportunities that are available to me.

He told me, “If any plans that you make while you’re young don't happen, don’t be sad, just be siked that something else will happen.”

Teaching may have never been a thought when he was in his teens but he was “open to the idea of possibility” and has now found a career that he loves.

If Littell had never been open to the idea of teaching, students would’ve never had the opportunity to meet such an amazing and influential teacher.