Upper School Spanish teacher Lillian Ramos returned to teaching at Greenhill this year after a two-year absence.
Ramos began teaching middle school Spanish at Greenhill during the COVID-19 pandemic, before leaving in May of 2024. She returned at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
While away from Greenhill, Ramos taught high school Spanish part-time at John Paul II High School, where she gained experience teaching at the high school level. In the following year, she was called to fill a long-term substitute teaching position at Greenhill, an experience that reaffirmed her desire to work at the school.
“I discovered that I love working here at Greenhill,” Ramos said.
Her time away also allowed Ramos to be more present for her family. During the break from full-time teaching, she attended her son’s high school graduation and her daughter’s graduation from Northeastern University.
“I just really wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything in important years for both of them,” Ramos said.
Ramos said that teaching upper school Spanish at Greenhill is a change she has come to prefer. Compared with middle school classes, upper school lessons allow for longer class periods and more in-depth instruction.
“I really like that it becomes a little bit more of a serious lesson,” Ramos said.
Ramos is also currently teaching students in upper school that she once taught in middle school, allowing her to see firsthand how their skills have developed.
“It feels very different because I can see so much growth that they have had in high school, and also because it’s a Spanish IV class, they want to continue deepening and honing their Spanish skills,” Ramos said. “They have that option to continue or not, and seeing them continue into their Spanish language and craft just makes me so happy to be a part of where they are right now.”
Some of the students Ramos taught in middle school are now seniors who are reaching fluency in Spanish.
“They can carry full conversations in Spanish. They are very careful with the pronunciation, and they try to make sure that their Spanish is very understandable. So, I know that they are thinking in Spanish as well,” Ramos said.
Having taught from kindergarten through high school, Ramos said she has also grown as a teacher along with her students.
“I have been very fortunate to have a front seat to how, as the different years change, the students change,” Ramos said. “But also, I was another teacher. I was a younger teacher, so I think that I have grown with that as well.”
Ultimately, Ramos said her journey back to Greenhill was driven by her love of teaching and her appreciation for the Greenhill community.
“I love teaching very much, and I like teaching in an environment that is conducive of high-level teaching,” Ramos said. “When I came to work here, I discovered that the style of teaching that I would like to continue teaching at is a higher level.”
