For Upper School history teacher Emily Ramirez, teaching was not part of her original plan.
“I never thought I would be a teacher,” Ramirez said. “I was always drawn to history and had a dream that I wanted to be a tour guide.”
Before becoming an educator, Ramirez’s love for history and global subjects led her to work in nonprofit fundraising at the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth.
Her passion later took her abroad, where she worked as a summer camp coordinator in Liberia, West Africa. There, Ramirez was unexpectedly asked to teach a junior and senior English class.
“Once I actually stepped foot in a classroom, that was when I automatically flipped a switch and a light turned on,” Ramirez said. “I was like, okay, I actually really do want to be a teacher.”
After discovering her passion, Ramirez earned her teaching certificate and began her career in Dallas at Uplift Williams Preparatory, later at Lake Highlands High School.
Ramirez said the wide range of history electives drew her to Greenhill. She was particularly interested in the History of Genocide course, despite its heavy and often depressing nature that many teachers shy away from.
“I found that the students who signed up for the course are just naturally compassionate people,” Ramirez said. “They come to class with a really open heart to try to understand how such atrocities can happen.”
Ramirez puts full effort into every class because she says she wants to make sure the students understand the nature of the events in the course.
“I try to hit home that even though these horrific events have happened, humanity is on this river of progress, where we are always working towards a more peaceful and just world,” Ramirez said.
Since coming to Greenhill, Ramirez continues to be impressed by both her students and colleagues’ devotion to education.
“Everyone has been just naturally academically curious,” Ramirez said. “I love working with colleagues who are so passionate.”
Although Ramirez’s path to teaching was unplanned, she now recognizes moments that pointed to her in that direction. As an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma, she worked as a camp counselor and a resident assistant, where she helped students navigate the transition from home to college life.
“Looking back on my life, I realized there’s been several times where I see the progress toward becoming a teacher,” Ramirez said. Teachers are the tour guides of life.”
