For more than 16 years, Christina Ramos has been a guiding light in Gulliver’s Lower School community, creating a classroom where students feel safe, curious, and capable. Her approach to teaching reflects the heart of Gulliver’s mission, helping children grow as learners and as people. Each year, she finds new ways to make learning meaningful and connected to the world around them. One of her favorite projects invites her fourth graders to step into the role of teachers. After researching innovative energy sources, they design and lead hands-on lessons for kindergarten students, introducing concepts, modeling learning, and guiding their young peers through creative activities. Watching her students plan, collaborate, and light up with pride as they teach is, for Mrs. Ramos, a reminder of what education is meant to be: empowering, purposeful, and full of possibility.
Read on as Mrs. Ramos shares her journey, philosophy, and what makes Gulliver home for her and her family.
Tell us about your journey into education and what inspired you to become a teacher.
My journey into education started with a simple wish: that every child would have someone who believed in them, really believed in them. As a kid, I didn’t always feel seen or understood as a learner, and that experience shaped everything about how I teach. I wanted to be the kind of adult I needed back then at school. The one who says, “You’ve got this, and even when you don’t, I’m not going anywhere.”
Teaching, for me, became the perfect mix of creativity, purpose, and connection. It’s the joy of helping students discover that they can and they will – that their voice matters and their potential is limitless.
What brought you to Gulliver, and what has made your experience here special so far?
To be completely transparent, I never dreamed I’d end up at a school like Gulliver. My journey here (16 years ago) started as something temporary, a “let’s just see where this goes” situation. Before I knew it, I was all in and somewhere along the way, I stopped just working here and started belonging here.
Gulliver became the place where I grew up professionally. I learned, evolved, and found balance between being the teacher I dreamed of being and the mother I was still learning to become. It’s given me the space, support, and inspiration to do both, and I’m endlessly grateful for that. I can’t imagine raising my own kids anywhere else. Gulliver feels like home because it’s where my heart, my career, and my family all meet.
How do you create a classroom environment that encourages curiosity, confidence, and collaboration among your students?
Every year, my classroom begins as a blank canvas and my students and I fill it together. From the very start, I encourage them to think deeply about who they are and who they hope to become. We talk about their goals, their strengths, their hopes for the year, and even the parts of themselves they’re still figuring out. I also invite them to share the things we don’t always see at school- the languages they speak, the foods they love, the people who make up their families, and the experiences that have shaped them. All of those pieces of identity matter, and when they’re brought into our classroom, they make it come alive.
My goal is always the same: to create a space that feels safe, warm, and full of possibility. A place where curiosity is celebrated, mistakes are proof of effort, and everyone belongs exactly as they are.
As both a teacher and parent, how does seeing Gulliver through both lenses shape your connection to the school and your approach in the classroom?
It’s a rare thing to find a place that helps you become who you are, both professionally and personally, and Gulliver has done that for me.
Seeing the school through both lenses (a teacher and parent) gives me a deep appreciation for what we do here. As a parent, I’m grateful for the opportunities my children have. As a teacher, I understand the mission behind them. I get to see the care, intention, and collaboration that goes into creating the kind of environment where children grow not only into strong students, but good humans.
There’s something really special about knowing that while I’m in my classroom helping my students discover who they are, my own children are experiencing that same kind of growth down the hall. It’s a full-circle kind of joy. The kind that reminds me, every day, that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
What lessons or values do you hope your students carry with them after leaving your class?
More than anything, I hope my students leave my classroom knowing they are enough- exactly as they are. I want them to understand that mistakes are proof of trying, that bravery doesn’t always feel comfortable, and that there will always be someone cheering them on long after they’ve left my room.
Beyond academics, I hope they walk away with a deeper awareness of the world around them. I hope they become curious about lives and experiences different from their own. That they are eager to listen and brave enough to use their voices for good. I want my students to be the ones who ask questions, build bridges, and make things better- the shakers and the helpers, the ones who choose kindness and courage in equal measure.
If they can leave my classroom believing their hearts and voices can make a difference, then I’ve done my job.
What do you love most about being part of the Gulliver community, and what makes it feel like home for you and your family?
What I love most about Gulliver is the sense of belonging. It’s a place where people genuinely care about the students, about one another, and about doing things with heart. It feels like home because we’re all working toward the same goal: helping kids grow into confident, compassionate humans who will make the world better. And honestly, that’s the kind of energy you never want to leave.
Rapid fire:
Favorite weekend activity with your family:
Lazy beach days, long naps, and quiet time at home- that’s our version of perfect.
Song or artist that always lifts your mood:
My favorite band is The Lumineers, but you can catch me on any given day jamming to ‘90s hip-hop, dancing to salsa or Spanish love songs, and singing along to Zac Brown Band. My playlists are a little all over the place- but so am I, and I like it that way.
Dream vacation destination:
Anywhere with ocean views or mountain hikes. If I can hear waves and see a summit, that’s basically my version of heaven.
Support Our Faculty:
Mrs. Christina Ramos brings heart, purpose, and imagination to every lesson, guiding her students to see learning as both a challenge and a joy. In her classroom, children gain confidence, think deeply, and learn the value of kindness and connection. By supporting The Gulliver Fund, you help dedicated educators like Mrs. Ramos continue nurturing curiosity, compassion, and a lifelong love of learning—click here to donate.
