Tiffany Ellis has always had an affinity for history. As a child, she treated vacations as a learning opportunity, and in the library, she was drawn toward the nonfiction section, and learned about the tomb of Tutankhamun. While in the classroom, she guides dozens of students through arguably the hardest history AP class offered at OHS.
Ellis began her teaching tenure in Washington state, first as a substitute teacher, and then as a junior-high teacher in Federal Way, WA in 1999.
“I taught seventh grade my first year, eighth grade my second year, and the third year was ninth grade – up there, ninth grade is junior high,” said Tiffany Ellis, AP United States History, AP Human Geography, and Dual Enrollment American History teacher.
In 2003, Ellis and her fiancé moved to Phoenix, and she taught World History and U.S. Government at a charter school, and realized her once dream of being principal.
“For two years I was actually the principal, and I didn’t enjoy being principal and I didn’t want to be at the charter anymore, so then I was hired at North High School to teach Home Economics,” Ellis said.
After spending time with some of the North teachers over the summer, and hearing about a handful of the school’s problems, she decided to apply to DVUSD, and was hired at Diamond Canyon in Anthem.
“When I started teaching up at Diamond Canyon, I did this teacher prep program through Gilder Lerhman… and they did a lot of teacher professional development classes, programs, and trips… and part of the program [was to] get a grant to start a sort-of school-within-a-school,” Ellis said.
That school-within-a-school is the Academy of Civic Engagement and Advanced Studies, for which Ellis is a foundational member.
“I started here [at OHS] in 2009 when the Academy opened; they started with ninth grade, and they wanted me to teach the ninth-graders here, but they didn’t have a full-time job [in social studies] open yet, so in 2009 I worked first period here teaching Academy students, and then I commuted and worked a full schedule up at Diamond Canyon teaching seventh grade,” Ellis said.
It was not until 2010 that she worked full-time at OHS, now teaching two history AP’s: Human Geography and U.S. History. With AP U.S. History being widely regarded as one of, if not the hardest history AP out there, there is a special kind of emphasis put on the AP teacher and their style.
“I try to provide a variety. We try to do a lot of different activities in here, although with Advanced Placement, it’s sometimes difficult because it’s so fast-paced…,” Ellis said, ”[but] breaking down big assessments that are kind of scary and daunting, I think I do a pretty good job.”
Ellis also forms bonds with her students; that is just her personality.
“I’m a pretty laid back person…I try to get along with students, and find out about them. I try to go watch students at athletic events and different extracurriculars, so I build relationships outside the classroom that way,” Ellis said.
It would seem like teaching was Ellis’ lifelong dream due to the way she approaches her classes and students, but indeed that is far from the truth.
“When I was little I wanted to be a mermaid, and when that didn’t pan out, I wanted to be a marine biologist, because I grew up on the waters of the Puget Sound. We lived on the waterfront, so I always wanted to do something with the sea,” Ellis said.
But after a while, she determined that working in the ocean was not for her, and chose to become a lawyer.
“I decided to major in history in college, but I figured I’d go to grad school to be a lawyer, and after a while I got an internship working at a lawyer’s office and their jobs seemed super boring,” Ellis said.
She was left without a goal for a time, so Ellis applied to go on an archaeological dig in Israel, but ended up being the second-best candidate, and left out of the expedition. Again left without a dream, her parents suggested taking a ‘history of education’ class her senior year of college. She had previously interned at the Washington State History Museum, where she gave tours to elementary level students, and found it enjoyable.
“I took the ‘history of education’ class and I loved it, and that was it- I said, ‘well, maybe teaching would be for me,’” Ellis said.
After she graduated, she was reminded that education had always been a part of her life.
“My mom reminded me that when I was little, I would always get the neighbor kids and I’d line them up in my house and teach them, and if they weren’t there, I’d teach my stuffed animals,” Ellis said.
Fast-forward to today, and Mrs. Ellis has remained an incredible educator. She has already made a decision for when she does eventually retire, that combines every facet of what she has wanted to in her life.
“Here I am and here I will stay… [but] I figure I’ll retire when the students hate me or I hate students… then it’ll be time for me to go, and my [next] career might be a national park ranger, which still involves teaching, just outside,” Ellis said.
